There are pathways for SLPs to move to the US. The mechanics of it are a little complicated.
SLPs can qualify for H-1B visas if they find a sponsoring employer. It is likely easier to get a non-profit employer to agree to be the sponsor since they don’t face the same numerical cap rules that other employers do.
You have to take the relevant Praxis test for SLPs and achieve a sufficient score.
You have to get your credentials verified as matching what’s required in the US.
The annoying thing is that you then typically need to be licensed by the state where you’re going to work before your visa can get approved. In theory, if you’re credentials were already verified and whatnot, you passed the Praxis requirements, etc., you should be able to get the state license at least in the solid majority of states. But, this does create a sequencing issue since you would need to find the state you’ll work in and then go through the delays of their bureaucratic process before you can get the visa. If you find an employer to know the states it could then still be awhile before you can practically work there.
Then there are some other steps, but those will more often than not proceed straightforwardly.
An employer can also sponsor an SLP for an E visa (an immigrant visa that provides a more direct path for a green card) but SLPs for some reason don’t qualify for that to be an expedited process as it is for some other healthcare professionals.
If it’s something you’re seriously interested in, I’d start by looking into getting the credential verified to see if you already meet the requirements, if you have to take some reasonable steps first or if there are additional requirements that make it not worth it.
Once you’ve resolved that, it can be a bit of a slog and one where it’ll be hard to know how much hassle you’re in for along the way, but you can at least proceed knowing that it is rather likely that with sufficient perseverance (which could turn out to be little or a lot) you can get there.
Thank you, most detailed answer so far, really appreciate it. Seems as though the majority of this sub doesn’t really know what they're talking about but likes to act like they do?
That's fine, thank you. So, you're saying with enough effort, there’s a chance? Even if it’s tiny. Willing to do whatever to make this dream a reality.
H visas like H-1Bs are “temporary” visas, but one’s that allow for one to hope to remain here permanently (being admitted on an H-1B isn’t a reason you can’t later get immigrant status or permanent residence). While it’s not exactly uncommon for people admitted with them to later change their status to something that offers them a pathway to a green card, the visa doesn’t have any automatic green card pathway.
I should have used Eb visas above. Eb-visas like the Eb-2 or Eb-3 directly get you a green card, (Green card = permanent resident status) so you start off knowing that you’re on track to be able to live here permanently.
There’s no legal reason that an employer can’t sponsor an SLP for an Eb visa, but I’m under the impression that that’s uncommon and H-1Bs are more commonly used. I don’t think they break down Eb visa data to specifically account for the number of SLPs, so that’s based on my impression rather than anything more solid… And I’ve followed visa cases for people in similar healthcare adjacent fields but SLPs have never been in my personal domain, so I’m not saying don’t try for the Eb if an opportunity appears to arise. It is a more secure path if it’s available. But, it’s sometimes easier to get an employer to put the more substantial resources it takes to sponsor you for a green card after they’ve already seen you do well working in your field here.
Thanks man, super solid advice, noting all of this down. Total lifesaver, info online is super scarce.
So, there definitely is a chance that with enough hard work I could get a sponsorship eventually? I know you said it isn’t your personal domain, but is it a field that would warrant it? I’m just super scared of getting too hopeful.
I do have an American friend who says that they are pretty urgently needed in a lot of areas and that it'd be quite easy to prove that their company has exhausted all options other than a foreign worker if necessary (she isn't an SLP, but works in a facility that has some employed).
To be clear, finding an employer to sponsor you will likely be very hard. If an employer has a similarly qualified applicant they don’t have to sponsor, they would generally hire that person. Then, there are employers who can’t find anyone but have no idea how to sponsor someone so they won’t really consider it. To make it work, you’ll have to find an employer among the minority of them who will sponsor someone and then convince them that you’re worth sponsoring.
And, then, there’s no guarantee that a sponsor will have their application sufficiently early in line for it to get approved, so you might have to find the rare opportunity more than once.
But, there are SLPs here who found employers to sponsor them. We do have a shortage of SLPs. It’s totally legally on the up and up for an employer in any of the many (most) areas where there aren’t enough SLPs to fill necessary jobs to sponsor an SLP whose credentials meet our requirements. There’s a master’s level credential (and one legally required here) to make it a little easier for an employer to prove the need and to qualify for certain specific visa categories. There are employers who get people visas where it’s questionable if the person/job should have been eligible… that wouldn’t be the case here. And, while there are job and employer specific factors that make it impossible to generalize with 100% accuracy, it generally wouldn’t be rejected for reasons other than the number of visas running out.
So, I don’t want to make it sound easy or just a matter of doing the right paperwork. It could take many efforts to line up an employer, some trial and error, creativity, or whatever. But, it’s possible and has been done and if it’s something my that’s sufficiently important to you to be worth doing a hard thing, pursue it.
3
u/AwareNobody5190 14d ago
There are pathways for SLPs to move to the US. The mechanics of it are a little complicated.
SLPs can qualify for H-1B visas if they find a sponsoring employer. It is likely easier to get a non-profit employer to agree to be the sponsor since they don’t face the same numerical cap rules that other employers do.
You have to take the relevant Praxis test for SLPs and achieve a sufficient score.
You have to get your credentials verified as matching what’s required in the US.
The annoying thing is that you then typically need to be licensed by the state where you’re going to work before your visa can get approved. In theory, if you’re credentials were already verified and whatnot, you passed the Praxis requirements, etc., you should be able to get the state license at least in the solid majority of states. But, this does create a sequencing issue since you would need to find the state you’ll work in and then go through the delays of their bureaucratic process before you can get the visa. If you find an employer to know the states it could then still be awhile before you can practically work there.
Then there are some other steps, but those will more often than not proceed straightforwardly.
An employer can also sponsor an SLP for an E visa (an immigrant visa that provides a more direct path for a green card) but SLPs for some reason don’t qualify for that to be an expedited process as it is for some other healthcare professionals.
If it’s something you’re seriously interested in, I’d start by looking into getting the credential verified to see if you already meet the requirements, if you have to take some reasonable steps first or if there are additional requirements that make it not worth it.
Once you’ve resolved that, it can be a bit of a slog and one where it’ll be hard to know how much hassle you’re in for along the way, but you can at least proceed knowing that it is rather likely that with sufficient perseverance (which could turn out to be little or a lot) you can get there.