Guam Immigrant Guide: Visa Waiver, Jobs, Licenses and Help

Guam is an unincorporated US territory in Micronesia, about 3,800 miles (6,100 km) west of Hawaii. People born on Guam are US citizens. The indigenous CHamoru (Chamorro) people are the largest group, and Filipinos are by far the largest immigrant community. Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau (COFA countries) can live and work on Guam without a visa, and many have settled there. There are also Korean, Japanese, and Chinese communities.

Main areas:

• Hagåtña, the capital
• Tamuning and Tumon, the hotel and business district
• Dededo, the largest village, and Yigo in the north, near Andersen Air Force Base
• Mangilao, home of the University of Guam

Typhoons are a regular risk. If you are still choosing a route, start with how US immigration works.

Guam is part of the United States for immigration purposes, so federal immigration law applies. A US visa, ESTA, or green card is valid on Guam, and time lived on Guam as a green card holder counts toward naturalization.

Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program: citizens of Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom can visit Guam and the CNMI for up to 45 days without a visa. Since late 2024 you must get an electronic travel authorization (the G-CNMI eTA, Form I-736) online from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) before you board, and you need a return or onward ticket. You cannot work, extend your stay, or change status, and you cannot travel on to Hawaii or the mainland. Travelers from countries in the regular US Visa Waiver Program can instead use an ESTA, which allows up to 90 days and travel to the rest of the US.

Citizens of China and Russia are not part of the Guam-CNMI program. Federal policies such as the travel ban apply on Guam as on the mainland.

• Military construction: a large US military buildup, including a new Marine Corps base, has created many construction jobs. Many workers come on the H-2B.
• Tourism: hotels and shops serve visitors mainly from Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
• Health care: hospitals and clinics have shortages of doctors and nurses, and many nurses come from the Philippines (EB-3 green card).
• Government and education: the Government of Guam and the University of Guam.

Special H-2B rules: Guam employers get their temporary labor certification from the Guam Department of Labor instead of the US Department of Labor. Federal law also exempts H-2B workers on Guam from the national H-2B cap through December 31, 2029, and some employers (mainly in military-related construction and health care) do not have to show that their need is temporary. See the USCIS H-2B page for details. Other work visas, such as the H-1B, follow the same rules as in the states. The $100,000 payment on some new H-1B petitions is not being collected as of September 2026 while courts review it (current status).

• University of Guam (Mangilao), a four-year public university with graduate programs
• Guam Community College, for technical and vocational training

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 2026 rule that would have replaced "duration of status" with fixed admission dates was blocked by a federal court on September 14, 2026 (latest update). See studying in the USA.

Driver's licenses are issued by the Motor Vehicle Division of the Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation (official site). Bring your passport or green card, your I-94 and status documents if you are on a visa, your Social Security number (or proof you are not eligible, SSN and ITIN guide), and proof of your Guam address. On a temporary visa, your license usually expires when your authorized stay ends.

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 US domestic flights (TSA REAL ID page), so ask for the REAL ID version or carry your passport.

Guam's health professional boards, including the Guam Board of Nurse Examiners and the Guam Board of Medical Examiners, license nurses and doctors. Nurses trained abroad usually need a credential review, the NCLEX-RN, and, for a visa, a VisaScreen certificate.

Alternative pathway for doctors: yes. A Guam law effective April 7, 2026 lets the Board of Medical Examiners, with the Department of Public Health and Social Services, grant full licenses to foreign medical graduates who can be licensed without restriction in the country where they trained, completed 36 months of Board-approved postgraduate training, passed an exam the Board accepts, hold ECFMG certification, and show competency in English or CHamoru. Preference goes to doctors who commit to at least three years in Guam's public health facilities. Check with the Board for its rules.

Conrad 30 waivers (lapsed, pending reauthorization): 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. Conrad 30 let each state recommend up to 30 waivers a year for doctors who agreed to work full time for three years in an underserved area. Its authorization lapsed on September 30, 2025, and 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. In Guam, ask the Department of Public Health and Social Services about the state's J-1 waiver program, and check the USCIS Conrad 30 page before you count on this route.

Teachers, engineers, and other professionals are licensed by Guam's own boards, which review foreign credentials case by case.

Guam's Medicaid program is run by the Department of Public Health and Social Services, and the government of Guam also runs a local program for some low-income residents who don't qualify for Medicaid. Citizens of COFA countries remain eligible for federal Medicaid if they meet the other rules.

How it differs from the states: Medicaid in the territories gets a capped amount of federal money each year, so eligibility and benefits can differ from the states. The HealthCare.gov marketplace and its premium tax credits do not operate in the territories; private insurance comes through employers or directly from local insurers.

Federal immigrant rules still apply (as of September 2026):

• Green card holders usually wait 5 years before federally funded Medicaid 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.
• Students and exchange visitors usually must carry their own insurance; J-1 visitors must meet 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.

Guam does not have an Office of New Americans. Filipino, Micronesian, and church community groups help many newcomers, and the Guam Department of Labor handles H-2B labor certifications.

Free legal help: only licensed attorneys and accredited representatives at recognized nonprofits can give immigration legal advice. Check the Justice Department's roster of recognized organizations and accredited representatives and its 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. Guam has few immigration lawyers, so some people work with lawyers in Hawaii by phone or video.

USCIS: USCIS has an office in Barrigada, near Hagåtña, that takes fingerprints and photos. Your interview location is on your appointment notice (USCIS field office locator).

Most goods are shipped in, so food, electricity, and cars cost more than on the US mainland. Housing has become tighter and more expensive because of the military buildup.

• Income tax: Guam has its own territorial income tax, which mirrors the US federal tax code. Residents file with the Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation, not the IRS.
• Business privilege tax: instead of a sales tax, Guam taxes business gross receipts, which raises prices.
• Property tax: low.