VISA for "Allied Health Care Professionals"

[Mumu]

Hi All,

I'm looking for information regarding what kind of visa an "Allied Health Care professionals" should get in order work in US. Below is my situation:

My wife is interested in pursuing the associate degree in "Invasive Cardiovascular Technology" or any one of the allied health science. Currently she is on F2, (& starting oct 1st she will be on H4)

We planning to get her on F1 & join the college, but before proceeding with this all, I wanted to know,

1. What VISA will she need to work here?

2. Like STEM can Allied Health students also get OPT upon completion?

We are totally new to this field, not really sure how the things work for Allied Health Professionals. I really appreciate if someone can provide me with complete details, & all the information.

I sincerarely appreciate the help.

Thank You,

[maverick41]

I'm glad to hear that your wife is planning to continue her education in the US. I did have a question for you before I try and answer your questions. Does your wife have a 3 or 4 year degree from her country of origin?

If your answer is yes- then she can get an H1 visa to work here. The H1B visa requires you to have an equivalent of a bachelors degree in the US (so it could be a combination of her studies in her home county and the US)

If your answer is no- then she is still eligible for OPT (12 months) but getting an H1- B visa will not be possible

To qualify for STEM one has to graduate from a STEM designated degree program and I don't think an associate degree will qualify (i could be wrong) . Here is a link to the STEM designated programs- http://www.ice.gov/d...f/stem-list.pdf

My answer to you is based on the experience of a friend (dental hygienist) who has an associate degree in Dental Hygiene. That person did not have a basic degree from her home country and ended up going back to school here to complete her undergraduate degree and is now working full time on an H1 B visa.

Good luck!

[Mumu]

Thank you so much for your kind reply, I appreciate it.

 

My wife has completed 5 years of bachelors study in Ayurvedic Studies, so do you think she will qualify for H1 after completion of 2 yrs associate degree in Allied health science?

 

Please also let me know who can file the  H1 for allied health professionals.Please do reply.

 

Thanks!

[maverick41]

I'm sorry I don't have a lot of knowledge about opportunities with a BAMS degree. What kind of allied health science degree was she planning to take ? For an H1 the field of study has to be related to the work.

Here is the experience of another BAMS degree holder that I found on the net. Apologies in advance if you have seen this before.

If you are a BAMS student in US, Please Read!

I am a BAMS graduate, and I wanted to share my story with all. Even though this is an old thread, I wanted to add information as this is the first result of a Google search for "BAMS in US"! Hopefully this will help someone...

I got married and came to the US in 2008. I was quite naive initially and believed my degree will be worth something here. I wasted a year trying to get into a masters program and PA school. The sad news is that BAMS is a definite dead-end in the US - It is *not* recognized as a bachelors program. After lots of deliberation, I decided that the best way forward is to drop it.

Please don't waste your time, money and effort sending your transcripts to WES (World education services) for evaluation - Please trust me, I have been through it all. They are just a money making outfit. They use generic verbiage from a template in their transcripts, and in the end, universities *do not* accept it.

It has happened to me with 3 different universities... Not a SINGLE credit was transferred. The problem is that WES will not say anything about accreditation in the transcripts. Universities here only honor accredited degrees. I am pretty sure WES is well aware of this.. but they make money from innocent international students.

After a lot of analysis, I finally narrowed my focus to Nursing - It is well aligned with health science, does not take very long, and is in demand in the US.

I enrolled in a community college, ran through all the prerequisites pretty quickly - all told, I finished 36 credits in 3 semesters. I got admitted to ASN (Associate of science in Nursing) in Fall 2009 .. and graduated in Spring 2011 (5 semesters).. Not bad at all.. I am now comfortably employed and feel like a contributing member of society. The effort was totally worth it! I hope do my BSN and finally get into PA school in the near future.

To all my other BAMS friends, I would only say that the sooner you decide to make a fresh start, the better it will be for you in the US. Good Luck!

[Mumu]

Thanks maverick & sorry for the delayed response.

 

I appreciate that you shared that information,my wife & i have been researching to get her enrolled in Ayurveda field but no hope seen,now it will help us to just stopping thinking about BAMS.

 

Well, my wife is interested in taking one of the following three courses 1.invasive cardiac technology 2. Radiography & 3. Respiratory Therapy. Please suggest if these qualify for the H1.

 

Also could you please share the link, where you found the above information about BAMS.

 

Thank you so much for your time.

 

[jairichi]

 

Thanks maverick & sorry for the delayed response.

 

I appreciate that you shared that information,my wife & i have been researching to get her enrolled in Ayurveda field but no hope seen,now it will help us to just stopping thinking about BAMS.

 

Well, my wife is interested in taking one of the following three courses 1.invasive cardiac technology 2. Radiography & 3. Respiratory Therapy. Please suggest if these qualify for the H1.

 

Also could you please share the link, where you found the above information about BAMS.

 

Thank you so much for your time.

 

 

I believe you need a 4 year degree to qualify for a H1B

[maverick41]

I think the big issue is about recognizing the degree. Its a shame especially after going though 5 years of college but I'm not sure if things have changed lately.

 

The Murthy forum  may not allow me to post the web  link but if you google- "BAMS degree usa" it should be the first link (**************) and the post is on the second page.

 

Good luck!

[Snaqvi]

Hi,

My friend has 4.5 years bachelor degree in physical therapy with focus on neurological disability. He would like to come to USA and work as a therapist. What is the best visa category to apply to. Thanks.