Green Card Options

Permanent Residency for Nurses

Nurses  have already been designated by the U.S. Department of Labor to be occupations for which there is a national shortage. Therefore, they are allowed to file for their green cards by showing that they have a permanent job offer to work as a nurse  in the United States, they speak English sufficiently well, and they meet other criteria. They can work at a facility anywhere in the United States. They do not have to work in any kind of “shortage” location.

To learn more about obtaining permanent residency as a nurse or physical therapist, please review information on the Schedule A for Nurses or Physical Therapists submenu under the Employment Based Green Cards menu tab.

 

Permanent Residency for Physicians

Foreign physicians may also qualify for permanent resident status in the United States.  The most common approach is for an employer to file a labor certification application, demonstrating to the Department of Labor that there are no U.S. physicians ready, able and qualified to perform the job.  Physicians may waive the labor certification requirement if their employment would be in the “national interest.”  Generally, physicians may petition for a national interest waiver if they intend to work at least five years in a medically underserved areas (“MUA”) or at a Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) facility.  Finally, those physicians who have risen to the very top of their field may be eligible to file EB-1A petitions as Aliens of Extraordinary Ability.