Visa Lawyer Blog
A great tip from AILA to share with our readers regarding the H1B visa. It seems that H-1B petitions for Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) and similar related occupations are being closely monitored to ensure that accurate job duties are being identified to confirm CGFNS (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools) certification requirements.
There are multiple progressive occupations within the Speech Language Pathology career field including, Teachers of Speech and Hearing Handicapped (TSHH), Teachers of Speech and Language Disabilities (TSSLC), Speech Language Pathologist Assistants (SLPA) and Clinical Fellows (CFY), and Speech Language Pathologists (SLP).
While all of these positions require a state license, only SLPs who are certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) may provide direct patient care without supervision, and thus, only certified SLPs require CGFNS certification.
According to CGFNS, the other related occupations (TSHH, TSSLC, SLPA, and CFY, all of which require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, a license, and direct supervision by a licensed SLP) do not provide independent patient care and must be supervised by a licensed SLP and, therefore, are not eligible for CGFNS certification.
USCIS officers ask that H petitioners carefully delineate the job duties of positions within this career field so that officers can determine whether the position is one of the SLP related occupations that do not require CGFNS certification.