Foreign-trained professionals living in the United States often face systemic and policy barriers that inhibit them from realizing their full potential and applying their skills in the workforce. While many may have high degrees that they earned in their home countries, their educational background is often not recognized when they come to the United States. According to a report from World Education Services, IMPRINT, and George Mason University, immigrants who earned a degree only abroad were less likely to achieve professional success, at a rate of 15%. Alternatively, those who pursued higher education both abroad and in the U.S. attained success at a rate of 28%. In Boston, a whole 42% of respondents seeking to enter the workforce said employers did not recognize their foreign credentials.
For immigrants like Abubakar Jumah Buteera, who came to Boston from Uganda in October of 2019, confronting the job market has been incredibly challenging. Buteera had earned a law degree from Islamic University in Uganda, before doing postgraduate work in taxation and revenue administration and later earning a diploma from the Law Development Center. He was working as an attorney covering LGBTQ and human rights issues in Uganda when he ran into trouble with the police due to doing this work. Buteera fled to the U.S. but had difficulty integrating into the workforce, despite his educational background and qualifications, because his schooling did not transfer. He took jobs that were not a part of his career path, such as working in a wood warehouse, handling a pallet jack at Market Basket, and driving for Amazon. This experience was very discouraging, he said.
“I went back to zero,” said Buteera. “I am a person who would wake up, wear my tie and shoes and shirt, get my briefcase, go to work, have my cases, and have my office. I ended up being a pallet driver.” He added, “It’s kind of demeaning. But I have to work. I have to get the money for bills and all that. It’s been so challenging, integrating into manual labor, when you’re used to something else.”
Executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) Eva Millona said that it is especially common in the medical field for doctors trained outside of the U.S. not to have their schooling carry over. They may face obstacles, such as having to take the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), which presents language difficulties and challenges in the way that it is designed. This leads to what Millona called “brain waste,” or an underutilizing of foreign-trained professionals’ skills.
“When a foreign-trained professional comes to the United States, and they have gone through schooling, they have all the credentials, what the U.S. has available is the USMLE,” said Millona. She added, “In the meantime, without a license, they cannot perform as doctors. Many of them are working as an interpreter or research if they’re lucky, but not as trained physicians. We have a pool of over a hundred internationally trained physicians, who are highly educated and highly skilled, who passed the tests, and they cannot find residencies. …It’s a brain waste because there are so many areas in Massachusetts that are underserved areas that would benefit tremendously from this workforce.”
Millona also explained that the challenges are amplified for refugees who were internationally trained, who may have been forcibly displaced from their home countries. As they may be fleeing persecution from the government, they may not have the paperwork necessary to validate their credentials, even though they may be qualified to work.
Immigrants seeking to enter the workforce may experience subtler barriers, such as language and cultural differences, said Asian American Civic Association (AACA) employment specialist Christopher Stephens. They may encounter biases on the part of prospective employers or subconscious racism, according to AACA COO and head of workforce development programs Edward Hsieh. Unfortunately, hearing an individual’s accent may lead to that person not being hired, said Hsieh. Students are taught to communicate within American work culture in classes at AACA, learning about body language, hand gestures, and eye contact. Stephens also works with students to develop an awareness of pitch, tonality, and how one modulates their voice to not speak in a monotone.
“Sometimes the American English is coming just from the mouth [and not from the diaphragm],” said Stephens. “It isn’t until someone has completely digested the language and it settles in your stomach that it becomes a real part of you. That takes a while. It’s performative.”
The Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement’s director Yusufi Vali said that there is a gap between education and getting into the workforce, a problem that the City has taken steps towards addressing. In 2019, the City supported the passing of legislation, Bill S.1216, that called for a special commission that would study “the licensing of foreign-trained medical professionals, with the goal of expanding and improving medical services in rural and underserved areas,” according to the text. Considering the state of the pandemic, Vali said that it would benefit Boston greatly to employ the service of immigrant doctors and health specialists.
“One pilot program that we’ve already started exploring as a City is, right now, we have the COVID crisis,” said Vali. “It’s really impacting our immigrant and people of color communities. If we could get our foreign-trained medical professionals quicker into the workforce, to design videos and messaging, such that it could help our immigrant communities really understand how to follow the COVID regulations and the vaccine, it would be a tremendous benefit for our residents, as well as for the City.”
For Buteera, he understands that the only way to practice law in Boston is by getting a new degree in the United States. He is saving the money that he earns to pursue a master’s in law.
“This is the only thing that I’m good at — being a lawyer, and writing briefs, coming up with solutions to problems,” said Buteera. “That has always been my suit. That’s why I’m working so hard. I’m trying to raise enough money, working day and night, so that I can get tuition money for my master’s. …That’s the only chance that I have right now.”
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