Pharmaddict

You need to find a sponsor to change your visa status to H1B visa. This way, you will have SSN. This # is mandatory to issue your intern license in NJ. The problem is finding a sponsor!!!!

I don't often check this forum since a long time ago, but I came across this thread and I just want to write about my experience so as to give people some HOPE.. I took TOEFL twice, The first time my score was: S26, W22 !!! Imagine how I felt when I got this magic 26 and failed to get the passing score for the writing!! I was shocked!! I doubted I could get 26 again and I already did a lot of effort preparing! I decided I would rescore my writing as I only needed 2 marks, but at the same time I registered for another exam because rescoring result is not guaranteed.. I had REALLY BAD experience with rescoring. I faxed my order 3 times.. I called the customer service (many of them are not professional!) around 5 times to ensure that they received my order (because I was not notified) and also to check the result of rescoring (because the rescoring result was mailed to me too late). This process took more than a month. Imagine how I was feeling waiting for a change and at the same time I was practicing for my second TOEFL exam. Guess what?? Rescoring of my writing didn't get me any points!!! I didn't give up.. My second exam was approaching. I practiced so HARD on almost all softwares available and I had a strong intension and determination to get the required scores this time. Scores were out.... W27 , S24 !!! Imagine again how I felt checking my results.. I was completely devastated!! I had no choice other than to register for the TOEFL for the third time (and it was my LAST chance because I was returning back to my country).. I thought about rescoring my speaking this time but I was hesitant because of the awful experience I had with rescoring before. At the same time, I didn't want to have another hope and lose it. Furthermore, seeing my previous experience, almost no one encouraged me to take this step except for Teacher Corey in this great forum ... Finally, I decided I would go for rescoring even if there was a weak chance for a score change...I was reasonable..I just needed two marks... Definitely, I wouldn't go for rescoring if my score was 22 for example.. Even though I registered for the third TOEFL trial, I didn't have any energy or enthusiasm to study. I felt I did my best and I lost any hope to pass the TOEFL before I leave America. At the same time I restarted my rescoring process. That time it was easier.. I faxed my order twice, but I shortly got notification via email that my order was recieved... as I said I was trying to practice but hardly I could. I was checking my score daily (because the only way to know about the result of the rescoring is to see a change in your online score, or to call ETS, or to wait for a letter which may be lost or delayed). It was too early to call ETS to inquire about my rescoring result... Just ONE day before my scheduled third exam (when I was in a state of despair!), I was checking my online score as I was doing daily since I applied for rescoring. I couldn't believe that: my speaking score changed from 24 to 27!! I remember I called ETS 3 times this day to make sure that my score actually changed. I didn't take the third exam.. on my second exam, rescoring process went so smoothly and it didn't take a long time.. I just want to say that rescoring may be helpful.. DO NOT give up hope if you have a chance.. and I advise to go for rescoring if you only need two extra points and not more.. Good luck everyone!!

I tried it on iPad..It's VERY interesting!! I just faced a problem when I was logging in!

go to any bank and ask for a certified cheque..it must have your name (exactly as shown on your documents), the name of the bank you are sending the money from, the name of the bank in USA you will send the money to, the exact amount of money in US dollars and the date...check the FPGEC application bulletin for that.

Even though there are States that issue the intern license without SSN if you don't have one, it's a MUST have to be a licensed pharmacist!! So, it is not worth spending around 1500 hours as a volunteer (of course you will not get paid) then not being able to get your practicing license! Unfortunately, that is my problem too!! Let me know if you find a way out of this predicament!!

nishil, I am in the same boat!! I have been searching for an intern position for about 10 months!! All what I managed to find is very few volunteering opportunities! This could have been fine if I have SSN, but I cannot get it without H1B visa...I find it a closed circuit! Yet, I still have hope that things would change! I am already outside the States and willing to do my intern hours in any State..

NO, you HAVE to send your original documents... it is not important for the translation to be in sealed envelopes...however, your transcript and proof of degree MUST be in sealed and signed envelopes from your university. You need to have two sets of transcript and proof of degree in 2 sealed/signed envelopes and a third one which is accompanied with the translation. Then, send the three sets in one big envelope to the ECE. Hope I made things clear!

send the original documents with the official translation. I think that should be fine. Make sure to send your documents in sealed,signed envelopes from your university. If seals and/or signatures on envelopes are not in English, you have to translate them as well.

HI,Does anyone know if nabp can send extra official copies of FPGEC certificate or just any other means to prove that I am FPGEC certified. How much this will cost and how long it can take?? I cannot get information from nabp by email or even phone calls!!Thanks!

HI,Does anyone know if nabp can send extra official copies of FPGEC certificate or just any other means to prove that I am FPGEC certified. How much this will cost and how long it can take?? I cannot get information from nabp by email or even phone calls!!Thanks!

You need to hire an immigration attorney to get things done the most proper way without missing any documents, because if something is missing, this will cosume a lot of time and you will not have a refund for the money. Paper work needed for filing H1B visa is somewhat complicated. You will find all what you need to know in the website of USCIS: USCIS - H-1B Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Cap Season NJ BOP doesn't issue any deficiency letter. That what they told me. You will not get an intern license without SSN. At the same time, you will need your intern license to apply for H1B visa and hence be able to get your SSN once you get the visa. It seems confusing!! I am sure there is a way to get out of this dilemma, may be you can get a letter from NJ BOP stating that they don't issue the intern license unless the applicant has an SSN or something like this. That why I think you should consult an immigration attorney. Tell me how you managed to find a sponsor? I want to do my internship in NJ but couldn't manage to find any sponsor since a long time ago!!! Wish you good luck!

I am seeking an internship in a hospital but I need sponsoring. Is it possible to find one?!! In which state are you?

ETS doesn't inform you about rescoring result by email. You will receive a mail informig you about the result whether there is a change or not. This will definitely take some time to reach you. You have to check your score daily to see if there is any change. If there is a change, it can be expected from 10 to 15 days. You can also call ETS to ask about the result of rescoring. This is the fastest way. Waiting is really hard!! The customer service of ETS will inform you if your rescoring is done or still under processing. And also can tell you if rescoring resulted in a change or not. I think getting a mark is not that difficult especially that it seems from your score that your performance was good in the exam. Good Luck!!

- For your application, you need to carefully read the application bulletin, which you can download from the NABP website. Take notes while reading and make sure you don't miss anything. You wil need to submit two applications with the supporting documents: one for the ECE and the other for the NABP. Paper work took me more than 3 months, so I don't think you will be ready for next Sep exam. The first step is to write to the NABP requesting an application and start preparing your papers in Egypt. - Regarding the visa interview, you need to have the acceptance letter from the NABP when you go to the embassy. This letter also includes your exam ID card. You get this letter when you get the approval of NABP to take the exam. This means that all your papers are complete and you paid all the fees. Yet, even if you have this letter, there is no guarantee that you get the visa!! This depends on how you convince the US official consul that you are returning back to your home country and that you are not taking this exam as a means to immigrate and stay illegally in the States. You also need to have documents that prove you have strong ties in your home country. - I took TOEFL twice, but this does not mean that things went smoothly with me!! Read previous posts for me!! Feel free to ask whatever you want. My only advice, based on my experience, is do not make that your ultimate goal. If you insist on taking this direction, go on and work hard to get the FPGEC, BUT at the same time you need to be working and preparing for alternative plans. Good luck!!

Ahmed, I don't want to disappoint you but you have to know some facts before taking this decision. As Abubaksi said, it is a lot of time, effort and money!! I spent almost more than a whole year devoting my time and effort to get the FPGEC and Alhamdulillah I managed to get my certificate after LOTS of problems I faced in Egypt and the States!! But Now what?!! I have been searching and searching for a sponsor for more than 6 months but I cannot find any!! You will need that sponsor (a chain or independent pharmacy, a hospital) to start your intern hours ( aroud 1500 hours) after you get your certificate. You need a miracle to find a sponsor nowadays!! This sponsor will support your H1B visa (a temporary working visa that wil allow you start your intern hours). After you finish your internship, which will take at least 8 months, you can take the NAPLEX and MPJE exams and get your license. Even after you get your license, you can not start a job unless your employer support your working visa!! It is a real dilemma; you have to know that!! I am not discouraging you. It is your dicision! I just want to tell you what you will face. I feel disappointed as I am facing problems that are out of my control. If you don't have a legal residency in US (like a citizenship or a green card), your chances are very limited to be a pharmacist in US. That's a real fact you should know! I am talking out of a personal experience for me and many others in this forum. Yet, it is still your decision and I want to tell you that despite al what I have faced and what I am facing now, I don't regret what I did. The whole FPGEC was a great life time experience for me. We don't know what the best thing for us is! Regarding the visa you are asking for, you need to apply to a visitor visa. Make sure that when you go to the embassy in Cairo, you have all the papers that prove you are going to take the exam. Yet, there is no gurantee that you get the visa from the first time. There are NO rules. It is a matter of luck!! Anyways, good luck in whatever you do and feel free to ask for anything you want.

The original score remains available. If rescoring results in a change, you will find that change in the "view score section" of your TOEFL iBT account without any notifications. ETS only confirms in writing about the result of rescoring process. It will take some time to receive a mail from ETS. So, the only way to know about your status is to keep checking your result daily. It takes an average of 2 weeks to find a change in the score. If more than 2 weeks passed without seeing any change, you have to call ETS to request about your status. Probably they will say that your rescoring didn't result in any change and that they have sent you a mail confirming this!! The important thing is to make sure that ETS received your fax requesting for rescoring!

Unfortunately, I have not started my internship!! I NEED a sponsor and I am NOT currently in US. I have been searching for more than 5 months but with no luck!! You have a good chance and I assure you that. Prepare a good resume and leave it personally in every independent pharmacy and hospital that you can go to. Try searching in some websites like indeed. As I told you, you have a better chance if you can volunteer. It's me who is facing a BIG problem!! In which state are you? By the way, I don't have an iron memory!! We were preparing for the exams around the same time.

IHope, I hope, as you hope, that we can find someone who can help us find an answer for this question!! I have been searching in different states for more than 5 months now but nothing is working out!! Anyway, keep trying and don't lose HOPE!!

Do you need a sponsor? Are you in the US? If your answer is "no" for the first question and "yes" for the second one, then you can find an internship. Probably, you will do your intern hours as a volunteer or try searching hard, you may find a paid internship. It seems that you already passed the TOEFL. I remember that you faced some problems with it, right? congratulations and good luck!

Hi, I am in the same boat as Nazia! I have the FPGEC certificate and I need a sponsor to support my H1B visa to start my internship. I want to do my intern hours in NJ, but no luck till now!! looking forward to hearing from you.

Is there a time limit between FPGEC certification and the begining of the internship?! I mean that after this time, the board of pharmacy will not issue me the intern license! I read that in Texas, if I don't take the NAPLEX/MPJE within three months of FPGEC certification, I cannot get my intern license!! Is that true?! This is somewhat confusing to me! Does this mean I can never have an intern license in Texas as I cannot take the NAPLEX within three months after I got my certificate?! And what about other States?!! I got my certificate couple of months ago, but I have not applied for an intern license yet as I cannot find a sponsor! Please someone clarify this to me

I don't think you have a problem. When I called the Board of pharmacy in NJ, they never mentioned anything about immigration status to start the internship. All what they asked for is having an SSN, even if I am going to do my internship as a volunteer. May be they are asking for your immigration status to make sure you are legally staying in the States; so, just write that you are on H4 visa. I think you have to call the Board of Pharmacy, and direct your questions to the people there. They are not friendly at all, but you have to do that to be on the safe side! Wish you good luck!

Congratulations :) Seems you're done with your internship. Did you take the NAPLEX? I like the the link for pharmacy calculations. It's helpful and interesting!

Who said NJ BOP needs your immigration status?! Did u call the BOP? That's really weird!! What I know is that you must have an SSN to get your intern license. You already have it, so you have no problem. That's a big problem I'm facing :(

Scores for last Sep exam appeared 40 days later