State Department Launches Program to Match Skilled Refugees With U.S. Employers

By Mary de Wet

The State Department said Wednesday it is launching a program to match skilled refugees with employers in industries such as health care, education and information technology.

Hundreds of refugees over the next few years will receive job offers from vetted employers before they arrive in America through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, the State Department said.

The refugees' legal status won't be tied to employment, the department said. Instead, individuals arrive with refugee status and are on path toward gaining citizenship.

The refugees will receive support from private sponsors in the area where their employers are based as part of the pilot Welcome Corps at Work program, the department said.

Nearly 3.5 million refugees have resettled in the U.S. over the 40-year history of the admissions program, the department said.

Write to Mary de Wet at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

04-17-24 1609ET