Physical Therapist
H1-b Information
Green
Cards for Physical Therapist
Physical therapists are generally eligible for an H-1B
visa, since the bachelor’s degree is generally a
minimum standard requirement for that occupation in the United
States. An H-1B visa is available when the occupation requires
a bachelor’s
degree and the applicant has the same or teh equivalent degree. Physical
therapist in another country are required to first submit
your educational credentials to a U.S. state therapy board
for a temporary license or permit. (A
list of state therapy boards is available on the Federal
of State Boards of Physical Therapy website). Once
are granted a permit, you can apply for an H-1B visa to work
in the United States. Upon entering the United States,
you will have to take the state licensing exam, and then renew
your H-1B visa.
There are three basic stages to complete in
order to secure American therapy jobs as a physical therapist.
Each includes working with agencies or groups-from FCCPT to FSBPT-to
be eligible for our American therapy jobs.
1. Verifying Credentials
2. Obtaining a License
3. Immigration Approval
1. Verifying you Credentials is done by a board approved
agency to verify that your education is equivalent to
a U.S. granted Physical Therapy degree. Every state has somewaht
different requirements for the number of hours in each subject
and the breakdown of clinical requirements. Each state also
authorizes specific credentialing agencies they work with.
Basically they approve the FCCPT or the International
Credentialing Associates plus one or more of the
following agencies.
FCCT - Foreign Credentialing Commission on PT
P. O. Box 25827
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703) 684-8562 |
International Consultants
of Delaware, Inc.
109 Barksdale Professional Center
Newark, DE 19711
Phone: (302) 737-8715 |
International Credentialing
Associates, Inc.
7245 Bryan Dairy Rd., Park #2
Largo, FL 33777
Phone: (727) 549-8555 |
International Educational Research
Foundation, Inc.
P. O. Box 3665
Culver City, CA 90231
Phone: (310) 258-9451 Fax: (310) 342-7086 |
2. Each state has specific requirements which
can include English competency tests as well as specific hours
from credentialing. You are also required to register with the
FSBPT to take the NPTE (National
Physical Therapy Examination). Once the candidate's file is completed,
including the state including application, fees, English
Tests (if required) and other state requirements, the state will
contact the FSBPT to obtain
permission to take the test. The FSBPT then sends an "Authorization
to Test" letter to the candidate. The candidate will then
contact testing firm Prometric to schedule an exam date. Currently
the FSBPT exam is only given in the U.S. and Guam.
3. Once the candidate has successfully passed the NPTE and
has received a licensethe company can file for an
H1B visa for the candidate. Physical Therapists are now required
to present a visa screen with applications for H1B approval.
Currently there are two sources for the Visa Screen for Physical
Therapists:
FCCPT and CGFNS .
The visa screen also compares your education to U.S. education
and you are required to pass:
• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
• TSE (Test of Spoken English)
• TWE.(Test of Written English)
.
FSBPT (The Federation of State
Boards of Physical Therapy)
You are required to register with the FSBPT to take the NPTE
(National Physical Therapy Examination).
http://www.fsbpt.org |
|
VISA Screening Sources
Physical Therapists are now required to present a visa screen
with applications for H1B approval. Currently there are
two sources for the Visa Screen for Physical Therapists:
FCCPT and CGFNS |
|
English Language Testing Service
For TOEFL, TSE and TWE testing.
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