Samanthafenn

I've been a qualified midwife for nearly 6 years and am looking to relocate to Florida with my husband and my son. I would really like to continue practicing midwifery so have been doing some research. Everywhere seems to differ so I was wondering if anyone has successfully got a job over in America that was trained in the uk. My degree is a bachelor degree in midwifery
Thank you

Pulaski

Does your husband have a work visa and you will be accompanying him, or are you looking to be the primary visa holder?

It doesn't sound like either of you are US citizens, or permanent residents?

It is extremely difficult for anyone in a non-Doctor medical occupation to get a visa on their own merits to work in the US.

scrubbedexpat099

OP just mention her training, not her nationality.

Samanthafenn

No neither of us are U.S residents we were both born in the U.K.
My husband works for a digital media company so I would probably look to be the primary visa holder & he works off mine if that is possible?
I would like to speak to anyone who has recently converted their uk midwifery degree so they are able to practice in the U.S.
Is there a demand for midwives in the U.S?

scrubbedexpat099

So his Employer is willing to move him to the US?

Samanthafenn

He works in a company now where there is also an office in Orlando so a transfer would potentially be on the cards

Pulaski

Either is "possible", but I would bet heavily on someone in "digital media" getting a visa before I'd bet even £1 on a midwife getting a visa. .... That said even the digital media professional is going to face a serious challenge to get a visa if his employer won't/ can't transfer him. Midwives in the US are under highly variable regimes in different states. The US medical system is generally skewed towards doctor-led births, with some states allowing midwives to work under supervision of a doctor. In some states midwifery is at best legally ambiguous and arguably not legal. In NC for example, a birth accompanied by a midwife is classified as an "unaccompanied home birth", and a midwife faces substantial legal liability for practicing her profession. I am not sure where on this scale Florida falls.

At very least you should expect substantial additional training and recertification ..... something than even non-US-qualified doctors face. A family friend who is a doctor and qualified anesthesiologist is facing four years of training, exams and residency to requalify under US medical licensing.

Pulaski

If he was transferred he would likely be on an L-1 visa, which would get you an L-2, which would allow you to work (once you got your Employment Authorization Document - EAD, which takes about 90 days after arrival), suject to additional training and recertification, as I mentioned above.

scrubbedexpat099

First thing first is to find out if this is an option. Sounds like nothing has been raised.

Bob

Definitely this. Anything else is moot at this point.

Good luck and welcome to BE though!

scrubbedexpat099

Ooops yes Welcome!

Samanthafenn

At the moment it's all ideas but his contract is semi permanent for the time being but when it's made permanent and then he will look to be transferred

Bob

He needs to be permanent employee for at least a year out of the previous 3 to be eligible for a L1 transfer visa.

It is realistically your only option of getting a visa to move to the US that would allow you both to eventually work.

You will struggle to find anyone that will sponsor you for a work visa, never mind getting state certified.

NatashaB

I think you need to work on a means of getting a visa before you worry about your certification as a midwife (midwives are rarer here than in the UK, as most babies are delivered by doctors). You are very, very unlikely to get sponsored as a midwife, so it sounds like the onus is on your husband to find a way to get a visa. As someone else said, he needs to have worked for the company as an employee (not a contractor) for a year to be eligible for an L1.


This page has a contact page and a link to apply for a Florida midwifery license. My guess is you would need to have your UK qualifications assessed by an educational agency such as WES or ECE to 'translate' them into a US format, then do additional training to get you certified in Florida.


Licensed Midwifery | Florida Department of Health

scrubbedexpat099

What do you mean semi permanent, he is an employee but had not done 2 years.

Has he asked, does he know that they transfer.