Indiana Immigrant Guide: Jobs, Universities, Licenses and Help

Indiana's immigrant share is below the national average, but it has grown steadily. Mexico is the largest country of origin, followed by India, Myanmar (Burma), China, Guatemala, and the Philippines. Indianapolis has one of the largest Chin communities from Myanmar in the US, and Fort Wayne has a large Burmese population. Indian professionals are concentrated in the Indianapolis suburbs and around Purdue, and Haitian workers have settled in smaller manufacturing towns in recent years.

Main areas:

• Indianapolis and suburbs such as Carmel and Fishers
• Fort Wayne, in the northeast
• Lafayette-West Lafayette, home of Purdue
• South Bend and Elkhart, in the north
• Evansville, in the southwest

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

• Pharmaceuticals and life sciences: Eli Lilly is based in Indianapolis and has expanded manufacturing in the state, and Warsaw is a center for orthopedic medical devices.
• Manufacturing: car plants (Toyota, Subaru, Honda), the RV industry around Elkhart, and steel mills in northwest Indiana hire engineers and skilled workers.
• Health care: IU Health and other systems hire foreign-trained nurses and doctors, and rural areas have shortages.
• Universities and research: Purdue, Indiana University, and Notre Dame hire researchers and faculty.
• Logistics: Indianapolis is a major distribution and air cargo hub.
• Agriculture and food processing: farms and meat and egg plants employ many immigrants.

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.

• Purdue University (West Lafayette), known for engineering, with a large international student population
• Indiana University Bloomington
• University of Notre Dame (near South Bend)
• Indiana University Indianapolis
• Ball State University (Muncie)
• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute)

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 Indiana, driver's licenses and state ID cards are issued by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) (official site). Visit a BMV branch for your first Indiana license or 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 Indiana 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 Indiana license: expect vision and knowledge tests and often a road test. Ask the BMV whether any agreement with your country waives tests.

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

Nurses

Registered nurses are licensed by the Indiana State Board of Nursing (through the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency). 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. Indiana is in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your Indiana 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 Medical Licensing Board of Indiana (through the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency). The usual route is ECFMG certification, the USMLE exams, and US residency training.

Alternative pathway: yes. Indiana is one of the states that let some internationally trained physicians get licensed without repeating a full US residency. Under a 2025 law in effect since July 1, 2025, the board can issue a limited license to doctors trained abroad who hold ECFMG certification, passed all USMLE steps, practiced for at least five of the last six years, completed training similar to a US residency, and have a job offer from a health care facility in an underserved area. The limited license is renewed every two years, and after at least five years the board may convert it to a full license.

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

Teachers

The Indiana Department of Education issues teaching licenses. 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 Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers (through the Professional Licensing Agency), which uses the NCEES exams (FE and PE) and may ask for an evaluation of your foreign degree.

The state Medicaid program is Indiana Medicaid (low-income adults are covered through the Healthy Indiana Plan, HIP), and children's coverage is Hoosier Healthwise. Indiana 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 Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA). 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.

Indiana does not have a statewide Office of New Americans.

Refugee resettlement in Indiana is centered in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, where national resettlement agencies have local offices and Burmese community groups are active. 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 Indianapolis that serves Indiana. Confirm your assigned office with the locator, because some offices near state lines serve neighboring states.

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).

Indiana has low living costs, especially for housing. Indianapolis suburbs such as Carmel and Fishers cost more but are still cheaper than many US metros.

• State income tax: yes, at a flat rate.
• County income tax: every county also charges its own income tax.
• Sales tax: a single statewide rate.
• Property tax: capped as a share of home value.

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).