Arizona Immigrant Guide: Jobs, Universities, Licenses and Help

Arizona borders Mexico, and Mexican-born residents make up the largest share of its immigrants. The state also has growing communities from India, the Philippines, China, Vietnam, and Canada, and refugees resettled over the years from countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many Canadians also spend winters in Arizona as visitors.

Main areas where immigrants live:

• Phoenix metro (Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Glendale, Tempe, Scottsdale), home to most of the state's people and jobs
• Tucson, with the University of Arizona and aerospace employers
• Yuma, a border farming hub
• Flagstaff, home of Northern Arizona University

If you are still choosing a route to the US, start with how US immigration works and the USA overview.

• Semiconductors and electronics: TSMC is building chip plants in north Phoenix and Intel runs large fabs in Chandler, so engineers and technicians are in demand. Some Taiwanese staff have moved here on intracompany transfers (L-1B).
• Health care: large hospital systems in Phoenix and Tucson hire foreign-trained nurses and doctors, and rural and tribal areas have shortages.
• Universities: Arizona State University and the University of Arizona hire researchers and faculty.
• Aerospace and defense: Tucson and Phoenix host major aerospace manufacturers, though some roles require US citizenship.
• Agriculture: Yuma grows much of the country's winter lettuce and leafy greens and relies on seasonal farmworkers and cross-border commuters.
• Finance, customer service, and logistics: back offices and distribution centers across metro Phoenix.

Common visa routes: the H-1B for degree-level jobs (universities and nonprofit research employers are exempt from the lottery), the TN for Canadians and Mexicans, the H-2A and H-2B for seasonal work, and EB-3 or EB-2 green cards through PERM labor certification. The $100,000 payment on some new H-1B petitions is not being collected while a court order is in place, but the legal fight continues (current status). More options: working in the USA.

• Arizona State University (Tempe and other Phoenix-area campuses), which has one of the largest international student populations among US public universities
• University of Arizona (Tucson), strong in optics, space science, and medicine
• Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff)
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Prescott campus), for aviation and aerospace

Community colleges in the Maricopa County system also enroll F-1 students, and some students start there before transferring to a university.

You need admission to a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and an F-1 visa (check a school on Study in the States). After graduation, many F-1 students work on OPT or STEM OPT. A rule to replace "duration of status" with fixed admission periods was blocked by a federal court on September 14, 2026, so duration of status continues for now (latest update). See studying in the USA.

In Arizona, driver's licenses and state ID cards are issued by the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD) (official site). Arizona's REAL ID-compliant card is called the Arizona Travel ID.

Since May 7, 2025, you need a REAL ID-compliant card (marked with a star), a passport, a green card, or another accepted ID to board domestic flights (TSA REAL ID page). Bring:

• Passport with your US visa, or your green card
• I-94 record and status papers (EAD, I-20, DS-2019, or I-797 approval notice)
• Social Security number, or proof you are not eligible (SSN and ITIN guide)
• Two proofs of your Arizona address

On a temporary visa, your card usually expires when your authorized stay ends, and a status check in the federal SAVE system can add days or weeks. Visitors can usually drive for a limited time on a valid home license (an International Driving Permit helps as a translation). After you move, plan to get your Arizona license: expect vision and knowledge tests and often a road test. Ask the MVD whether any agreement with your country waives tests.

Licenses are issued by each state, so a foreign license does not let you practice in Arizona by itself. Most boards want a credential evaluation, proof of English, and US exams.

Nurses

Registered nurses are licensed by the Arizona State Board of Nursing. Foreign-educated nurses usually need a credential review (often by CGFNS International), the NCLEX-RN exam, and sometimes an English test. For a work visa or green card you also need a VisaScreen certificate or approved equivalent. Arizona is in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your Arizona license can let you work in other compact states. Many hospitals sponsor nurses for an EB-3 green card (employer guide).

Doctors

Physicians are licensed by the Arizona Medical Board (for MDs) and the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners (for DOs). The usual route is ECFMG certification, the USMLE exams, and US residency training.

Alternative pathway: not as of September 2026. Arizona is not on the 2026 list of states that have enacted an alternative licensing pathway for internationally trained physicians. Bills to create a provisional license for foreign-trained doctors were introduced in 2024, 2025, and 2026, but none passed. For now, the standard route with US residency training applies.

Conrad 30 waivers (lapsed): doctors who trained in the US on a J-1 visa usually must spend two years in their home country unless they get a waiver. Under Conrad 30, each state could recommend up to 30 waivers a year for doctors who agreed to work full time for three years in an underserved area. The program has lapsed: USCIS says doctors admitted in or acquiring J-1 status on or after October 1, 2025, cannot get a Conrad 30 waiver unless Congress reauthorizes it, and reauthorization is pending. In Arizona, the state program has been run by the Arizona Department of Health Services. Check with the state health department and the USCIS Conrad 30 page for the current status.

Teachers

The Arizona Department of Education issues teaching certificates, and most certificates require passing subject-knowledge exams. Expect a credential evaluation, tests, and a background check. Some schools hire teachers from abroad on the J-1 teacher program or the H-1B.

Engineers

Many engineers work under a licensed Professional Engineer (PE). To sign plans for public work, you need a PE license from the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration, which uses the NCEES exams (FE and PE) and may ask for an evaluation of your foreign degree.

The state Medicaid program is AHCCCS (the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System), and children's coverage is KidsCare. Arizona has expanded Medicaid, so low-income adults can qualify, not only children, pregnant people, older adults, and people with disabilities (immigrant rules below still apply). You can apply online through Health-e-Arizona Plus. Private plans are sold on HealthCare.gov.

Federal rules (as of September 2026):

• Green card holders usually wait 5 years before federal Medicaid or CHIP (the Children's Health Insurance Program) covers them. Former refugees and some others are exempt.
• From October 1, 2026, a 2025 federal law (H.R. 1) limits federal Medicaid and CHIP to green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and COFA migrants (citizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau). Refugees, asylees, and other lawfully present people without a green card lose federal eligibility. States can still cover lawfully residing children and pregnant people if they chose that option.
• Marketplace plans: most lawfully present immigrants, including visa holders, can buy one. Since January 1, 2026, those with income below the poverty line get no premium tax credits, and from January 1, 2027, credits are limited to green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and COFA migrants.
• Students: universities usually require international students to buy the school plan, and J-1 visitors must carry insurance that meets State Department rules.

Benefits can matter in immigration cases, and a new public charge rule took effect on September 18, 2026. Read our public charge guide and what changed before you apply.

Arizona does not have a statewide Office of New Americans.

The Arizona Department of Economic Security runs the state's Refugee Resettlement Program, and national resettlement agencies have local offices in Phoenix and Tucson. The US refugee ceiling for fiscal year 2026 is 17,500 (7,500 set in 2025 plus 10,000 added in May 2026, all for Afrikaners) (details), so few new refugees arrive, but agencies still help refugees and asylees already here with jobs, English classes, and case management (humanitarian options).

Free legal help: only licensed attorneys and accredited representatives at recognized nonprofits can give immigration legal advice. The Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) publishes a roster of recognized organizations and accredited representatives, with a list by state, and a list of pro bono providers. Avoid notarios (how to spot notario fraud, how to check a lawyer). If you have a criminal record, a past refusal, an overstay, or a pending asylum case, talk to a licensed immigration lawyer before you file anything.

USCIS has field offices in Phoenix and Tucson. Which one you use depends on your ZIP code.

Field offices hold interviews for adjustment of status and naturalization; fingerprints are taken at Application Support Centers. A May 2026 USCIS policy memo says people in temporary (nonimmigrant) status should get green cards through adjustment of status only in "extraordinary circumstances," so talk to a lawyer before you file. There are no walk-ins, and offices are assigned by ZIP code (USCIS field office locator). Nationals of travel-ban countries should expect delays, because USCIS is holding many of their pending cases (travel ban status).

Housing in metro Phoenix and Tucson costs more than it did a few years ago but is still cheaper than in coastal California. Summers are extremely hot, so expect high electricity bills for air conditioning.

• State income tax: yes, at a single flat rate.
• Sales tax: Arizona's transaction privilege tax plus city and county taxes.
• Property tax: moderate compared with other states.

Everyone with US income files a federal return. Many F-1 and J-1 students count as nonresident aliens for tax purposes in their first years, which changes the forms they use (SSN and ITIN guide).