Welcoming Communities in Action
Discover how cities, states, provinces, and campuses are working to ensure that newcomers can fully contribute to resilient futures.

Lincoln, NE: Creating a “Ladder” for Immigrant & Refugee Inclusion with SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
Nebraska has a long history as a leading refugee resettlement state, and the recent years have been no exception. In 2019, Lincoln’s New Americans Task Force (NATF) and Employ LNK partnered to join the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) with the goal of expanding and building systems to better support the inclusion of individuals with […]

How a New York Bill Would Allow Internationally Trained Physicians to Practice
Ngoc Nguyen |
In 2009, Dr. Islam moved to New York City from Bangladesh. Straightaway, he was struck by the lack of opportunities to work in medicine or in a health care role that made use of his skills and experience. Despite graduating from one of the top medical schools in Bangladesh and working there as a physician, he became […]

Buffalo, NY: Continuing a Century of Welcoming with SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
Continuing a 100-year legacy of championing local immigrants and refugees, the International Institute of Buffalo (IIB) joined the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) in 2019 with a goal to better serve a growing yet largely underserved community: immigrants and refugees with education, training, and credentials earned in other countries. As of the 2020 Census, Buffalo’s […]

How Two Immigrant-Led Organizations Are Harnessing an Opportunity to Create a More Inclusive Health Care Workforce
Trevor Shealy |
The United States faces growing health care workforce shortages, which are only expected to increase in the coming decade with projections estimating a national shortfall of over 900,000 nurses and up to 124,000 physicians by the year 2030. To address this issue, analysts and policymakers have begun looking to immigrants and refugees with health […]

Boise, ID & Salt Lake City, UT: Forging an Innovative, Inter-State Collaboration with SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
After decades of welcoming newcomers to their programs, Idaho’s Global Talent and Utah’s One Refugee determined that a collaborative approach to immigrant and refugee workforce inclusion would bolster their efforts in the region. They joined the WES Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) in 2018 as co-leads of a cohort including the Church of Jesus Christ […]

Promoting Immigrant and Refugee Workforce Inclusion: In Michigan, State Government Takes the Lead
Trevor Shealy |
Summary: Michigan’s Innovative Approach: Michigan’s Office of Global Michigan has taken a proactive approach to promote workforce inclusion for immigrants and refugees. This includes creating resources such as occupational licensing guides and collaborating with other agencies and organizations. Participation in National Initiatives: Global Michigan’s involvement in national initiatives like the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) […]

State Policy Priorities for 2024: Promoting the Career Mobility and Economic Advancement of Immigrants and Refugees
Natalie Torres |
In 2023, states across the country passed legislation to advance the economic and career mobility of immigrants and refugees (the recent WES 2023 State Policy Report highlights these reforms). During 2024 state legislative sessions, policymakers have renewed opportunities to propose measures that bolster state economic interests and the economic mobility of immigrants and refugees. Labor […]

WES Digital Badges: New Tool to Verify International Credentials
Virtual Hiring During COVID-19 COVID-19 has drastically altered the employment landscape in Canada. Although the year began with the country’s lowest unemployment rate in decades, Canada is now experiencing increasingly high unemployment and underemployment as businesses grapple with restructuring in the wake of the pandemic. For human resources (HR) professionals, this restructuring has resulted in […]

New Guide for Internationally Trained Accountants Released
Career Pathways in Accounting is the latest release in the WES Global Talent Bridge Pathways e-guides series. This new e-guide outlines career and academic pathways in the field of accounting, with specifications of the field in the U.S., step-by-step pathways to top accounting careers, licensing and certification requirements, and an array of helpful state-specific resources. In addition, Career Pathways in Accounting offers […]

New E-Guides Offer Help for Internationally Trained Educators in Canada or U.S.
WES Global Talent Bridge |
Career Pathways in Education: Using Your Foreign Education is our newest installment in the Pathways e-guides series. There is an edition for Canada and one for the United States. The new e-guide surveys career and academic pathways in the field of education, as well as alternative and related career opportunities. With practical information on relevant academic pathways, licensing and certification […]

Pathways E-Guides for Nursing in the U.S. and Canada Now Available
Mia Nacamulli |
World Education Services (WES) Global Talent Bridge presents Career Pathways in Nursing, the first in its new series of Pathways e-guides. The e-guide, available in both U.S. and Canadian editions, explores career and academic pathways in the field of nursing, as well as alternative and related careers. With practical information on the different educational pathways […]