Nebraska Immigrant Guide: Jobs, Universities, Licenses and Help

Nebraska's immigrant share is below the national average, but it has grown steadily through jobs in meatpacking and refugee resettlement. Mexico and Guatemala are the most common countries of origin, followed by Vietnam, India, Myanmar, El Salvador, and Sudan and South Sudan. Lexington and Schuyler have Latino majorities, Grand Island has large Latin American and East African communities, Omaha has large Karen (Myanmar) and South Sudanese communities, and Lincoln is often described as home to the largest Yazidi community in the US.

Main areas:

• Omaha, the largest city
• Lincoln, the capital and home of the University of Nebraska
• Grand Island, Lexington, Schuyler, and Kearney

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

• Meatpacking: large beef and pork plants in Lexington, Grand Island, Schuyler, and other towns employ many immigrants and refugees.
• Agriculture: corn, soybean, and cattle operations; farms use H-2A seasonal workers.
• Insurance and finance: Omaha is home to major insurers and financial firms that hire actuaries, analysts, and software engineers.
• Railroads and logistics: Union Pacific is based in Omaha.
• Health care: Nebraska Medicine, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and rural hospitals hire nurses and doctors.
• Universities and tech: the University of Nebraska campuses and growing tech employers in Omaha and Lincoln.

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 Nebraska-Lincoln
• University of Nebraska Omaha
• University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha)
• Creighton University (Omaha)
• University of Nebraska at Kearney

Tuition and living costs in Nebraska are relatively low.

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 Nebraska, driver's licenses and state ID cards are issued by the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) (official site). First-time applicants apply in person at a driver licensing office.

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

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

Nurses

Registered nurses are licensed by the Nebraska Board of Nursing (licenses are issued through the Department of Health and Human Services). 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. Nebraska is in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your Nebraska 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 Nebraska Board of Medicine and Surgery (licenses are issued through the Department of Health and Human Services). The usual route is ECFMG certification, the USMLE exams, and US residency training.

Alternative pathway: passed in 2026, not yet open. A law enacted on April 14, 2026, creates a provisional license for internationally trained doctors, but it doesn't start until August 1, 2027. It will require graduation from a recognized foreign medical school, residency-like training, recent practice, ECFMG certification, USMLE Steps 1 and 2, valid immigration status, and a job offer from an approved employer such as a hospital or health center. After at least three years, a doctor can move to a transitional license, and after about six years in total 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 Nebraska, the state program has been run by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (Office of Rural Health). Check with the state health department and the USCIS Conrad 30 page for the current status.

Teachers

The Nebraska Department of Education issues teaching certificates. 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 Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects, which uses the NCEES exams (FE and PE) and may ask for an evaluation of your foreign degree.

The state Medicaid program is Nebraska Medicaid (Heritage Health), and children's coverage is also covered through Nebraska Medicaid. Nebraska 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 iServe Nebraska or the Department of Health and Human Services. 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.

Nebraska does not have a statewide Office of New Americans.

Resettlement agencies have local offices in Omaha and Lincoln, which together have resettled refugees from dozens of countries. 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 Omaha that serves Nebraska.

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).

Nebraska has low living costs, and Omaha and Lincoln are affordable compared with most US metros.

• State income tax: yes, graduated, with rates the state is lowering.
• Sales tax: state plus local taxes.
• Property tax: relatively high, though the state offers credits.

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).