Texas Immigrant Guide: Jobs, Universities, Licenses and Help

Texas has one of the largest immigrant populations in the country. Mexico is by far the largest country of origin, and Texas shares a long border with it. Other large groups come from El Salvador, India, Honduras, Vietnam, Guatemala, China, the Philippines, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Venezuela. Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the US, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area has large Indian, Vietnamese, and Nigerian communities.

Main regions:

• Houston, with energy, the port, and a very large medical center
• Dallas-Fort Worth, with finance, tech, and corporate headquarters
• Austin, with tech and semiconductors
• San Antonio, with health care and military bases
• Border cities: El Paso, Laredo, and the Rio Grande Valley (McAllen, Harlingen, Brownsville)

Many Texans from Venezuela and Honduras had Temporary Protected Status that has been terminated (TPS status). If you are still choosing a route, start with how US immigration works and the USA overview.

• Energy and petrochemicals: oil, gas, refining, and renewable energy companies in Houston and West Texas hire engineers and scientists.
• Technology and semiconductors: Austin and Dallas are major tech hubs, with chip plants in Central Texas; Texas employers are among the largest users of the H-1B.
• Health care: large medical centers in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio hire foreign-trained doctors, nurses, and researchers.
• Trade and logistics: border crossings and ports make Texas a center for US-Mexico trade; Mexican and Canadian professionals often use the TN.
• Construction, landscaping, and hospitality: seasonal jobs use the H-2B.
• Agriculture and ranching: crop and livestock work uses the H-2A.
• Aerospace and defense: many jobs require US citizenship because of export-control and security rules.

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 as of September 2026 while courts review it (current status). More options: working in the USA.

Texas has one of the largest international student populations in the US:

• University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University (College Station), the two flagship public universities
• Rice University (Houston), a leading private research university
• UT Dallas, University of Houston, UT Arlington, and Texas Tech (Lubbock), with many international graduate students
• UT San Antonio, University of North Texas, UT El Paso, Southern Methodist University, and Baylor

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 2026 rule that would have replaced "duration of status" with fixed admission dates was blocked by a federal court on September 14, 2026 (latest update). See studying in the USA.

In Texas, driver's licenses and state ID cards are issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) (official site). Book an appointment through the DPS online scheduling system; waits for appointments can be long in large cities. New residents are expected to get a Texas license soon after moving.

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

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

Nurses

The Texas Board of Nursing licenses registered nurses. 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. Texas is in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a multistate license issued there can let you work in other compact states. Many hospitals sponsor nurses for an EB-3 green card (employer guide).

Doctors

The Texas Medical Board licenses physicians. The usual route is ECFMG certification, the USMLE exams, and US residency training.

Alternative pathway: yes. A 2025 law (House Bill 2038), in effect since September 1, 2025, requires the Texas Medical Board to issue a provisional license to doctors who are licensed and in good standing in another country, completed residency or similar training there, passed USMLE Steps 1 and 2 (or an accepted equivalent) and the Texas medical jurisprudence exam, speak English, have US work authorization, and have a job offer from a hospital or health system that runs (or is affiliated with) an accredited residency program. The provisional license lasts two years; renewals require practice in a rural, underserved, or shortage area. The law excludes some applicants from countries the US government treats as national security threats. Check the Texas Medical Board's rules before you apply.

Conrad 30 waivers (lapsed, pending reauthorization): 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. Conrad 30 let each state recommend up to 30 waivers a year for doctors who agreed to work full time for three years in an underserved area. Its authorization lapsed on September 30, 2025, and 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. In Texas, the program has been run by the Texas Department of State Health Services (its Texas Primary Care Office); check with it and the USCIS Conrad 30 page before you count on this route.

Teachers

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) certifies teachers and reviews credentials earned abroad. Many districts hire bilingual teachers from abroad, often on the J-1. 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 Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, which uses the NCEES exams (FE and PE) and may ask for an evaluation of your foreign degree.

Pharmacists, dentists, physical therapists, accountants, and lawyers each have their own board and foreign-education rules.

The state programs are Texas Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), run by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Texas has not expanded Medicaid, so low-income adults without children or a disability rarely qualify, whatever their immigration status. Apply at YourTexasBenefits. Private plans are sold on HealthCare.gov, and many lawfully present immigrants rely on them.

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.

Texas does not have a statewide Office of New Americans.

Texas stopped running the federal refugee program itself in 2016, so nonprofit organizations now manage refugee services, working with resettlement agencies in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Amarillo. 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.

Texas has several USCIS field offices, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, and Harlingen, plus Application Support Centers for fingerprints in more cities, such as Austin, Fort Worth, Laredo, Lubbock, and McAllen.

Field offices hold interviews for adjustment of status and naturalization; fingerprints are taken at Application Support Centers. 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). A May 2026 USCIS memo (PM-602-0199) limits adjustment of status for people in temporary status to "extraordinary circumstances", so talk to a lawyer before you file.

Texas costs about the national average or less. Austin is the most expensive large city, while Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso are more affordable.

• State income tax: none.
• Property tax: among the highest rates in the US, and renters pay it indirectly through rent.
• Sales tax: a state rate plus local taxes.

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).