US Congress passes Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act
Date postedSeptember 22, 2022
The United States Congress passed the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act. The 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." Research by the Migration Policy Institute indicates that 2 million college-educated immigrants and refugees residing in the US are underemployed, with 60% of those holding a credential from a non-US jurisdiction. The US Department of Labor will undertake to determine how various factors, such as limited recognition of credentials and other barriers to occupational licensing, contribute to this situation.