Welcome Corps at Work Matches Employers with Skilled Refugees

Welcome Corps at Work is a program that matches employers in the United States with skilled refugees in need of resettlement and enables refugees and their immediate families to relocate permanently to the United States.   

This program seeks to provide a sustainable, scalable solution to workforce and skills shortages among U.S. employers at no cost to the employers. This is a U.S. State Department program and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) are working closely with the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration on each component. Currently, they are engaged with over 2,500 individuals seeking work as part of the program.    

Of this group:  

• 77% have English levels of intermediate or above 
• 42% have English levels of full professional proficiency or above 
• 12% have a bachelor’s degree, 2% have a master’s degree, and 0.2% have a doctoral degree 
• Of the candidates with full professional levels of English, the most common occupation among these candidates includes Teacher, Social Work Professional, Administrative Assistant, Data Entry Operator, IT Professional, Healthcare Professional (other), Healthcare Professional (nurse), Computer Programmer, Engineers, and Food and Hospitality   

To participate in this program, the IRC and TBB are seeking employers with consistent hiring needs who are interested in engaging with refugees with specialized linguistic and cultural skills to join their workforce. Employers would be a great fit for this program if they meet their criteria of: 

• Have evergreen open positions anywhere in the United States 
• Provide high quality jobs with opportunities for career progression within their business 
• Pay a living wage based on their location (See MIT Living Wage Calculator)   

Although many of the refugees they are working with through this project have achieved degrees and credentials in their home country, it should be noted that these do not automatically transfer to the U.S., especially in the healthcare field. They are specifically looking for employers with open positions that meet the above criteria but do not require a credential or offer paid training for the required certifications.   

Additionally, there is a Welcome Corps at Work webinar for employees interested in learning more about the program. Details are as follows:  

• Welcome Corps at Work Informational Webinar for Employers 
• February 22 at 2:00 p.m. EST 
• Register to attend the webinar via Zoom

Click here to download a flyer and learn more.   

For more information or questions, contact Amber.Shevin@rescue.org, Senior Technical Advisor, Economic Empowerment at the International Rescue Committee.