Hawaii Immigrant Guide: Jobs, Universities, Licenses and Help

A large share of Hawaii's residents were born abroad. The Philippines is by far the largest country of origin, followed by Japan, China, South Korea, and Vietnam. Hawaii also has a growing community from Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, whose citizens can live and work in the US under the Compacts of Free Association. Many local families descend from earlier Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Portuguese, and Korean plantation workers, so newcomers often find established churches, associations, and businesses.

Where immigrants live:

• Oahu, especially Honolulu, Waipahu, and Kalihi, where most jobs are
• Hawaii Island (Hilo and Kona)
• Maui and Kauai, with tourism and farm jobs

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

• Tourism and hospitality: hotels, restaurants, and tour companies are the largest private employers.
• Health care: hospitals and clinics hire foreign-trained nurses and doctors, and the neighbor islands have long-term shortages.
• Education: the statewide public school system has hired teachers from abroad, including through the J-1 teacher program.
• Research: the University of Hawaii, the East-West Center, and the astronomy observatories on Maunakea host international researchers, often on J-1 visas.
• Agriculture: coffee, macadamia nuts, flowers, and fruit farms use seasonal workers.
• Construction: steady demand, especially for rebuilding and housing.

Many jobs on military bases require US citizenship.

How workers usually get here: degree-level jobs mostly use the H-1B, and cap-exempt employers such as universities can hire outside the lottery. Canadians and Mexicans often use the TN, seasonal jobs use the H-2A and H-2B, and permanent jobs lead to EB-3 or EB-2 green cards through PERM. 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.

• University of Hawaii at Manoa (Honolulu), the main research university
• University of Hawaii at Hilo
• Hawaii Pacific University (Honolulu)
• Brigham Young University-Hawaii (Laie)
• Chaminade University (Honolulu)

The East-West Center in Honolulu, next to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, offers fellowships and programs for students and professionals from Asia, the Pacific, and the US.

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 Hawaii, driver's licenses and state ID cards are issued by the four county governments, under rules set by the Hawaii Department of Transportation (official site). On Oahu, licensing is run by the City and County of Honolulu; Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai counties run their own offices.

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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii license: expect vision and knowledge tests and often a road test. Ask the county driver licensing office whether any agreement with your country waives tests.

Each state runs its own licensing boards. To work in a licensed job in Hawaii, expect a credential evaluation of your degree, proof of English, and US exams.

Nurses

Registered nurses are licensed by the Hawaii 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. Many hospitals sponsor nurses for an EB-3 green card (employer guide).

Doctors

Physicians are licensed by the Hawaii Medical Board. The usual route is ECFMG certification, the USMLE exams, and US residency training.

Alternative pathway: not as of September 2026. Hawaii is not on the 2026 list of states that have enacted an alternative licensing pathway for internationally trained physicians. International graduates generally need US residency training. The neighbor islands have doctor shortages, and employers there have relied on Conrad 30 waivers for US-trained J-1 doctors, a program that has now lapsed.

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 Hawaii, the state program has been run by the Hawaii Department of Health. Check with the state health department and the USCIS Conrad 30 page for the current status.

Teachers

The Hawaii Teacher Standards Board licenses teachers. 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 Hawaii Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects, which uses the NCEES exams (FE and PE) and may ask for an evaluation of your foreign degree.

The state Medicaid program is Med-QUEST (QUEST Integration), and children's coverage is also covered through Med-QUEST. Hawaii 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). Apply through the Med-QUEST Division. 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.

Hawaii's Prepaid Health Care Act requires most employers to offer health insurance to employees who work at least 20 hours a week, which covers many immigrant workers. COFA migrants can qualify for Medicaid under federal law and remain eligible after October 1, 2026.

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.

Hawaii does not have a statewide Office of New Americans. The state's Office of Community Services administers immigrant and refugee services, and the Office of Language Access works to make state services available in other languages.

Hawaii resettles very few refugees, but local nonprofits serve immigrants, including COFA migrants. 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 a field office in Honolulu, on Oahu. If you live on a neighbor island, you will usually fly to Honolulu for interviews.

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).

Hawaii has one of the highest costs of living in the US. Housing, food, gasoline, and electricity cost far more than on the mainland because most goods are shipped in, and many families share housing across generations.

• State income tax: yes, graduated, with high top rates.
• General excise tax (GET): charged on almost all business sales and usually passed on to customers, including on groceries and services.
• Property tax: low rates, but home prices are very high.

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).