From nurse in Brazil to Registered Nurse in the United States.
This is the most complete guide to the process. No complicated terms, no fluff. Here you will understand why the US needs you, how the process works from start to finish, and what happens at each step of the journey.
Reading time: 8 minutes
First, the basics: Why does the United States need nurses?
The The U.S. faces one of the largest healthcare workforce crises in history. There are more than 1 million unfilled nursing positions, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hospitals in all 50 states are operating with skeleton staffs. And the problem is not temporary: the American population is aging, the demand for health care is growing every year, and there simply aren't enough American nurses to supply it.
To resolve this, the American government created legal pathways that facilitate the hiring of international nurses. Including Brazilians. And it's no favor: Brazilian nurses have one of the most complete clinical training in the world, with a workload higher than that of many countries, including the U.S. itself.
$7,800
average monthly salary of an RN
US$90k+
per year, with full benefits
Green Card
EB-3 visa includes spouse and children
Health plan, retirement (401k), professional stability and permanent residence for the entire family. This is the package that awaits those who complete the process.
If you graduated as a nurse in Brazil, you already know the logic.
In Brazil, the path is simple: graduation, registration with COREN, license to practice. In the United States, the logic is the same. The difference is that, as your training was carried out outside the country, there is an additional stage of international validation.
NO BRASIL
1. Nursing Degree
2. Registration with COREN
3. License to practice
Straightforward process, no additional validation.
NOS ESTADOS UNIDOS
1. Diploma validation (TruMerit or Josef Silny)
2. Registration with the Board of Nursing (state)
3. NCLEX-RN Exam (in English)
Same logic, with international validation stage.
The good news: The course load of Brazilian nursing degrees is significantly higher than that of the United States. In the vast majority of cases, the Brazilian diploma meets (and exceeds) the equivalence requirements.
The complete path, step by step.
Each stage depends on the previous one. And in each of them, Nursy is by your side, handling the technical work while you focus on your preparation.
Degree validation
CREDENTIAL EVALUATION · Duration: 3 to 6 months
A recognized evaluation agency in the U.S., the TruMerit (formerly CGFNS) or the Josef Silny & Associates, analyzes your Brazilian degree and checks whether it is equivalent to your American degree. They look at diplomas, academic records and clinical workload.
The result is an official report called Credential Evaluation Report (CES Report). This report is formal recognition of your US degree. Without it, no Board of Nursing will accept your application.
What Nursy does here: We create your profile on the agency's platform, complete all the forms, contact your school and COREN to send the documents, coordinate sworn translations, and follow up until the report is issued. You can follow everything in real time via dedicated email.
100% validation in +400 diplomas. Guarantee: validated diploma or money back.
Registration with the Board of Nursing
STATE LICENSING · Duration: 2 to 4 months
With the diploma validated, the next step is to apply for a professional license in the state where you want to work. Each American state has its Board of Nursing (the equivalent of COREN), and it is this body that issues the license.
The application requires the CES Report, criminal background check and fingerprint collection. When everything is approved, the Board issues the Authorization to Test (ATT): the document authorizing you to take the NCLEX.
Why the choice of the state is strategic: Each Board has different requirements, processing times and particularities. One state may process in 6 weeks, another may take 4 months. Choosing the wrong one can cost you months. Nursy guides this decision based on real experience from +150 processes in +30 states.
What Nursy does here: We guide you in choosing the best state, complete the entire application, coordinate background checks and fingerprints, and monitor the process until the ATT is issued.
NCLEX Preparation
IN PARALLEL WITH STEPS 1 AND 2 · Duration: 3 to 6 months
The NCLEX is the US national nursing exam administered by Pearson VUE. The test is in English and assesses clinical reasoning in real care situations. In Brazil, it is held in São Paulo.
Crucial point: you don't need to wait for ATT to start studying. In fact, nurses who study in parallel with validation and the Board save months on the total process time. That's why Nursy advises on preparation from the first day.
What Nursy does here: we advise on materials (UWorld, Archer, Saunders), create a personalized schedule, share strategies from those who have already passed, and take care of registration and scheduling at Pearson VUE when the ATT is issued. We are not a preparatory course, but we know what works for Brazilian nurses.
NCLEX-RN Exam
NATIONAL NURSING TEST · Applied in São Paulo (in Brazil)
With the ATT in hand, you schedule the NCLEX at Pearson VUE and take the test. The exam is adaptive (the level of difficulty changes as you answer) and assesses whether you have the clinical reasoning necessary to safely practice nursing in the US.
Approval directly depends on your preparation. It's the only step in the process that depends exclusively on you. And that's exactly why Nursy encourages studying from day 1.
Registered Nurse (RN) License
With the diploma validated, the Board approved and the NCLEX passed, you receive your American professional license. From here, you can legally practice nursing in the United States in your chosen state.
Estimated total time: 8 to 18 months, depending on the agility of the agencies and your study pace for the NCLEX.
License in hand. And now?
The license is the central milestone, but the journey continues. With the RN license, two paths open up:
Employment and immigration
The next step is to find an American employer (sponsor) who will sponsor your work visa. The most common visa for nurses is the EB-3, which leads to a Green Card for you, your spouse and children under 21. The typical contract is for 3 years, with salary, health insurance, retirement and relocation assistance.
Nursy Career Connect prepares you for the market and searches for the best jobs available for your profile.
Meet Career Connect →Endorsement (other state)
If you need to work in a different state than the one in which you were licensed, Endorsement transfers your license without retaking the NCLEX. This happens when the sponsor requires a license in another state, or when you want to move. Nursy has already processed +150 endorsements in +30 states.
Learn more about Endorsement →About the visa queue: EB-3 works with priority date (date of entry into the queue). This queue only starts counting when the sponsor files the petition. The sooner you get the contract, the sooner you get in line, and the sooner you can move with your family.
You don't have to do this alone. And it shouldn't.
The process is clear when you look at the roadmap. But in practice, each step has dozens of details that can go wrong: a wrong form filled out, a translation in the wrong format, a school that doesn't respond, a missing document. Every mistake costs time. And time, in this process, is literally the difference between embarking this year or next.
Nursy exists so that none of these mistakes happen. We have already led more than 800 nurses along this path. We know where things get stuck, how to unlock them, and how to make each step go as quickly as possible.
We do
Forms, registrations, communication with entities. All done by the Nursy team.
Do you follow
Dedicated email, direct WhatsApp, Meet meetings. Full transparency.
With guarantee
100% validation. Zero rejections. Diploma validated or money back.
What everyone asks before starting.
Do I need to speak English to validate the diploma?
For validation and the Board, no. Nursy takes care of all communication in English. But for the NCLEX and to work in the US, you will need intermediate or advanced English. The sooner you start practicing, the better.
Can I do everything living in Brazil?
Yes. The entire process can be done remotely. The only face-to-face stage is the NCLEX, which in Brazil is administered in São Paulo.
Can any Brazilian nurse validate it?
In the vast majority of cases, yes. The Brazilian workload is higher than the American one, which facilitates equivalence. Nursy carries out a free eligibility analysis before you hire any service.
What is the difference between TruMerit and Josef Silny?
Both are recognized evaluation agencies in the U.S.. TruMerit (formerly CGFNS) is the best known and accepted by most Boards. Josef Silny is an alternative accepted by some states. Nursy advises which one is best for your case.
Is Nursy a consultant or a lawyer?
Advisory services. We are not lawyers and we do not handle immigration issues (visas). Our focus is exclusively on nursing licensure: validation, Board, NCLEX and endorsement. For visas, we recommend specialized lawyers.
Now you know how it works.
The next step is to find out if you are eligible.
Free 2 minute quiz. No commitment. You find out if you can validate your diploma and what is the best path for your profile.
Check if you are eligible →Or speak directly to the team: WhatsApp →
+800
clients
+400
diplomas
100%
validation
+150
endorsements
+30
states