Nursing assistants in the US are indispensable in patient care as they assist doctors, nurses, and other healthcare staff in various settings like hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home health. For international candidates, these positions are very appealing because a lot of healthcare employers actively give visa sponsorships as a means of filling the staff shortage. Annual salaries generally fall between $30, 000 and $50, 000, with the possibility of overtime, differentials for shift work, and other benefits.
Besides salary, these roles can lead to professional growth, permanent residency, and a longstanding career in the US healthcare system. This article breaks down the most popular nursing assistant positions that can be offered to foreign workers, what each job comprises, the required skills, the availability of visa sponsorship, and where to find genuine job openings for 2026.
Knowing Visa Sponsorship
Visa sponsorship is a process whereby a US company legally hires a foreign worker. In the case of nursing assistants, the sponsorship is mostly employer-led, which implies that you must have a signed job offer prior to applying for a work visa. The most appropriate visa classes are:
- H-2B Temporary Worker Visa. This visa is frequently used for healthcare support workers when the employer has temporary staffing shortages.
- EB-3 Green Card (Other Workers Category): This category provides permanent residency for skilled or unskilled workers, such as experienced nursing assistants.
- H-1B Visa. It is uncommon for CNAs; it is a visa reserved for positions requiring a bachelor’s degree or specialized skills. However, it can be the case if combined with supervisory roles.
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Foreign CNAs have the right to be sponsored only by the employers who can prove that they cannot find a qualified U.S. worker for the position and who are willing to file the required documents with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
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Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in Hospitals
Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are healthcare workers at the frontline who directly care for patients. They help patients in performing their daily life activities like bathing, dressing, feeding, walking, and also check vital signs. CNAs are responsible for recording patient conditions, notifying nurses or doctors, and creating a safe and clean environment.
When there are labor shortages locally, hospitals sponsor CNAs through employer-specific work visas. Hospitals also offer training or mentorship to their international hires. Major city hospitals, like those in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, usually have LMIA equivalent support programs for CNAs, thus allowing healthcare professionals from abroad an entry via this profession.
Salary: $32,000–$45,000 annually, with night shift and overtime premiums.
Where to Apply:
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CNA in Long-Term Care Facilities
These CNAs operate at nursing homes, assisted living, and rehabilitation facilities. They help the residents with their personal care, give out medicines under someone’s supervision, help with feeding, and befriend the residents. Since these facilities have staff shortage problems all the time, they usually avail and sponsor immigrant CNAs.
Salary: $30,000–$40,000, plus benefits like healthcare coverage and paid leave.
Where to Apply:
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Home Health Nursing Assistant
Home health nursing assistants offer nursing care services in the homes of patients. These patients are usually elderly, handicapped, or suffer from long-term illnesses. Their duties may include providing personal care, assisting with medications, monitoring the patient’s condition, and updating the nurse or doctor in charge. Because home health CNAs operate on their own, they must have excellent communication skills.
Salary: $33,000–$45,000 annually. Travel allowances or mileage reimbursement may be included.
Where to Apply:
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Pediatric Nursing Assistant
Pediatric CNAs take care of kids in children’s hospitals, clinics, or pediatric units in general hospitals. They help children with eating, bathing, moving around, and playing, all specially focused on kids. They are also responsible for monitoring their patients’ vital signs, preparing children for medical procedures, and providing comfort to both children and their parents.
Visa Sponsorship: Local children’s hospitals generally sponsor international CNAs, particularly if they are located in urban areas where specialized pediatric services are readily available.
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Salary: $35,000–$48,000 per year.
Where to Apply:
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Geriatric Nursing Assistant
Geriatric CNAs are experts who provide care to older adults and typically work in nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, or hospital wards. Their tasks are assisting with daily living, helping with mobility, preventing falls, reminding about medications, and watching out for changes in cognition, such as dementia symptoms.
Visa Sponsorship: In response to population aging, long-term care facilities in states such as Florida, California, and New York are the ones that most often sponsor foreign CNAs.
Salary: $31,000–$42,000 per year.
Where to Apply:
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Rehabilitation Nursing Assistant
These CNAs assist patients in rehabilitation centers recovering from surgeries, strokes, or injuries. They provide patients with physical therapy exercises, assist with mobility, personal hygiene, and feeding, and report patients’ progress to rehabilitation nurses and therapists.
Visa Sponsorship: Rehab centers located in cities and their suburbs often offer visa sponsorship to foreign CNAs, especially when the patient needs specialized care.
Salary: $34,000–$46,000 annually.
Where to Apply:
- Psychiatric Nursing Assistant
Psychiatric CNAs provide support in facilities such as mental health hospitals, psychiatric units, and residential treatment centers. Their responsibilities mainly entail observing patient behavior; assisting with medication administration; helping patients with their personal hygiene; participating in therapeutic activities, and reporting to nurses or psychiatrists any changes in physical or mental health.
Visa Sponsorship: In order to alleviate severe staff shortages in psychiatric care departments, some states, California, Massachusetts, and New York mental health hospitals offer visa sponsorship for international CNAs.
Salary: $32,000–$45,000 per year.
Where to Apply:
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Skilled Nursing Facility CNA
CNAs in SNFs assist patients in these facilities who need a higher level of medical care, e.g., after surgery, after a stroke, or in the case of long-term chronic patients. Their responsibilities are keeping track of patients’ vitals, helping them with their rehab exercises, giving them medication under the supervision of medical staff, and attending to their personal care needs.
Visa Sponsorship: To maintain their staff pool, especially in areas with a large elderly population, SNFs are very likely to sponsor foreign CNAs.
Salary: $33,000–$47,000 annually.
Where to Apply:
- ICU/Acute Care Nursing Assistant
ICU CNAs help nurses in intensive care or acute hospital units. Among other things, they are directly involved with the care of critically ill patients, changing their linen, toileting, feeding them, and keeping health records. The NICU is a very stressful environment, so your salary will be higher, and you have to be very knowledgeable about the human body and clinical procedures.
Visa Sponsorship: Typically, large city hospitals with ICUs sponsor foreign CNAs because they face a persistent staff shortage.
Salary: $38,000–$50,000 annually.
Where to Apply:
10. Dialysis Nursing Assistant
Dialysis CNAs help patients who receive hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Their responsibilities range from preparing the patients, checking their vital signs, sterilizing the equipment, to giving emotional support and helping the nurses during treatment. It is helpful if you have specialized knowledge in renal care.
Visa Sponsorship: Dialysis centers and hospitals located in prime areas and with a large number of patients usually sponsor foreign CNAs.
Salary: $34,000–$48,000 per year.
Where you can apply:
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Conclusion
Nursing assistants in the USA are a great avenue for foreign workers seeking visa sponsorship. With the existing demand in hospitals, long-term care, rehabilitation, and specialized units, international CNAs who are qualified locally can easily get stable employment. To be successful, a foreign worker must pick the job that suits him/her, submit an application through a verified employer, meet the certification and language standards, and be familiar with the visa process. After their readiness and determination, such jobs could be their stepping stones to long-term career development in the American healthcare system.