Step 3 of 8 · IN → US
Meet the selected state's licensure requirements — India to United States
The board judges education comparability, deficiencies, English evidence, identity, fingerprints or background checks, jurisprudence, recency, and any other state conditions, file by file. Nobody can promise a country-wide outcome.
- Jurisdiction scope
- United States state nursing licensure
- Last verified
Purpose
Why this decision point exists
Complete the substantive and procedural conditions for examination and licensure in your chosen state.
Who needs it
Check whether it applies
Every applicant. The exact conditions come from the selected state board.
Requirements
What to check at this step
- Use the board portal and current checklist. — National Council of State Boards of Nursing (external site)
- Respond to any education deficiency, language, background or jurisprudence direction. — National Council of State Boards of Nursing (external site)
Common mistakes
Where applicants trip up
- Applying another state's requirements, or assuming a rule based on nationality.
One fact at a time
Official facts
Each value appears with its effective date and cited source. We never assume an optional fact applies to you, and we never convert currencies.
No confirmed numeric fact is shown for this page. Check the linked official pages for current fees, timing, and requirements; a missing value is not zero.
The order of decisions
Where this step sits in the reviewed pathway
Work through the decision points in this order, and expect the responsible body to change, add, or remove requirements for your circumstances.
Step 1
Choose the state and nursing boardPick your state and its board of nursing before you order or pay for any credential assessment. There is no national United States RN licence, and every board writes its own rules for foreign-educated applicants.
Step 2
Order only the state-accepted credential assessmentConfirm the board's named report before you order anything. TruMerit CES Professional is accepted by some states and not others. The current Fee Schedule lists USD 125 for the conditional CES English report, and the live payment portal decides the price you pay; do not let older FAQ pricing override it.
Step 3
Meet the selected state's licensure requirementsThe board judges education comparability, deficiencies, English evidence, identity, fingerprints or background checks, jurisprudence, recency, and any other state conditions, file by file. Nobody can promise a country-wide outcome.
Step 4
Register for NCLEX-RN after board eligibilityApply to the state board, register with Pearson VUE, wait for board eligibility and the Authorization to Test, then book within its validity window. You can pass the NCLEX-RN and still have state requirements left to finish.
Step 5
Complete and verify state licence issuanceFinish every remaining state condition and verify your licence status with the board before you practise. A state licence gives you no United States immigration status and no employment authorisation.
Step 6
Obtain federal health-care-worker certification if requiredIf your immigration action is covered, you need an approved health-care-worker certificate such as VisaScreen. It verifies education, licences, English, and the RN examination condition, and it sits alongside state licensure rather than replacing it. The initial order expires if you do not complete its requirements within the official 12-month window.
Step 7
Employer files a Schedule A petition if using that routeA United States employer files Form I-140 with the required uncertified ETA-9089 material for a full-time permanent nursing job, after the prevailing-wage and notice steps. The qualifying filing evidence and the later health-care-worker certificate are two different requirements.
Step 8
Track visa-number availability without forecasting a durationVisa chargeability usually follows place of birth; training, licence, nationality, and corridor origin do not set it. For a person chargeable to India, the July 2026 EB-3 Final Action Date is 01JAN14 and the Dates for Filing cut-off is 15JAN15. Final Action Dates govern final action; Dates for Filing govern document filing or assembly. The bulletin changes monthly and can retrogress, so treat these dates as thresholds, never as a wait-time estimate.
Evidence record
Official source ledger
Each entry records who published the source, what it covers, and when it was last checked.
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing
Nurse Licensure Guidance
- Scope
- United States state nursing licensure
- Last verified