Information for the Canadian Therapist

Many Canadian therapist are so familiar with issues such as visas and licensure, that they may prefer to skip to the area of the Website that describes the general opportunities and benefits offered by Access Therapies.

Thanks to the NAFTA agreement, it's simpler than ever for Access Therapies to place Canadian-trained Registered Therapist in a wide range of positions in the United States. All you need is a TN visa. In fact, the entire process usually takes just about two weeks. And Access Therapies will guide you through every step of the way—including state licensing—at no cost!

To work as a Therapist in the United States, there are a few basic requirements.

• Graduation from a 4-year general Therapy program at an accredited school of therapy.
• THEORY and CLINICAL internship. A current Therapist license in your home country.
• Two years of acute-care and sub-acute care experience Must qualify for U.S. Visa.
• No criminal record.

In addition, immigrant healthcare workers who have graduated from a therapy program in Quebec must demonstrate competence in oral and written English . These tests are commercially available, standardized assessments of English language proficiency. Foreign-educated Therapist applying to the VisaScreen™ program must satisfy these requirements by taking each of the three following tests administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS):

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 540 or higher AND
• Test of Spoken English (TSE) with a score of 50 or higher AND
• Test of Written English (TWE) with a score of 4.0 or higher.

Note: Therapist who have graduated from a therapy program in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand and the UK are exempt from this English language requirement.

For more information about taking the TOEFL, TWE and TSE exams, as well as international test sites please contact:

Please see

• Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT)
• The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT)
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

• Licensure
• Resources
• Visas Made Easy
• Living / Working in USA