If you studied or worked in a profession in another country, in New York you will need an evaluation of your education papers, and for many professions a State license too.
Start by asking whether your profession needs a New York State license. If it does, every requirement, including education, is on the website of the New York State Education Department (NYSED), the State agency that issues professional licenses. If it does not, the employer usually tells you which evaluation it needs.
Start here
- Before you pay for an evaluation, ask the employer, college or licensing board which company and type of report it accepts.
- Many professions need a New York State license. NYSED considers applications whatever your immigration status, unless federal law bars you.
- ECE Aid, a program of Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), gives refugees and displaced people free evaluations, but only with a voucher from a partner organization.
A license is the State's permission to work in a profession: without it you cannot work as a doctor, nurse or engineer. The Office of the Professions (OP), part of NYSED, issues it.
Find your profession on the NYSED list
Open the page of licensed professions, choose yours and read the requirements: education, exams, experience and required training.
Find out how foreign education is checked
Each profession has its own rules for people educated abroad, listed in its requirements. For nurses, for example, it is the path for graduates of foreign nursing schools (Registered Professional Nurse, Pathway 5).
Complete the State's required courses
Nurses, for example, must complete a NYSED-approved infection control course and a course on identifying and reporting child abuse.
Apply and pay the fee
Nurses complete the online Form 1 and pay $143 by credit card for the license and first registration. If you have not yet taken the NCLEX-RN exam (the licensing exam for registered nurses), you can apply for a limited permit with Form 5 and a $35 fee; it needs a prospective employer's signature.
Arrange the check of your foreign records
Next, nurses must have their foreign nursing education verified. NYSED offers two ways, both described on the Pathway 5 page.
NYSED, Office of the Professions
Any statusFree
Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, engineers, architects, psychologists, social workers, certified public accountants (CPAs) and many others need a New York State license. The list on the website includes acupuncture, architecture, audiology, dietetics, engineering, medicine, nursing, optometry, physical therapy, psychology, social work, speech-language pathology and veterinary medicine. The requirements for each profession, including education, are on the website.
A license regardless of citizenship or status
Any status
NYSED considers license applications in all professions regardless of citizenship or immigration status, unless federal law (8 USC 1621, which says which public benefits, including professional licenses, noncitizens may receive) or another applicable federal law makes the applicant ineligible. It also considers applications for professions where State law requires citizenship or permanent residency. If unsure, ask OP before you pay anything.
A credential evaluation is a report in which a specialized company compares your education to U.S. education. Employers, colleges and licensing boards ask for it. Before you pay, ask which company and which type of report they accept.
Companies on the NACES list
Any statusPaid
The report is most often requested from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), an association of evaluation companies. Members include World Education Services (WES) and Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE). Each company lists its requirements and prices on its website. If your university will not send your documents, ask the company what it accepts instead.
ECE Aid
Asylum applicantsGranted asylumFee can be waived
A philanthropic program of Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) that offers free evaluations to refugees and other displaced people, but only with a voucher from a partner college or nonprofit. ECE does not give free reports directly to individuals. Ask your college or the organization helping you whether they work with ECE Aid.
CGFNS International, evaluation for nurses
Any statusPaid
Evaluates nurses' education and works with state boards of nursing. If you are a nurse with a foreign degree, check on the NYSED page whether a CGFNS evaluation is accepted in your case.
These programs help immigrants with foreign education get back into their profession for free.
Two free programs for professionals with foreign education
| Upwardly Global | Cooper Union, Retraining Program for Immigrant Engineers | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Immigrant professionals who arrived in the U.S. within the last 10 years, are authorized to work (a pending asylum case counts if you have an EAD), have a bachelor's degree or equivalent and speak working-level English | Immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers with education or experience in engineering, architecture or technology |
| What you get | Free career coaching, training and introductions to employers | Free courses from OSHA (federal workplace safety rules), AutoCAD and Revit to SQL and cybersecurity, plus portfolio and career help |
| Dates | Apply on the website | The spring 2027 term is online, February to May; apply by January 3, 2027 |
Upwardly Global
With a work permit (EAD)Granted asylumGreen cardFree
Free career coaching, training and introductions to employers for immigrant professionals. You qualify if you arrived in the U.S. within the last 10 years, are authorized to work (a pending asylum case with an EAD counts), have a bachelor's degree or equivalent professional training and speak working-level English.
Cooper Union, Retraining Program for Immigrant Engineers
Asylum applicantsWith a work permit (EAD)Granted asylumFree
Free courses for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers with education or experience in engineering, architecture or technology, from OSHA, AutoCAD and Revit to SQL and cybersecurity, plus portfolio and career help. The spring 2027 term is online, February to May; apply by January 3, 2027.
- Credential evaluation
- A report by a specialized company that compares your diploma and grades to U.S. education.
- License
- The State's permission to work in a profession. Without it you cannot work as a doctor, nurse, engineer and so on.
- NACES
- An association of companies that evaluate foreign education papers. Many schools and employers accept reports from its members.
- NCLEX-RN
- The exam taken by prospective registered nurses in the United States.
- Limited permit
- Temporary permission to work in the profession before you get the license, requested with a prospective employer's help.
- Voucher
- A document by which an organization pays for a service on your behalf.
This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.