US Professional Licensing
US Professional Licensing for Internationally-Trained Graduates
How internationally-trained doctors, nurses, lawyers, accountants, engineers, pharmacists and dentists get licensed to practise in the USA — exams, credential evaluation and state boards.
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What this hub covers
- USMLE and ECFMG Certification: How International Medical Graduates Get Licensed in the USAWhat ECFMG Certification is and why it matters · Step 1: confirm your medical school is eligible · Step 2: pass USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK
- The US Residency Match (NRMP) for International Medical Graduates: ERAS, SOAP and How It WorksThe Match, in one picture · Register with NRMP and apply through ERAS · ECFMG verification: the IMG-specific gate
- NCLEX-RN and CGFNS: How Foreign-Trained Nurses Get Licensed to Work in the USALicensure vs a nursing degree — two different things · Step 1: get your credentials evaluated by CGFNS · Step 2: demonstrate English proficiency
- Visa and Work Authorization for Internationally Trained Professionals Practising in the USA (H-1B, J-1, Conrad 30)Licence and work authorization are two separate keys · The physician example: J-1 for clinical training · The two-year home-residence requirement
- CPA for Internationally Trained Accountants (USA): NASBA Evaluation, State Selection and the 150-Hour RuleThe US CPA is licensed state by state · Step 1: get your foreign education evaluated · Step 2: choose your state board of accountancy
- US Bar Exam Eligibility for Foreign-Trained Lawyers: The LLM Route, State Rules and Foreign Legal Consultant StatusWhy the bar exam is the gateway — and why the state matters · New York: durational and substantive equivalence · The LLM cure and the advance evaluation of eligibility
- FPGEE and NAPLEX: How Foreign Pharmacy Graduates Get Licensed in the USAThe pathway in one picture · Who is eligible for FPGEC certification · Inside FPGEC: education review, the FPGEE, and English
- PE Licensure for Foreign-Trained Engineers in the USA: NCEES Credentials Evaluation and Non-ABET DegreesWhat PE licensure is — and why non-ABET matters · The NCEES Credentials Evaluation for a foreign degree · Step one exam: the FE (Fundamentals of Engineering)
- Credential Evaluation for US Professional Licensing: WES, ECE and NACES ExplainedThe hidden first step in every licensing pathway · Who does the evaluating: WES, ECE and NACES · Report types: document-by-document vs course-by-course vs board-specific
- USMLE Step Sequence Explained (Step 1, Step 2 CK, Step 3): Format, Eligibility and Timing for IMGsThe three Steps at a glance · Step 1: foundations, now pass/fail · Step 2 CK: clinical knowledge, scored — and a 2026 format change
- Foreign-Trained Dentists in the USA: The Advanced Standing Route, INBDE and State LicensureWhy a foreign dental degree usually needs the Advanced Standing route · ADEA CAAPID: applying to Advanced Standing programs · Credential evaluation and English proficiency
Guides for United States
11 of 11 guides in this hub are for the United States.
USMLE and ECFMG Certification: How International Medical Graduates Get Licensed in the USA
How international medical graduates earn ECFMG Certification for US practice: USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK, the clinical/communication skills Pathway, credential verification and what certification unlocks.
Read guideThe US Residency Match (NRMP) for International Medical Graduates: ERAS, SOAP and How It Works
How the US residency Match works for international medical graduates: registering with the NRMP, applying through ERAS, the rank order list, ECFMG verification, Match Day and the SOAP process for the unmatched.
Read guideNCLEX-RN and CGFNS: How Foreign-Trained Nurses Get Licensed to Work in the USA
The step-by-step US licensure pathway for internationally educated nurses: CGFNS credentials evaluation, English proficiency, the NCLEX-RN exam, state board of nursing licensure and VisaScreen for occupational visas.
Read guideVisa and Work Authorization for Internationally Trained Professionals Practising in the USA (H-1B, J-1, Conrad 30)
Why a US licence alone does not grant the right to work: how internationally trained professionals get work authorization — J-1 (ECFMG-sponsored) vs H-1B for physicians, the Conrad 30 waiver, and the two-year home-residence rule.
Read guideCPA for Internationally Trained Accountants (USA): NASBA Evaluation, State Selection and the 150-Hour Rule
How internationally educated accountants pursue the US CPA: NASBA international credential evaluation, choosing a state board of accountancy, the 150-hour rule, the CPA Evolution exam and international testing including India.
Read guideUS Bar Exam Eligibility for Foreign-Trained Lawyers: The LLM Route, State Rules and Foreign Legal Consultant Status
How foreign-trained lawyers qualify to sit a US bar exam: New York's foreign legal education rules, the LLM cure, the BOLE advance evaluation, the UBE and MPRE, and foreign legal consultant licensing.
Read guideFPGEE and NAPLEX: How Foreign Pharmacy Graduates Get Licensed in the USA
The step-by-step pathway for internationally-trained pharmacists to license in the USA: FPGEC certification, the FPGEE and English requirement, then NAPLEX and MPJE and state board of pharmacy licensure.
Read guidePE Licensure for Foreign-Trained Engineers in the USA: NCEES Credentials Evaluation and Non-ABET Degrees
How internationally-educated engineers become licensed Professional Engineers in the USA: the NCEES Credentials Evaluation for non-ABET degrees, the FE and PE exams, state boards, experience, and comity.
Read guideCredential Evaluation for US Professional Licensing: WES, ECE and NACES Explained
How foreign credential evaluation works for US professional licensing boards: what WES, ECE and NACES-member evaluators do, course-by-course vs board-specific reports, and why licensing evaluation differs from admission.
Read guideForeign-Trained Dentists in the USA: The Advanced Standing Route, INBDE and State Licensure
How BDS/foreign dental graduates become licensed dentists in the USA: the Advanced Standing DDS/DMD route via ADEA CAAPID, the INBDE, clinical exams and state board licensure.
Read guideStudying in the United States
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