Green Card Occupational Therapy Assistant Jobs
Occupational Therapy Assistant roles qualify for EB-3 green card sponsorship through the PERM labor certification process, which requires your employer to document that no qualified U.S. workers are available. State licensure, NBCOT certification, and an accredited associate degree are the credentials that anchor a strong PERM filing for this role.
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"Your life - our Mission"
OSF HealthCare is dedicated to provide Mission Partners with a comprehensive and market-competitive total rewards package that includes benefits, compensation, recognition and well-being offerings that focus on the whole person and engage with their current stage of life and career. Click here to learn more about benefits and the total rewards at OSF.
Expected pay for this position is $27.26 - $32.06/hour. Actual pay will be determined by experience, skills and internal equity. This is an Hourly position.
Position Summary:
The Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant, under the general supervision of an Occupational Therapist, assists in administering the Occupational Therapists' treatment plan.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Education: Associate’s Degree in Occupational Therapy
Licensure/Certifications:
- State license as Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant and NBCOT registration
- CPR certification within 90 days of hire
- Valid Driver’s license and Insurance (Home Care only)
Other skills/knowledge:
- Demonstrated knowledge and skills necessary to provide patient care appropriate to the population served.
- Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills to communicate effectively with patients and families. Additionally, communicates effectively with other treatment team members when gathering and exchanging patient condition information.
- Analytical ability to identify and report changes in patient’s condition to an Occupational Therapist.
- Excellent computer skills and the ability to process detailed information in an accurate manner.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- One year experience in hospital or Home Care setting
OSF HealthCare is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Total Rewards:
"Your life - our Mission"
OSF HealthCare is dedicated to provide Mission Partners with a comprehensive and market-competitive total rewards package that includes benefits, compensation, recognition and well-being offerings that focus on the whole person and engage with their current stage of life and career. Click here to learn more about benefits and the total rewards at OSF.
Expected pay for this position is $27.26 - $32.06/hour. Actual pay will be determined by experience, skills and internal equity. This is an Hourly position.
Position Summary:
The Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant, under the general supervision of an Occupational Therapist, assists in administering the Occupational Therapists' treatment plan.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Education: Associate’s Degree in Occupational Therapy
Licensure/Certifications:
- State license as Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant and NBCOT registration
- CPR certification within 90 days of hire
- Valid Driver’s license and Insurance (Home Care only)
Other skills/knowledge:
- Demonstrated knowledge and skills necessary to provide patient care appropriate to the population served.
- Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills to communicate effectively with patients and families. Additionally, communicates effectively with other treatment team members when gathering and exchanging patient condition information.
- Analytical ability to identify and report changes in patient’s condition to an Occupational Therapist.
- Excellent computer skills and the ability to process detailed information in an accurate manner.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- One year experience in hospital or Home Care setting
OSF HealthCare is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
See all 80+ Green Card Occupational Therapy Assistant Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Green Card Sponsorship as an Occupational Therapy Assistant
Verify your NBCOT certification before applying
Most employers filing PERM for OTA roles list NBCOT certification as a minimum requirement in the job description. If your certification lapses or is pending, USCIS and DOL will treat you as unqualified, stalling the entire sponsorship process.
Target healthcare systems with established PERM programs
Large hospital networks and rehabilitation chains have HR and legal teams experienced in PERM filings. Ask recruiters directly whether their legal team has filed PERM for OTA roles before, not just for nurses or physicians.
Use OFLC Wage Search to understand prevailing wage tiers
Your employer must pay at or above the DOL prevailing wage for your location and job zone. Look up the OTA wage level for your target metro on OFLC Wage Search before negotiating your offer to confirm compliance.
Confirm your state license is transferable across jurisdictions
If your employer later needs to transfer your green card filing to a different state location before your priority date becomes current, your OTA license must be valid there too. Compact licensure states ease this process significantly.
Search Migrate Mate to find employers with green card filing history
Many OTA job postings don't mention sponsorship upfront. Use Migrate Mate to filter for employers who have filed employment-based green card petitions for this role, saving time you'd otherwise spend cold-contacting HR teams.
File I-140 concurrently once your PERM is certified
Once DOL certifies the PERM application, your employer submits the I-140 immigrant petition to USCIS. Request concurrent filing rather than waiting, as it locks in your priority date sooner and protects your place in the EB-3 queue.
Green Card Occupational Therapy Assistant: Frequently Asked Questions
Does an Occupational Therapy Assistant role qualify for EB-2 or EB-3?
OTA positions typically qualify under EB-3 as skilled workers, since the role requires an accredited associate degree and state licensure rather than a bachelor's or advanced degree. EB-2 requires a baccalaureate or higher plus progressive experience, which the standard OTA credential path doesn't meet. A few employers have structured senior OTA roles with additional supervisory requirements to explore EB-2 eligibility, but EB-3 is the standard pathway for this occupation.
How does PERM green card sponsorship differ from H-1B sponsorship for this role?
H-1B visas are temporary, subject to an annual lottery cap, and require the role to qualify as a specialty occupation, which OTA positions often struggle to meet. PERM-based EB-3 sponsorship leads to permanent residency, has no annual lottery, and is designed for skilled roles like OTA that require specific credentials. The tradeoff is time: PERM involves a DOL audit period and I-140 processing before your priority date becomes current, so the full process typically takes longer than an H-1B approval.
What credentials do I need before an employer can file PERM for me?
You need an associate degree from a CAATE-accredited OTA program, active NBCOT certification, and a valid state license in the state where you'll be working. DOL will review the employer's job requirements against your qualifications, so any gap in licensure or certification at the time of filing creates a compliance risk. Your employer's immigration counsel will typically request copies of all three before starting the PERM recruitment steps.
How do I find OTA employers that actively sponsor green cards?
Most job postings for OTA roles don't advertise green card sponsorship directly, which makes it hard to identify willing employers through standard searches. Migrate Mate lets you filter OTA positions specifically by employers with employment-based green card filing history, so you can focus your applications on healthcare systems and rehab providers that have already navigated the PERM process for this role.
How long does the EB-3 green card process take for an OTA role?
The PERM recruitment and DOL review stage alone takes roughly six to eighteen months depending on whether the DOL conducts an audit. After DOL certification, your employer files the I-140 with USCIS, which takes several additional months. If you're from a country without significant EB-3 backlogs, adjustment of status or consular processing can begin relatively soon after I-140 approval. Indian and Chinese nationals typically face longer waits due to per-country annual limits in the EB-3 category.