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TOEFL, IELTS validity for Visascreen

I was asked a few days ago about the validity of English exam scores for Visascreen purposes. Someone had earlier claimed in a post at an Internet forum for nurses that English scores were valid up to five years if you submit it already to CGFNS. All of the information posted at the CGFNS Web site said English scores were only valid for two years, so I e-mailed CGFNS to verify if the new information was accurate.

As it turned out, the new information is totally wrong. English scores were only valid for a maximum of two years, regardless of the date you file your Visascreen application. So, for example, if your IELTS scores were expiring on Aug., and your NCLEX exam is on Oct., even if you file your Visascreen application before Aug., your English scores would still become invalid and you'll have to retake the IELTS again.

Here's the e-mailed response of CGFNS:
Thank you for your inquiry. If an applicant's English exam expires before he takes the NCLEX exam, he will need to take the English exam again. The initial date of the VisaScreen application does not make the expired English results valid.

The VisaScreen application is valid for one year. If the application expires, you can request to have the application re-processed for a fee of $128.00.

I hope this clears up the issue.

Comments

Anonymous said…
so basically the ielts AND nclex scores must be valid/unexpired before visa screen application?

how about this theoretical scenario:

took and passed ielts nov 2006
passed nclex july 2008
applied for visa screen oct 2008

still valid, right?

must the ielts score be valid until visa screen certificate is approved/granted?

thanks for the info!
Geoff said…
I did ask that question before to CGFNS and they replied that the English scores must be valid at the time of approval, not just during the application period.

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