Certificate Transfer to NJ is Taking Too Long

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twofromusa
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:42 am

Certificate Transfer to NJ is Taking Too Long

Post by twofromusa »

Hello,
My wife and I are teaching in SE Asia. Her elementary teaching certificate expires at the end of November. She's been trying to transfer it to NJ, but they are taking forever to do it, and we applied for this transfer several months ago.

We tried to contact them several times, and they just kept telling us that we had to wait longer but are not telling us why. It's so unprofessional and just as bad of a bureaucratic situation as in any (not the 1st world) country.

What can she do?

Her current state DOE offers freezing it. They sent us a sample of what it looks like. The header of the certificate states that it is "valid" for 50 years, but there's a note towards the bottom of the certificate that states that the status is in "non-practicing" status. It's followed by this sentence:

"While in non-practicing status, the certificate remains valid with validity preserved. The certificate will be placed back into practicing status if and when the certificate holder returns to practice." The state's DOE says that they don't recognize teaching abroad.

Do you think my wife will have issues with getting work visas/employment if she freezes her certificate (in case if NJ doesn't come through in the next few weeks)?

We're getting really nervous about this and can't believe NJ is already taking 5 months to process the paperwork.

Thank you for any help or advice!
muguet
Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 5:22 pm

Re: Certificate Transfer to NJ is Taking Too Long

Post by muguet »

When I transferred I had a similar situation. The phone calls were worthless. One day I logged in and it was granted (no email notification btw).

For me it took 3 months.
twofromusa
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:42 am

Re: Certificate Transfer to NJ is Taking Too Long

Post by twofromusa »

Thank you for responding, muguet!
It's good to know that they didn't give you any more hard time, other than making your communication with them worthless.

The guy who picks up the phone over there thinks really highly of himself.

Can anyone chip in about my wife's certificate becoming non-active but still valid?

While we have a few more weeks left to give NJ a chance, we don't want to wait too long and for the certificate to not be valid anymore.
sid
Posts: 1392
Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:44 am

Re: Certificate Transfer to NJ is Taking Too Long

Post by sid »

It’s hard to predict. It shouldn’t be an issue but I can see some functionary taking offense and turning down the visa application. It can be hard at times to convince government officials about documents they don’t understand, and they tend to be very risk averse. The easiest route is saying no.
So…
Ladida
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun May 05, 2019 5:46 am

Re: Certificate Transfer to NJ is Taking Too Long

Post by Ladida »

There's no way she can renew it from abroad? My cert is in Texas and I can renew it online, I just have to have PD documentation.
HereThereEverywhere
Posts: 50
Joined: Sat Feb 08, 2014 10:03 am

Re: Certificate Transfer to NJ is Taking Too Long

Post by HereThereEverywhere »

Why the transfer to NJ? Is there something about that I don't know? Easy to renew or something?
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Response

Post by PsyGuy »

It was 3 months on average before the pandemic, now its closer to 6 months or more before applications are approved or denied.

The DOEs support like is very understaffed, and yes they tend to think highly of themselves.

Wait until the mid of November and then freeze it just before it expires. This way you will have something if the NJ credential is denied. It would be easier to make the argument that you are still credentialed with a frozen credential than an expired one. Yes, this means she will have increasing level of challenges in securing offers and visas as @Sid stated. Its just easier to say no, and those in the various relevant ministries tend to be risk adverse.

My assumption is that the LWs current DOE requires PD or some form of in state practice to renew, and the LW either hasnt done the PD or cant meet the practice requirement.

NJ is one of the few states that offers a functional permenant/lifetime credentials. There is no PD or even continuing application requirement to maintain the credential.
twofromusa
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:42 am

Re: Certificate Transfer to NJ is Taking Too Long

Post by twofromusa »

Thank you very much @Sid and @PsyGuy!

You have been very helpful to me and to many people on this forum.

Yes, wife doesn’t quiet meet the requirement for the current state, even though she’d had lots of teaching experience prior to receiving the license. We jumped on a very good opportunity to teach abroad before she met the state requirement and hoped we could easily transfer to NJ, but didn’t realize it was going to take this long. Our fault.

We’re definitely going to give it a few more weeks before freezing. Called them last night and got a nice customer service lady for the first time who said she was going to contact the license examiner to see why it’s taking so long. Hopefully, something will move soon.
twofromusa
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:42 am

Re: Certificate Transfer to NJ is Taking Too Long

Post by twofromusa »

Well, well, well...the lovely customer care lady at the NJ DOE who answered the phone this time (instead of the nasty guy we used to get) came through on her promise to email the license examiner, and my wife now has her NJ certification.

I just wanted to update this and thank everyone for your replies!

P.S. The process can take 5-6 months now.
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