Congressman Jason Crow Passes Bipartisan Legislation to Eliminate Barriers to Employment for Immigrants and Refugees
More Than a Third of Colorado Immigrants with Health-Related Undergraduate Degrees Are Either Unemployed or Working Low-Wage Jobs Incongruent With Their Skill Set
WASHINGTON -- Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06) passed bipartisan legislation to help eliminate barriers to employment facing immigrants and refugees across the country through the House of Representatives.
For many reasons, including language barriers, credential recognition difficulties, and lack of professional networks and assistance, foreign-educated immigrants and refugees with professional degrees are often unemployed or underemployed. This is commonly referred to as "brain waste," and can cost states like Colorado billions of dollars per year in lost individual earnings and tax revenue.
"I'm proud to represent one of the most diverse districts in the nation where immigrants are the fabric of our community. Unfortunately, too many of our immigrants and refugees can't use professional credentials and skills they've earned in their home countries," said Congressman Jason Crow.
"These regulatory hurdles prevent too many folks from making a good living, contributing to our economy, and reaching their full potential. I'm proud to have passed this commonsense, bipartisan legislation, which will help eliminate those barriers and ensure immigrants and refugees in Colorado have every opportunity to reach their full potential. I look forward to its swift consideration in the United States Senate," Crow continued.
Congressman Crow, along with Congressman John Katko (R-NY-24), passed this legislation through the House recently as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022, which authorizes Department of Defense spending for the coming fiscal year. The $778 billion funding bill included seventeen Crow-led amendments that will help position Colorado to lead as the United States confronts unprecedented challenges at home and abroad. The NDAA will likely proceed to a conference where the respective House and Senate versions will be resolved.
In 2016, researchers at the Migration Policy Institute found that nearly 2 million immigrants with college degrees in the U.S. were relegated to low-wage jobs or were unable to find work. This is particularly relevant in the health care sector. In 2020, the Migration Policy Institute estimated that more than a third of the 11,000 immigrants in Colorado with health-related undergraduate degrees were either unemployed or working low-wage jobs that do not match their skill set.
Specifically, the legislation would direct the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to conduct an interagency study on factors that impact U.S. employment opportunities for immigrants and refugees with professional credentials from other countries.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2019, nearly 10 percent of Colorado's population was born outside of the U.S, more than 546,000 individuals.
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