2003 News
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3 MARCH 2003
CGFNS begins accepting TOEIC and IELTS scores as proof of English language proficiency
The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) will begin accepting test scores from both the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) effective on 3 March 2003, for foreign health care workers applying for the CGFNS Certification Program and/or the VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment.
Applicants applying to the Certification or VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessments must pass an English language proficiency examination as part of their requirements to receive their certificate(s). Currently, there is only one organization, the Educational Testing Service (ETS), that is approved to meet this requirement. ETS administers the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), the TWE (Test of Written English) and the TSE (Test of Spoken English).
CGFNS believes that expanding the English testing options would increase access and availability to English proficiency tests for foreign health care professionals, and in turn, expedite the certification and screening processes for applicants. CGFNS began searching for other “nationally recognized, commercially available, standardized assessments” of the English language skills of foreign health care professionals in order to facilitate the Certification and VisaScreen® processes.
As a result of that search, CGFNS has concluded that both the TOEIC and IELTS examinations meet statutory, as well as CGFNS’s high standards, for English language proficiency assessments set forth in section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA).
Beginning 3 March 2003, foreign nurses applying to the Certification Program will have the option to take either the TOEFL (administered by ETS), the TOEIC (administered by the Chauncey Group) or the IELTS (administered by Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia). Foreign health care professionals applying to the VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment will have the option to take either TOEFL, TWE and TSE; TOEIC, TWE and TSE; or IELTS. (Please note that applicants taking TOEIC will still need to take TWE and TSE offered by ETS.)
Applicants can contact these organizations at the following addresses:
TOEFL® iBT PO Box 6151 |
IELTS Please use IELTS contact us page to direct you to your nearest test center: |
