Employment Resources for Immigrants and Refugees

Immigrants and refugees will be the fastest growing segment of Minnesota's workforce in the near future. After losing a job, immigrants and refugees can get help from a wide variety of community organizations and agencies in finding another job.

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1. Community-based employment services

   African Community Services
   Provides employment opportunities to newly-arrived refugees and asylees. Links people to appropriate job banks that are available in the metro area. ACS provides resume preparation and interview coaching, and helps people acquire job skills and find and keep jobs.

   Centre for Asians and Pacific Islanders (CAPI)
   CAPI assists Southeast Asian and East African immigrants and refugees to become increasingly self-sufficient and contributing members of our community. CAPI has two integrated departments: Employment and Training and Social Services and Cultural Education. The agency's diverse employees collectively speak 10 languages, and offer valuable services from several Minneapolis locations.

   CLUES
   Provides employment services for Latino jobseekers. CLUES employment services identify and address barriers that prevent the Latino jobseeker from getting and keeping a good job. CLUES staff also attempts to tackle some of the tougher challenges facing clients such as poverty, hunger, homelessness, separation from family, newcomer status, language barriers, and mental and/or chemical health issues.

   Emerge Employment Program at Brian Coyle Community Center
   Located in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, Emerge serves mostly refugees and immigrants from East Africa. The program delivers training, career counseling, job placement and ongoing support for participants in an effort to develop their wage-earning and wealth-building potential and increase access to professional development.

   Hmong American Partnership (HAP)
   Job placement services are part of HAP's Self-Sufficiency Department. The program provides an integrated range of options, including employability assessments, job search and employment plan, workplace English classes, job placement and retention, post-placement follow-up, and support services.

   Jewish Vocational Services (JVS)
   JVS assists people of diverse cultures to obtain quality employment. Services include: assessment for employment, evaluation of language skills, specialized skills and work readiness. JVS offers: English language training for the workplace, assistance with training, scholarships and loans for education, interview skill development, resume assistance, job-finding skills training, direct job development and job placement, financial support for getting started with a job, job retention assistance, employment advancement help, and job follow-up.

   Lao Family Community of Minnesota
   Lao Family's Employment Program focuses on ending clients' dependency on public assistance and assisting them in attaining self-sufficiency. It provides employment-related assistance to individuals who have lost their jobs, received notice of lay-offs, were terminated due to a plant closings, or were self-employed (including farmers and ranchers) and are now unemployed due to the economic conditions of the community.

   Lifetrack Resources
   This CAREER Program (Coalition Assisting Refugee Early Employment and Retention) works with immigrants and refugees in order to promote their adjustment to the American workplace through workforce development, placement in employment, and follow-up retention services. Customers receive one-on-one employment counseling.

   Lutheran Social Service
   The mission of the Refugee and Employment Services division of Lutheran Social Service is to help refugees and Minnesota residents become self sufficient. The refugee programs assists federally approved refugees from various countries to be reunited with family members. LSS provides job placement and retention assistance to welfare participants who live in Hennepin County.

   Minnesota Diversified Industries (MDI)
   A private non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to: "Provide career opportunities for individuals who have disabilities or disadvantages that are barriers to employment." MDI has expanded its mission to serve people with other disadvantages. A very large percentage of employees are immigrants. MDI carries out this mission through a light industrial manufacturing and service enterprise that offers extended employment and career opportunities for persons of all abilities.

   New Americans Community Service (NACS)
   NACS offers its clients an unbeatable combination of accessible and knowledgeable counselors, quality client services, free transportation, one-on-one attention, and a welcoming environment. It's all part of preparing them to achieve self sufficiency.

   Rise Inc.
   Rise, Inc. in collaboration with the Employers Association, operates Projects With Industry (PWI). PWI specializes in providing job placement services to immigrants and refugees who receive public assistance. Staff is multi-lingual.

   Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota
   Self-sufficiency program offers coordinated referrals, direct job placements, resume and skills enhancement, work readiness training, job coaching and mentoring, applicable economic incentives, and job upgrades.




2. Government employment services

   Minnesota WorkForce Centers
   Find out about free job search workshops, employment information, services, and resources offered at more than 50 WorkForce Centers statewide.

   Foreign Labor Certification Program
   This program allows employers to hire foreign workers on a permanent basis. A labor certification application must be filed with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

   Urban Initiative Loan Program
   This small business loan program primarily assists minority-owned businesses that will create jobs in low-income areas of the Twin Cities. Many loan recipients are recent immigrants to the United States.




3. Licensing and work permits

   CareerOneStop
   This tool allows you to search for licenses that may be required by law in order for you to practice a particular occupation. You can search by state, occupation or agency. Information for all states, agencies, and licenses may not be included.

   Work Permit
   This site provides information regarding the numerous types of work permits. The U.S. has over 60 types of non-immigrant U.S. visas, and many different routes to an U.S. immigration visa including the U.S. green card.




4. For employers

   Guide for Employers of Refugee Newcomers
   (401KB, .pdf)
   We Will Work Hard: A Guide for Employers of Refugee Newcomers provides information to assist employers in understanding the challenges and opportunities facing them as they employ newly arriving refugee populations to Minnesota and elsewhere.

   Handbook for Employers M-274
   (3.15MB, .pdf)
   This handbook contains instructions for completing Form l-9, the Employment Eligibility Verification Form. Documents that establish both identity and employment verification are illustrated. These include passports, certificates of birth, citizenship, naturalization, alien registration, residency, driver's license, and other details.

   Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker (MSFW) Program (Intercambio de información para trabajadores migrantes)
   This program specializes helps employers find agricultural and non-agricultural workers. It offers employers assistance with: creating a skills-based job order and listing it with the WorkForce Centers, interstate and intrastate clearance orders, federal/state farm labor compliance regulations, and more.