NEW YORK, NY—(August 3, 2021) World Education Services (WES) joins Church World Service, International Rescue Committee, National Immigration Forum, National Skills Coalition, New American Economy, and Upwardly Global, together with more than 120 national, state, and local organizations, in urging Congress to co-sponsor the Improving Opportunities for New Americans Act. This bipartisan legislation would direct the United States Department of Labor to conduct an interagency study of the barriers that impact employment opportunities of immigrants and refugees who hold international credentials.
Read the full sign-on letter urging members of Congress to co-sponsor the Improving Opportunities for New Americans Act:
Dear Members of Congress,
On behalf of more than 120 national, state, and local organizations, we write to express our support for The Improving Opportunities for New Americans Act of 2021. This bipartisan legislation directs the United States Department of Labor (DOL) to study the barriers that lead to the underemployment and unemployment of immigrants and refugees who hold professional credentials earned in other countries.
Immigrants, refugees, and asylees are eager to contribute their experience and training in the U.S. Yet because of systemic barriers, including the lack of recognition of their international education and experience, more than two million immigrants with college degrees are underemployed or unemployed in the U.S.; 60 percent of them have international credentials, according to a report from the Migration Policy Institute. This underutilization of talent limits workforce diversity and robs us of the urgently needed social, cultural, and linguistic abilities of immigrant and refugee workers. It also results in nearly $39.4 billion in forgone earnings and $10 billion in unrealized tax payments.
Dr. Sura Alsaffar, for example, spent 16 years practicing as a physician in both Syria and Iraq. She treated patients during extreme war conditions but was ultimately forced to flee as a refugee. Despite her extensive experience and efforts to successfully pass all three steps of the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), Dr. Alsaffar’s medical career has stalled in the U.S. She earns $15 an hour as an administrative assistant; to re-enter the medical field, she is working with the job coaching non-profit Upwardly Global. As the COVID-19 pandemic strains the U.S. health sector and the nation faces a looming physician shortage, cumbersome barriers to licensure prevent qualified professionals like Dr. Alsaffar from re-establishing their careers.
“Coming to the U.S. was a dream come true for us. We were so grateful to have the opportunity to move to a safe place. But our safety has also cost me my career. And it’s been hard to sit on the sidelines during this pandemic, when I know that I have experience to contribute,” Dr. Alsaffar says.
Refugees and immigrants are vital to the prosperity of our communities, and their inclusion will be critical to the nation’s economic recovery. In 2015 alone, nearly 2.3 million refugees earned a collective $77.2 billion in household income, contributed $20.9 billion in taxes, and held $56.3 billion in spending power. Immigrants make up more than 16 percent of all U.S. health workers; 8 percent of teachers; 25 percent of the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry; and 25 percent of IT professionals.
As the U.S. recovers and rebuilds, the need to integrate immigrants and refugees into the workforce is increasingly urgent. The Improving Opportunities for New Americans Act of 2021 marks an important step in building a resilient workforce and robust economy, and we urge all members of Congress to co-sponsor this bill.
Sincerely,
African Advocacy Network
African Bridge Network
Amplio Recruiting
Arlington Public Library
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO
Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture
Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
CAMI Health
Career Solutions
Chicago Citywide Literacy Coalition
Chicago Jewish Coalition for Refugees
Chicago Jobs Council
Chinese Mutual Aid Association
Office of Social Justice, Christian Reformed Church
Church World Service (CWS)
Cincinnati Compass
Coalition for Adult Basic Education (COABE)
Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR)
Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education (CCCIE)
Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS)
Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim
Consortium of Physicians From Latin America (COPHYLA)
Council on American-Islamic Relations in Missouri (CAIR-MO)
Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries
Dominican Sisters of Houston
Dover Adult Learning Center
Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC)
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Edgewater Castle FC
Eleser Corp
Empowering Communities Globally: For the Care of Children
English for New Bostonians
Faith in Public Life
Fellowship Southwest
Gainesville’s Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice
GirlForward
Glen Oaks Community College
Global Cleveland
HIAS
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) ministry
ICNA Relief
IMPRINT
Institute for Immigration Research (IIR)
InterFaith Works of Central New York
International Institute of Buffalo
International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit
International Institute of St. Louis
International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS)
Jewish Family and Career Services (JFCS) Louisville
Jobs for the Future (JFF)
Journey’s End Refugee Services
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)
Livefully Corp
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS)
Maine Business Immigration Coalition
Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA)
Mc2
Médicos Unidos Venezuela USA
Mennonite Central Committee U.S.
Middle Eastern Immigrant and Refugee Alliance
MIRR (Migrant, Immigrant, Refugee Rights) Alliance
Motherland Beauties
National Council of Churches USA
National Immigration Forum
National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights (NNIRR)
National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA)
National Skills Coalition
Nebraska Appleseed
New American Economy
New American Pathways
New Women New Yorkers
New York Immigration Coalition
Niskanen Center
New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC)
One Refugee
Ozark Literacy Council
Palm Beach State College
Pars Equality Center, Los Angeles
Pennsylvania Council of Churches
Per Scholas
Phipps Neighborhoods
PODER
Portland Adult Education
Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration
Project Blueprint
Project Worthmore
Promise Arizona
Pursuit Transformation Company Inc
Refugee Action Network
Refugee Advocacy Lab
Refugee Congress
Refugee Education & Adventure Challenge (REACH)
Restore Education
Riverside Language Program
Russian Oregon Social Services
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Justice Team
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning
Spur LLC
SUNY Bronx Educational Opportunity Center (EOC)
Syrian Community Network
Talent Beyond Boundaries
Tent Partnership for Refugees
The Center for Victims of Torture
Turas Group
Union for Reform Judaism
Upwardly Global
U.S. Africa Institute
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)
Venezuelans and Immigrants Aid
Voces Unidas for Justice
Washington Academy for International Medical Graduates (WAIMG)
We Are All America
Welcome Back Initiative
Welcoming America
Westchester Jewish Coalition for Immigration
World Education Services (WES)
World Relief
YMCA International Learning Center
YMCA of Greater New York
