What is VisaScreen, the US health care worker certificate?
Checked against official sources, October 2026
US law says certain foreign health care workers cannot be admitted to work unless they present a certificate from a USCIS-approved credentialing organization. VisaScreen is the best-known one, issued by CGFNS, now TruMerit. It verifies education, licensing, English proficiency and exam results.
Who this is for
Nurses and allied health professionals planning to work in the United States.
What the official guidance says
- Health care workers other than physicians who seek admission to perform labor in a covered occupation are not admissible unless they present certification from a USCIS-approved credentialing organization.
- Covered occupations: licensed practical nurses, licensed vocational nurses and registered nurses; physical therapists; occupational therapists; speech-language pathologists and audiologists; medical technologists; medical technicians; and physician assistants.
- The certificate verifies that your education, training, licensing and experience are comparable to a US worker’s, authentic and (for a licence) unencumbered; that you have the required English; and that you passed a predictor test or the occupation’s licensing exam.
- Authorized organizations include CGFNS (all 7 occupations), NBCOT (occupational therapists), FCCPT (physical therapists), and Josef Silny & Associates, International Education Evaluations and The Evaluation Company (nurses). USCIS approved The Evaluation Company on 27 March 2026.
- CGFNS International filed to change its name to TruMerit on 18 December 2024.
- You must present a valid certificate each time you seek admission, change, extend or adjust status. The requirement ends once you are a lawful permanent resident.
- Nurses have an alternative: a certified statement verifying a valid, unrestricted licence in the state of intended employment, passing the NCLEX and graduating from certain English-language nursing programs.
What it does not mean
- VisaScreen is not a visa and not a US nursing licence.
- It does not apply to physicians, who follow a different process.
- A certificate does not bind immigration officials, who make their own admissibility decision.
What to do next
- 01Choose your state and start licensure with its board of nursing or relevant board.
- 02Check the English proficiency tests and scores currently approved by HHS.
- 03Apply to an authorized credentialing organization for your occupation.
- 04Keep the certificate valid for each immigration step until you are a permanent resident.
Questions
Is VisaScreen the same as NCLEX?
No. NCLEX is the licensure exam. VisaScreen is a certificate for immigration that, among other things, verifies you passed the required exam.
Do doctors need VisaScreen?
No. USCIS says the certification requirement covers health care workers other than physicians.
Official sources
- USCIS: Health Care Worker Certification
- Federal Register, 27 March 2026: new credentialing organization for health care workers
Checked October 2026. Immigration rules, fees and thresholds change, so confirm them on the official page before you act.
Plan the whole route, not just the visa
Migo’s US nursing plan covers choosing your state, credentials evaluation, your state board application and the licensure exam, then the employer and VisaScreen stage, with each step linked to the official source. The free AI assistant can explain the order.
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General information, not legal or immigration advice. For advice on your own case, speak to a regulated immigration adviser or lawyer.