🇺🇸 Destination · the United States

Build your healthcare career in the United States.

The US pays more than any other destination and asks more of you to get there. Nurses arrive as permanent residents rather than temporary workers — but the immigration queue is measured in years, not months, and the licence comes from a state board rather than a national regulator.

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Retro travel postcard illustration of the United States
~US$90k
median registered
nurse pay
18–36 months
realistic time from
start to arrival
Green card
you arrive as a
permanent resident
The country

Why healthcare professionals choose the United States

American healthcare is the highest-paying destination in the world for nurses, and the EB-3 route delivers something no other country offers: permanent residence on arrival, for you and your immediate family. The trade-off is the wait, the state-by-state licensing, and a medical system that requires overseas doctors to repeat residency.

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Highest pay
Registered nurse pay is materially higher than Australia, the UK or Ireland, with wide variation by state and setting — California and the north-east pay most.
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Permanent residence
Nurses are on Schedule A, which skips the labour certification stage. You arrive with a green card rather than a temporary work visa, and your spouse can work immediately.
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Licensed state by state
There is no national register. Each state board of nursing sets its own requirements, and your licence is tied to that state — though the Nurse Licensure Compact lets many licences travel.
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The queue is real
EB-3 priority dates retrogress. In 2026 most countries sat around mid-to-late 2023, while India sat in 2013. Check the current Visa Bulletin before planning a start date.
Visa pathways

How the migration system works

Almost all internationally educated nurses arrive through the EB-3 immigrant visa — a green card, not a work permit. Doctors and allied health professionals use different routes.

Nurses · some AHPs

EB-3 immigrant visa (green card)

Employer-sponsored permanent residence. Nurses and physical therapists are Schedule A occupations, which removes the labour certification stage. You need an approved VisaScreen certificate, a US licence or NCLEX pass, and a sponsoring employer — then you wait for your priority date.

Doctors in training

J-1 or H-1B

Most international medical graduates enter residency on a J-1 sponsored by ECFMG, which carries a two-year home residency requirement unless waived. Some programmes sponsor H-1B instead.

Canadians & Mexicans

TN status

Nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and several other professions can work in the US under USMCA without a green card queue — a genuine advantage if you already hold Canadian or Mexican citizenship.

Please note: US immigration rules, visa bulletin cut-off dates, state licensing requirements and exam fees change regularly. This page is a starting point, not advice — verify with the relevant state board, TruMerit (CGFNS) and a licensed US immigration attorney.
Jobs & pay by role

What each profession can expect

Registration, visa route, demand and indicative pay for the professions with a workable US route.

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Nurses & Midwives
~US$90k
median RN pay
Register with
A state board of nursing. Most require a CGFNS/TruMerit credentials evaluation, then the NCLEX-RN. English evidence (IELTS, TOEFL or OET) is required for VisaScreen, and some states require it too.
Visa route
EB-3 green card via an employer sponsor, with a VisaScreen certificate. Schedule A designation removes the labour certification step.
Timeline
18–36 months in 2026, driven almost entirely by visa bulletin movement rather than by exams.
Demand
Persistent shortages in hospital, long-term care and travel nursing across most states.
Nursing in the USA: NCLEX to green card
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Doctors & IMGs
Residency first
then specialty pay
Register with
A state medical board, after ECFMG certification: USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK plus an ECFMG Pathway. Board certification follows residency.
The hard truth
Overseas specialists repeat residency. There is no practice-ready route equivalent to Australia’s or Canada’s, regardless of your seniority at home.
Visa route
J-1 sponsored by ECFMG, or H-1B where the programme supports it. Matching happens through the NRMP.
Demand
Strong in primary care and underserved areas; J-1 waiver jobs are concentrated there.
US and Canada: the two IMG routes compared
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Allied Health
Varies by profession
state licensed
Register with
A state licensing board, after a profession-specific credential evaluation and exam — the NPTE for physical therapists, NBCOT for occupational therapists, ARRT for radiographers.
Visa route
Physical therapists and occupational therapists are Schedule A for EB-3; others may use H-1B where the role is a speciality occupation.
Demand
Physical and occupational therapy, imaging and laboratory roles are in shortage in most states.
Allied health in the US and Canada
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Care Workers
No route
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The honest position
There is no employment-based immigrant visa category for care assistants or home health aides. The US does not sponsor this work from overseas at scale.
Alternatives
Australia (the ACILA route) and Ireland (the General Employment Permit) are the realistic destinations for care workers.
Care work in IrelandCare work in Australia
the United States guides

Go deeper

Detailed, honest walkthroughs of the registration and visa steps above — kept current for 2026.

Nursing in the USA: NCLEX to green cardDoctors: US vs Canada routesAllied health licensingRoutes by source country

Start your US journey

Register free to build your verified profile, work through the licensing steps in the right order, and understand where you sit in the visa queue before you commit money to it.

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