Work as a lab scientist in the USA: ASCPi and state license

• You hold a bachelor's degree in medical laboratory science, medical technology or a related chemical, physical or biological science from an accredited or recognized institution.
• Your degree can be evaluated as equivalent to a US degree by a NACES or AICE member (for California) or another accredited evaluation service (for Florida).
• For California, your transcript shows 16 semester hours of chemistry (including analytical and clinical chemistry or biochemistry), 16 semester hours of biological science (including clinical microbiology, hematology and immunology) and 3 semester hours of physics, math or statistics.
• For California, you have at least one year of post-baccalaureate clinical training or work experience as a CLS performing high complexity testing in hematology, chemistry, blood bank and microbiology, in a CLIA-certified lab or an ISO 15189 and ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab outside the USA.
• You can meet the ASCP Board of Certification's eligibility route for MLS(ASCPi) or MLS(ASCP), which combines your degree with clinical laboratory training or experience. Check the current route on the ASCP site.
• For New York, you hold ASCP or ASCPi MLS certification, or meet one of the state's other six education and experience routes.
• Your clinical experience is in patient testing. California does not count research, academic, forensic, veterinary, biotech or pharmaceutical lab work.
• For a work visa, you can obtain a VisaScreen certificate, including an approved English test and verification of every license you have held.

Check your route with the route finder

• CGFNSCGFNS International

  Credentials evaluation and VisaScreen for nurses and allied health

  How to register with the CGFNS

1. 1

   Decide where you want to work

   Check whether your target state licenses lab personnel. California, New York, Florida and Hawaii do; many states do not, and there national certification is what employers look for. If you plan on California or New York, read their rules first, because they decide which evaluation, experience and exam you need.
2. 2

   Order a credential evaluation

   California accepts evaluations from current NACES members and endorsed AICE members completed on or after August 15, 2016, sent directly to LFS. Ask for a course-by-course evaluation so the reviewer can count chemistry, biology and physics credits. Make sure your name is printed in English on every transcript and matches your application.
3. 3

   Document your clinical laboratory experience

   Ask your laboratory director or training coordinator for a signed letter on letterhead with start and end dates and the tests you performed in each area. For California, a lab outside the USA must have been CLIA certified or accredited to ISO 15189 and ISO/IEC 17025, and the director must send the letter directly with the ISO certificate. Research or academic lab work will not count.
4. 4

   Apply for ASCP certification

   Apply to the ASCP Board of Certification for the MLS(ASCPi) international credential or, if you meet the US route, MLS(ASCP). Check the current eligibility routes, fees and test locations on the ASCP site, as they change. New York accepts the ASCPi (MLS) exam only if taken on or after January 1, 2015.
5. 5

   Pass the certification exam

   Prepare across every area of the clinical laboratory, including blood bank, chemistry, hematology, immunology and microbiology, using the content outline on the ASCP site. In California, two failures mean a one-year wait and a third failure a two-year wait, so do not sit it unprepared. New York requires a converted score of at least 75 on an accepted ASCP exam.
6. 6

   Apply for your state license

   Apply online to the state with your evaluation, transcripts, experience letters and certification. California also requires an online quiz on state laboratory laws. New York charges $345 for licensure and first registration; Florida charges $100 in total and requires one hour of HIV/AIDS and two hours of prevention of medical errors education before licensure.
7. 7

   Use a trainee license or limited permit if needed

   If you lack experience, California offers a CLS trainee license for approved training programs. New York's $50 limited permit lets you practice in a specific setting for up to 24 months while you complete the exam requirement. New York's permit is not renewable, so plan the exam around it.
8. 8

   Get your VisaScreen certificate

   Apply to TruMerit (formerly CGFNS International) for VisaScreen as a clinical laboratory scientist or technician. It checks your education against a US graduate's, verifies every license you have held and confirms an approved English test. The initial fee is $740, and expedited review costs $650 more.
9. 9

   Find a sponsoring employer and keep your credentials current

   Hospitals and reference labs sponsor most international lab scientists, usually through the H-1B or an employment-based green card. Once licensed, renew as your state requires; California renews annually with continuing education, and ASCP has its own credential maintenance.

• ASCP Board of Certification MLS(ASCPi) or MLS(ASCP) exam

  The main national certification exam for medical laboratory scientists. California approves ASCP MLS certification (since October 2002) and ASCPi certification (since June 2003) for the CLS generalist license. New York accepts the ASCP (MLS) exam with no cutoff date and the ASCPi (MLS) exam taken on or after January 1, 2015. Check the format, fee and test locations on the ASCP site.

• Other approved certifying exams

  California also approves the AAB Medical Technologist exam (since January 2003) and the AMT Medical Technologist exam (2014 and later versions only). New York also accepts AMT (MLS) certification as an education route.

• California online quiz on state laboratory laws

  California LFS requires CLS applicants to complete an online quiz on state laboratory laws and regulations. You receive instructions once you are qualified.

• English test for VisaScreen

  VisaScreen requires a passing score on an approved English test taken at a test center. TruMerit lists Cambridge English, TOEFL iBT, IELTS, MET, OET and PTE Academic, with scores updated by HRSA from May 12, 2026.

  Read the guide

• California, New York and Florida licensure pages we checked do not set a separate English test score for lab scientists. California does require your name in English on every transcript and document.
• VisaScreen has a federal English requirement: applicants must pass an approved test at the score set for their profession.
• From May 12, 2026, TruMerit follows an updated list of tests and scores published by HRSA. The approved tests include Cambridge English, TOEFL iBT, IELTS, MET, OET and Pearson PTE Academic. TOEIC is no longer accepted.
• At-home versions of English tests are not accepted for VisaScreen.
• We could not confirm the exact 2026 minimum scores for clinical laboratory scientists from an official page we could read. Check the current table on the TruMerit site before booking.

Estimate your total cost

• Allow several weeks to a few months for your university to send official transcripts and for an evaluation agency to finish a course-by-course report.
• Collecting experience letters from overseas lab directors, with ISO certificates for California, often takes longer than people expect; start before you leave your job.
• ASCP processing and exam scheduling times are set by ASCP; check its site for current timings.
• New York's limited permit lasts up to 24 months, which sets a firm deadline to pass the exam if you start work on one.
• TruMerit says 90 percent of VisaScreen certificates are issued within 3.5 business days once documents are validated. Under 8 CFR 212.15 the certificate must be used within 5 years of issue.
• Plan for 6 to 12 months from evaluation to license-ready, longer if a state finds gaps in your coursework or experience.

There is no national pay scale for lab scientists in the USA; pay is set by the employer. The figures below are BLS medians for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians combined, from the Occupational Outlook Handbook based on May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. BLS does not give separate medians for technologists and technicians on this page.

Yearly amounts

• All clinical laboratory technologists and technicians (median)

  $62,930

  BLS, May 2025. $30.26 an hour.

• Private general medical and surgical hospitals (median)

  $69,190

  BLS, May 2025.

• Educational services (median)

  $63,690

  BLS, May 2025.

• Medical and diagnostic laboratories (median)

  $58,320

  BLS, May 2025.

• Offices of physicians (median)

  $56,850

  BLS, May 2025.

• Hospital laboratories, the largest employer and BLS's highest-paying setting.
• Independent reference and diagnostic laboratories.
• Blood banks and transfusion services.
• Academic medical centers and university hospitals, which are not subject to the H-1B cap.
• Physician office laboratories and outpatient centers.
• Recruitment agencies that place international lab scientists, though their terms vary.

• Medical technologists (clinical laboratory scientists) and medical technicians (clinical laboratory technicians) are covered health care occupations under 8 CFR 212.15, so you need a VisaScreen certificate from TruMerit (formerly CGFNS International).
• VisaScreen checks that your education is comparable to a US graduate's, verifies every license you have held as valid and unrestricted, and confirms an approved English test result.
• The H-1B specialty occupation visa can fit technologist roles that require a bachelor's degree in a specific field. USCIS allows up to 3 years at first, extendable to 6, and says you generally must hold any required state license before the petition is approved.
• USCIS says certain H-1B petitions filed on or after September 21, 2025 must include an additional $100,000 payment. Universities and nonprofit research organizations are not subject to the annual cap.
• Lab scientists are not on Schedule A, so a green card usually needs an employer-sponsored labor certification. This page does not give immigration legal advice; speak to a licensed US immigration attorney.

1. 1

   A DHA, DOH, MOHAP, SCFHS, QCHP or other GCC lab license does not transfer. US states and ASCP look at your degree, your clinical training and your certification exam.

2. 2

   If your Gulf hospital lab is accredited to ISO 15189 and ISO/IEC 17025, California can accept that experience since January 2025. Ask your lab director for a signed letter and a copy of the certificate.

3. 3

   Experience letters must list dates and the tests you performed in each area. California expects coverage of hematology, chemistry, blood bank and microbiology, so rotate through all four before you leave if you can.

4. 4

   VisaScreen and state boards verify every license you have held. Request letters of good standing from each Gulf authority while your license is active.

5. 5

   A Philippine bachelor's degree is accepted by Florida on official transcripts alone, but California and VisaScreen still require their own evaluations.

• Application plan with every step, fee and deadline

• Document checklist tailored to you, and a review of each document before upload

• Timeline built around the regulator's closure windows and document validity periods

• Help completing the application forms accurately and consistently

• Support with profession-specific evidence, such as the HCPC standards of proficiency mapping

• Guidance on certificates of good standing, references and certified translations

• Preparation for identity checks and declarations on health and character

• Tracking your application and help responding to regulator requests

• Next steps after the decision: exams, adaptation, PIN or licence and your first job

Regulators make all registration decisions and set all fees. Our fee is separate from the regulator's fees, exam fees and translation costs.

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