Immigrants and refugees help boost our economies
Despite a still recovering economy, many employers report that they are struggling to fill positions. This is acutely felt in the health care industry. Even prior to COVID-19, the sector was facing worker shortages and disparities in accessing care. According to a report by Mercer, by 2025 the United States will be short 95,000 nursing assistants and 29,000 nurse practitioners, with significant gaps in other specialties as well, such as home health aide and lab technician.
These shortages have underscored the need to examine the credentialing process for immigrants to the United States.
In Pittsburgh, 58% of foreign-born adults hold a college degree — far above the national average of 31% for all Americans. The U.S. has long been a sought-after destination for educated immigrants due to a robust economy, world-class health care facilities and opportunities for entrepreneurship.
Immigrants and refugees are vital to the economic vitality of our region and our country, but they face many barriers to employment, with many working in jobs that don’t match their educational level. While English language proficiency can be one barrier, so is the credentialing process.
Glory Christian, a Literacy Pittsburgh student, has been working on obtaining her nursing credential for two years. She held a variety of nursing positions in India but, despite her education and experience, she is currently working as a patient care technician at a local hospital, providing basic care and assisting medical staff.
“There are lots of steps to the process ,” Christian explains .“Do the application. Get this certificate. Call them and sit on hold — once for two hours. So much waiting.”
Christian finally got permission this spring from the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing to sit for the licensing exam. She was scheduled to take it last week and, upon passing, she will finally be eligible to seek work in her chosen career.
Many immigrants simply give up and decide to change careers. Many struggle to obtain the required documents and complete a time consuming and expensive process that often requires them to go back to school for the last few years again and do residencies over.
Recently, Pennsylvania Rep. Aaron D. Kaufer, R-Luzerne, introduced HB 1947 aimed at seeking to update international medical graduate requirements and reduce one barrier to licensure for immigrants. Currently, graduates of U.S. and Canadian medical schools must successfully complete two years of training in order to apply for a medical license in Pennsylvania while international medical graduates must complete an additional year, for a total of three years of residency training, before they can apply for that same license.
While pressures in the health care field create a particular urgency, Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs provides administrative and legal support to 29 professional and occupational licensing boards and commissions, overseeing such fields as cosmetology, engineering and real estate.
Recognizing the unique challenges for immigrants and refugees, the state sought input from members of the immigrant, refugee and asylee community who work in a field that requires an occupational license or has applied fora license.
The survey, which ended at the end of July, sought to capture the experiences of new Pennsylvanians seeking occupational licensure and surveyed participants on topics such as education, employment, language access, and the overall application process. Feedback will help the state develop recommendations to reduce barriers for new Pennsylvania residents seeking a careerin a licensed profession.
As neighbors, business owners, taxpayers and workers, immigrants and refugees are an integral part of Pennsylvania’ s economic vitality.
In 2018, Pennsylvania residents in immigrant-led households had $24.6 billion in spending power (after-tax income).
Immigrant business owners accounted for 10% of all self-employed Pennsylvania residents in 2018 and generated$1.2 billion in business income.
Immigrant-led households in the state paid $6.9 billion in federal taxes and$3.3 billion in state and local taxes.
When immigrants and refugees thrive, our community thrives. We need to help immigrants and refugees in our region pursue their career goals and share their talents and expertise.