Maryland Immigrant Guide: Jobs, Universities, Licenses and Help

A large share of Maryland residents were born abroad, well above the national average. El Salvador is the largest country of origin, followed by India, China, South Korea, Nigeria, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Guatemala, Honduras, and Cameroon. Montgomery County is one of the most diverse counties in the US, Silver Spring has a large Ethiopian community, Prince George's County has large Central American and West African communities, and Howard County (Ellicott City and Columbia) has a large Korean community.

Main areas:

• Montgomery County (Silver Spring, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Germantown)
• Prince George's County (Hyattsville, Langley Park, Bowie)
• Baltimore and its suburbs
• Howard County (Columbia, Ellicott City) and Frederick

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

• Life sciences: the I-270 corridor has biotech and vaccine companies, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda hosts many foreign scientists as visiting fellows.
• Health care: Johns Hopkins Medicine, the University of Maryland Medical System, and other hospitals hire foreign-trained nurses, doctors, and researchers.
• Universities: Johns Hopkins is one of the largest research universities in the US, and university employers can hire outside the H-1B lottery.
• Technology and government contracting: IT and cybersecurity firms serve federal agencies, but many roles need US citizenship or a security clearance.
• Port and logistics: the Port of Baltimore and distribution centers.
• Seafood: crab processors on the Eastern Shore use H-2B seasonal workers.

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.

• Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore)
• University of Maryland, College Park
• University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
• University of Maryland, Baltimore, with medical, dental, pharmacy, and law schools
• Towson University and Morgan State University
• Montgomery College, a large community college with many international students

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 Maryland, driver's licenses and state ID cards are issued by the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) (official site). Most MVA branch visits require an appointment.

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 Maryland 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 Maryland license: expect vision and knowledge tests and often a road test. Ask the MVA whether any agreement with your country waives tests.

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

Nurses

Registered nurses are licensed by the Maryland 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. Maryland is in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your Maryland 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 Maryland Board of Physicians. The usual route is ECFMG certification, the USMLE exams, and US residency training.

Alternative pathway: not as of September 2026. Maryland is not on the 2026 list of states that have enacted an alternative licensing pathway for internationally trained physicians. Bills to create a limited license for internationally trained doctors failed in 2025 and 2026. International graduates generally need US residency training.

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 Maryland, the state program has been run by the Maryland Department of Health. Western Maryland is part of the Appalachian Region, where the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has also sponsored J-1 waivers. Check with the state health department and the USCIS Conrad 30 page for the current status.

Teachers

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) certifies teachers, and some Maryland school districts have hired teachers from abroad. 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 Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers, which uses the NCEES exams (FE and PE) and may ask for an evaluation of your foreign degree.

The state Medicaid program is Maryland Medicaid (HealthChoice), and children's coverage is the Maryland Children's Health Program (MCHP). Maryland 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 Maryland Health Connection, the state marketplace, which also sells private plans.

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.

Maryland does not have an office called the Office of New Americans. The Maryland Office for Refugees and Asylees (MORA), part of the Department of Human Services, coordinates services for refugees and asylees.

National resettlement agencies have local offices in Baltimore and the DC suburbs. 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 Baltimore that serves Maryland.

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).

Maryland is expensive, especially the DC suburbs in Montgomery and Howard counties. Baltimore, western Maryland, and the Eastern Shore cost less.

• State income tax: yes, with graduated rates.
• County income tax: every county and Baltimore City add a local income tax.
• Sales tax: a single statewide rate.
• Property tax: moderate to high, depending on the county.

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).