Massachusetts Immigrant Guide: Jobs, Universities, Licenses and Help

Massachusetts has one of the highest shares of immigrants in the US. The largest groups come from Brazil, China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, India, Vietnam, El Salvador, and Guatemala, with long-standing Portuguese and Cape Verdean communities in the south of the state. Brazilians are concentrated in Framingham, Somerville, and Everett; Quincy has a large Chinese community; Lawrence has a Dominican majority; Lowell has one of the largest Cambodian communities in the US; and Haitian communities are strong in Boston and Brockton.

Main areas:

• Greater Boston (Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Quincy, Everett)
• Worcester, the second-largest city
• Lowell and Lawrence, in the Merrimack Valley
• Springfield, Brockton, New Bedford, and Fall River

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

• Biotech and pharmaceuticals: Cambridge's Kendall Square and the Boston Seaport are among the world's biggest biotech clusters, hiring scientists, engineers, and data specialists.
• Hospitals: Boston's teaching hospitals hire foreign-trained researchers, nurses, and physicians, and many are cap-exempt because of their university affiliations.
• Universities and research institutes: Harvard, MIT, and dozens of other institutions sponsor researchers and faculty, often on J-1 or cap-exempt H-1B visas, and many later apply for EB-1B or EB-2 NIW green cards.
• Technology: software, robotics, and hardware companies.
• Finance: asset managers, banks, and insurers in Boston.
• Seasonal work: Cape Cod and island hotels and restaurants use H-2B and J-1 workers each summer.

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.

Greater Boston has one of the largest concentrations of international students in the world:

• Harvard University and MIT (Cambridge)
• Boston University, Northeastern University (known for co-op work programs), and Boston College
• Tufts University and Brandeis University
• University of Massachusetts Amherst and other UMass campuses
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

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 Massachusetts, driver's licenses and state ID cards are issued by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) (official site). Most RMV service centers 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts license: expect vision and knowledge tests and often a road test. Ask the RMV whether any agreement with your country waives tests.

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

Nurses

Registered nurses are licensed by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in 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 Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine. The usual route is ECFMG certification, the USMLE exams, and US residency training.

Alternative pathway: yes. Massachusetts is one of the states that let some internationally trained physicians get licensed without repeating a full US residency. Under a 2024 law, doctors trained abroad who have ECFMG certification (unless the board grants an exception), passed USMLE Steps 1 and 2, and practiced medicine for at least a year can get a limited license while working at a participating facility, such as a community health center or hospital, that assesses their skills. After passing USMLE Step 3 and the facility's assessment, they can get a restricted license to practice in a physician shortage area, and after at least two more years they can apply for 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 Massachusetts, the state program has been run by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Check with the state health department and the USCIS Conrad 30 page for the current status.

Teachers

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) licenses teachers, and most licenses require the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL). 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 Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, which uses the NCEES exams (FE and PE) and may ask for an evaluation of your foreign degree.

The state Medicaid program is MassHealth, and children's coverage is also MassHealth. Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts Health Connector, the state marketplace, which also offers lower-cost ConnectorCare plans for people with modest incomes.

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.

Massachusetts requires most adult residents to have health insurance or pay a state tax penalty. MassHealth also uses state funds for some immigrants who don't qualify for federal Medicaid, so ask what applies to you.

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.

Massachusetts has a statewide Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI), which funds services for refugees and immigrants, including English classes, job help, and citizenship programs.

National resettlement agencies have local offices in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield. 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 Boston and Lawrence. Your office 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).

Massachusetts is one of the most expensive states, mainly because of housing in and around Boston. Worcester, Springfield, and western Massachusetts cost less.

• State income tax: yes, a flat rate, plus a 4% surtax on income above a high threshold (about $1 million, adjusted each year).
• Sales tax: a single statewide rate; groceries and most clothing under a set price are exempt.
• Property tax: set by each town.

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).