Employers - Therapist

Requirements For Physical Therapy Practice In The State Of Michigan:

Introduction: To practice Physical Therapy, all therapists must be licensed in the State they elect to practice. Individual State licensing boards set the criteria for eligibility for licensure. All licensing boards require a passing score on National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) as a condition for licensure.

Michigan: In the State of Michigan, all therapists must pass both the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) & Michigan Jurisprudence Exam to obtain a RPT (Registered Physical Therapist) license.

An applicant whose native language is other than English, must also pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of not less than 550, and the Test of Spoken English (TSE-P) with a score of not less than 50, in addition to the other requirements to be eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). An applicant must also pass the Test of Written English, (TWE), as part of the TOEFL, with a passing score of not less than 4.

Once eligibility has been determined for the national exam, the Bureau of Health Services will notify NPTE. At that time, Authorization to Test and information on how to contact one of the Sylvan Technology Centers to schedule an appointment to test will be sent to the applicant.

The PT examination is designed to sample basic entry-level competence of the candidate who has graduated from an accredited school of physical therapy. The 4 ½ hour examination consists of 225 objective, multiple-choice questions.

The federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) is responsible for processing applications to sit for the exam and reporting scores to the State Boards. To learn about FSBPT or transferring scores from one State to another, please contact www.fsbpt.org

Results are reported approximately six weeks following the examination date. The State Board issues a license to successful candidates.

This concludes the eligibility part of the process.

There are TWO ways to approach the visa process:

I. "H-1B" Visa Process.

The H-1B visa is a temporary work visa for professionals, good for up to six years. In most professions where a college degree is necessary, an employer may petition a therapist to obtain an H-1B. The process include:

Prevailing Wage Determination by the employer. U.S. immigration laws require that all H-1B therapists be paid the prevailing wage for their occupation or the actual wage being paid by the employer to other therapists in the same geographic area - whichever is higher.

Labor Condition Application (LCA) obtained by the employer. Once the employer has established the prevailing wage, it may submit a LCA to the U.S. Department of Labor.

H-1B Petition filed by the employer. Once an LCA is approved, the employer submits an H-1B petition to the INS. Documents demonstrating the employee's education, experience and the State required licenses must accompany the petition.

The processing time for an H-1B petition is generally from 30 to 90 days.

Since 1991, there has been a quota on the number of H-1B visas that can be issued for all professions during a fiscal year (September 30 to October 1). The annual quota now stands at 195,000.

A copy of the H-1B approval will be forwarded to the therapist for the final processing at the US Embassy or the Consulate in their home country. Upon satisfactory review of all documents and credentials, a visa is stamped in the therapist’s passport. This signifies that everything is in order for the therapist to join employment in the United States.

II. The Green Card.

There are three steps to obtaining a green card through employment.

Labor Certification Obtained by Employer. Unless the foreign professional is a "superstar" (i.e., a person of extraordinary ability in his or her field), an outstanding professor or researcher, or a person whose employment clearly is in the national interest, then the employer must undergo the labor certification process in order obtain a green card on the employee's behalf.

Visa Petition filed by the Employer. Once the Labor Department has approved labor certification, the employer submits a Visa Petition to the INS. Documents establishing the therapists’ education, prior experiences, and the visa screen certificate are attached to the petition.

Application for Permanent Residence filed by the Therapist. Once the employer filed visa petition is approved, the therapists and his/her family may apply for permanent residence. This can be done at either at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in his or her home country. It may take about eight months to a year for the Consulate to issue an immigrant visa.

Upon satisfactory completion of the process, an Immigrant Visa is issued for the therapist and eligible family members. This is their only indication that everything is in order for them to travel to the US and join employment.

We will be employing the services of an attorney in all matters of Immigration.

Directory of State Boards

Contact Information.

Advanced Health Alliance, Inc.
1001 Medical Park Drive, SE. Suite 111
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546-3677,
USA
Telephone: 616-977-3200
Fax: 616-956-0059
email: info@advancedhealthalliance.com