Immigrant Professionals

Immigrants with professional backgrounds face unique challenges in navigating a U.S. Job Search and re-entering their careers in this country. There are resources to help.

• Career and Job Placement Support for Immigrant Professionals  in the Chicago Metro area
• Step-by-step licensing process and official regulatory and testing sites
• Prepare for a Job search in the United States
• If you are a fully work-authorized immigrant with a professional background, Upwardly Global provides networking support and advice as well as opportunities to meet U.S. professionals in your field.

Other Resources

• The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights provides links to organizations providing assistance to immigrants.
• The Immigration Project with an office in Bloomington, IL can be contacted by email or toll-free phone to provide assistance or referral services to immigrants.
• Center for Advancement of Racial & Ethnic Equity ACE established the Center for Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity (CAREE) in 1981 to address declining rates of minority participation in higher education. From this site you can access the "College Is Possible" initiative.
• Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession Sponsored by the American Bar Association, a central source for online information on finding jobs and enhancing lawyers' careers. Visit for tips on finding the right job and maximizing your career, job postings, tools and links to career related resources. This site also offer a list of links to state and local bar associations' (including minority bars) career pages.
• Equal Employment Opportunity Included here is information about EEO policies, contacts, programs, activities and efforts. The mission of the Office of EEO is to ensure that the rights of employees and applicants are protected and that the agency promotes a proactive equal employment opportunity program, to ensure that the goal of an ethnically diverse workplace is achieved.
• Illinois Diversity is a network of local diversity employment Web sites committed to connecting employers with qualified, local applicants of all backgrounds. Click on the find a job tab and you can browse the jobs by categories, by Companies, or by other criteria.
• OAI: Innovative Workforce Development Advocate and promote equal access to education, training, and career opportunities primarily for culturally diverse populations and communities in poverty.
• WelcometoUSA.gov is a comprehensive site aimed at helping newcomers learn about America's civic values and history, settle into their new communities and take part in the life of the nation. The United States is welcoming legal immigrants with a new Web site that helps them find such things as the requirements for naturalization and the location of nearby English-language classes.