A step toward reducing 'brain waste'
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PRESS RELEASE

 

 

For Immediate Release
Contact: Dan Gordon ,
617-651-0841 
Sept. 21, 2022

**A Step toward Reducing 'Brain Waste': **

**Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act Goes to President's Desk**

**A recording of today's press call is available**

**WASHINGTON, D.C.** - Rep. John Katko (R-New York) and other
speakers on a press call today responded to the passage Monday of the
Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act. 

This bipartisan legislation calls on the U.S. Department of Labor to
study systemic barriers to employment that impact immigrants and
refugees who hold credentials obtained in another country, and to issue
recommendations for reform. The bill now heads to President Biden's
desk to be signed into law.

This legislation is a step toward strengthening the workforce by
ensuring immigrant and refugee workers' economic mobility. The bill
calls for study of the factors driving underemployment, including
limited recognition of credentials, barriers to occupational licensing,
and uneven access to adult education and workforce development programs.

"Three years ago, I heard from Interfaith Works of Central New York
about immigrants in our community who have valuable professional
backgrounds but consistently experience underemployment or unemployment
due to arbitrary barriers," said

**Rep. John Katko** (R-New York), lead sponsor of the bill in the
House. "This trend puts the American dream out of reach for countless
families and has a detrimental impact on our economy, costing billions
of dollars in unrealized wages each year. That's why I was proud to
introduce the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act, and I am excited
to see it pass the House and head to the president's desk. This bill
will enable new Americans to fully utilize their skill sets and is
especially important in the midst of a nationwide workforce crisis."

"The bipartisan passage of the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act
highlights the enormous potential for immigrants and refugees to
strengthen the American workforce and bolster the economy," said 

**Dan Kosten, Assistant Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at the
National Immigration Forum**. "More than 2 million college-educated
immigrants in the United States are unemployed, or underemployed in jobs
that fail to draw on their education and expertise, according to
the Migration Policy Institute
. This
bill is a first step toward addressing the barriers these immigrants and
their would-be employers face."

"I am a U.S. citizen. I spent 12 years of my life receiving an excellent
education and dedicated myself after graduation to serving people as a
physician and doing research as a scientist. Yet, my training, skills,
and experience have been undervalued in the U.S.," said 

**Lubab Al-Quraishi, a delegate to Refugee Congress**. "There are
hundreds of thousands of people like me - immigrants and refugees with
international education, training, and experience - who are ready to
use our credentials and get to work in our communities across the U.S.
It's time for internationally trained immigrants and refugees to be
treated with dignity and have fair access to work opportunities in the
U.S."

"As the U.S. welcomes people seeking safety from around the world and
faces labor shortages in critical sectors like health care, now is the
time to ensure that everyone can reach their educational and career
goals in the U.S. This historic legislation will catalyze policy reforms
to promote a more equitable and inclusive economy," said

**Esther Benjamin, CEO and Executive Director of World Education
Services (WES)**. "WES is proud to have worked with our partners to
support the passage of the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act." 

As part of the Untapped Talent campaign

coordinated by IMPRINT, a coalition based at WES, more than 200
institutions representing the non-profit, higher education,
philanthropic, and government sectors came together to support this
legislation. 

"With two decades of experience in supporting immigrants and refugees in
rejoining their careers in the U.S., we understand the potential of
internationally trained workers to contribute to local workforces, the
complexity of the systemic barriers that keep them from doing so, and
the promise of this legislation to catalyze long-needed federal action
on this issue," said

**Jina Krause-Vilmar, President and CEO of Upwardly Global**. "As we
support thousands of Afghan and Ukrainian newcomers with career
coaching, we see the urgency of advancing this critical study and
implementing long-needed reform." 

Watch a recording of today's press conference.
###

**About the National Immigration Forum:**
Founded in 1982, the National Immigration Forum (the Forum) is a
nonpartisan advocacy organization that builds trusted relationships to
create a shared vision for immigration. The Forum works across the
political spectrum to convene different perspectives, bring new allies
into the conversation, and advance constructive and compassionate
immigration policies that serve America's interests.

**About Upwardly Global:**Upwardly Global is a national nonprofit whose
mission is to eliminate employment barriers for immigrant and refugee
professionals and advance the inclusion of their skills into the U.S.
economy.

**About World Education Services (WES):**
World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise
dedicated to helping international students, immigrants, and refugees
achieve their educational and career goals in the United States and
Canada. For more than 45 years, WES has set the standard of excellence
in the field of international academic credential evaluation. Through
WES Global Talent Bridge, the organization joins with institutional
partners, community-based organizations, and policymakers to help
immigrants and refugees who hold international credentials fully utilize
their talents and education to achieve their academic and professional
goals. Through its grantmaking, impact investing, and partnerships, the
WES Mariam Assefa Fund seeks to advance economic and social inclusion
for immigrants and refugees.

**About the IMPRINT Coalition:**
Based at WES, the IMPRINT Coalition advances public policy and promising
models that support the economic inclusion of immigrants and refugees
who hold international credentials in the U.S. Based at WES, the IMPRINT
Coalition advances public policy and promising models that support
immigrants and refugees who hold credentials earned abroad. The IMPRINT
Coalition envisions a United States that values the education, skills,
and experience of immigrants and refugees and ensures equitable access
to pathways for success. In September 2021, the IMPRINT Coalition
launched the #UntappedTalent: Inclusive Economies for All campaign to
promote policies that offer opportunity so that everyone has a fairer
chance of reaching their educational and career goals. Learn more about
the #UntappedTalent campaign
.

 

 

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