Catherwood LibraryILR School

A recent report by the Migration Policy Institute estimated that more than 1.3 million college-educated and professional legal immigrants around the country are unemployed or working at unskilled jobs because of the difficulty of transferring foreign credentials. Nearly one fourth of such workers (approximately 317,000 immigrants) live in California, where labor shortages in skilled positions, notably health care and computer science, loom as the baby-boom generation begins to retire. The U.S. medical system is particularly difficult to navigate, often requiring new courses, multiple exams in the unique U.S. multiple-choice format, and total proficiency in English. The Welcome Back Initiative has been helpful for many immigrants, but its funding is set to expire this year. With Canada and Australia attracting more and more immigrant professionals, the report urges new measures including English-language training, national coordination of credentials, and transitional visas.