Moving between states / Virginia

Flag of New JerseyNew JerseytoFlag of VirginiaVirginia, Electrician

Moving from New Jersey to Virginia as a journeyman electrician

What a journeyman electrician licensed in New Jersey has to do to work in Virginia, what the move does to your pay, and who in Virginia is hiring from out of state.

Reciprocity likely. Virginia licenses electricians at state level through the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Contractors, and reciprocity for journeymen and masters licensed in a state with a comparable exam. Your New Jersey licence comes from the New Jersey Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Virginia leaves you roughly $2,100 a year more than New Jersey does, because Virginia's rate is lower.

SalaryNew Jersey state taxVirginia state taxDifference a year
$40,000$3,010$1,610+$1,400
$60,000$4,515$2,415+$2,100
$90,000$6,773$3,622+$3,151

Rough figures for a single filer: exact in the flat-rate and no-tax states, approximated at 70% of the top bracket in the progressive ones. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: New Jersey to Virginia

Transfers by reciprocity. Your New Jersey certificate stays on the New Jersey Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Virginia you apply to the Virginia Board of Nursing, Certified Nurse Aide registry for reciprocity. It accepts an active certificate in good standing from another state; there is no retest if your record is clean. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.

RN and LPN: New Jersey to Virginia

Works on day one. Both New Jersey and Virginia are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from New Jersey is valid in Virginia the day you arrive. Once Virginia is your primary residence, apply there for a Virginia multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.

CDL: New Jersey to Virginia

Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Virginia resident you surrender the New Jersey CDL at a Virginia driver licence office, pass the vision test, pay the fee, and your endorsements carry over. A hazmat endorsement needs a fresh TSA threat assessment in Virginia. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.

No statewide program in Virginia pays people to move in. Towns sometimes list an offer through MakeMyMove, and employers in short-staffed trades pay relocation themselves; ask for it in writing before you accept.

Openings filed in Virginia

137 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Virginia employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from New Jersey to Virginia

Tell us your trade and your licence. We write the steps for your case, check the job offer for scams, and keep your resume ready for Virginia employers.

Plan my move to Virginia

Same move, by trade

CNA: New Jersey to Virginia · RN or LPN: New Jersey to Virginia · Truck driver: New Jersey to Virginia · All licences: New Jersey to Virginia

From New Jersey to the states next to Virginia

Maryland (progressive, top rate 5.75%) · West Virginia (progressive, top rate 4.82%) · Kentucky (flat 4% state income tax) · Tennessee (no state income tax) · North Carolina (flat 4.25% state income tax)

To Virginia from the states next to New Jersey

New York · Pennsylvania · Delaware

Everything about working in Virginia · All moves between states · All 50 states

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