WES Blog

In April 2024, the United States Department of Labor released the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Final Report, which analyzes barriers to economic inclusion as well as strategies for overcoming them. In its analysis of currently available resources, the report highlights the need for additional data on internationally trained immigrant and refugee job seekers. […]

St. Louis has one of the country’s fastest-growing immigrant and refugee populations, yet the city misses out on $57 million in taxable earnings each year due to their systemic underemployment and unemployment. In 2018, the International Institute of St. Louis (IISTL) joined the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) to address the barriers driving this disparity.  […]

In November 2023, Immigrants, Refugees Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released its Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026, outlining the targeted number of permanent residents admitted under all eligible programs for the next three years. According to the most recent plan, Canada will aim to welcome nearly 1.5 million new permanent residents by 2026.  This is welcome news for […]

To ensure that the credential evaluation process is as easy to understand as possible, we’ve compiled a variety of WES tools and resources designed to help you at every stage of the process. Read below to learn more.  1. Try the WES iGPA Calculator and Degree Equivalency Tool Before you begin your credential evaluation, we […]

Published in March 2024, the Department of Labor’s Bridging the Gap for New Americans report explores the barriers faced by internationally educated immigrants and refugees who seek to resume their careers in the United States. With our labor market increasingly in need of their skills and experience, the report highlights a key factor in workforce […]

In 2012, World Education Services – long known as the leading North American provider of academic credential evaluations for international students and immigrants seeking to work and study in the United States and Canada – made its first foray into systems-change social impact work with the official launch of WES Global Talent Bridge.   Our original […]

  Written by Mohammad Jawad Shahabi, Program Manager Last year, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund partnered with the Foundation of Greater Montreal (FGM) to support its 2023 Collective Fund for Social Equity, a participatory grantmaking initiative and a collaboration between several funders focused on supporting asylum seekers and refugees.   Asylum seekers and refugees face significant […]

For many immigrants and refugees entering the United States, the first priority is often survival. But Eduardo Esquivel and the New Mexico Dream Team go much further—engaging and educating their communities, pushing for policy and systems change, and helping undocumented and mixed-status families thrive.  Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, a 7-year-old Eduardo immigrated with his family […]

In April, the U.S. Department of Labor released its Bridging the Gap for New Americans study of the barriers and opportunities facing internationally educated immigrants and refugees seeking to resume their careers in the United States. The study provides needed guidance for local, state, and federal stakeholders to further strengthen the inclusion of these workers […]

In the United States, key regulated industries like education, engineering, and health care face significant labor shortages that are predicted to deepen in the coming years. Experts in the health care area alone project a shortfall of over 900,000 nurses by 2030 and up to 86,000 physicians by 2036 as the country’s population ages and […]

Grappling with an aging population and acute labor shortages, the Portland Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) joined the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) in 2018 with the goal of bolstering the local workforce through immigrant and refugee economic inclusion.   For years, business leaders in Portland and throughout Maine had been sounding the alarm on a […]

Navigating the job market with an international degree can be challenging. Employers in the United States and Canada might not understand the value of your education. The most objective thing to do this is to obtain a credential evaluation from a reputable credential evaluation provider, like WES.  This article discusses how a credential evaluation can […]

In most cases, translation is not necessary for a WES credential evaluation. However, if you have been requested to provide translated documents, you might be an exception.   Keep reading to learn more about document translation requirements for a WES credential evaluation.  Why does WES require translated documents?  Translations support required documents and facilitate the evaluation process, ensuring the accuracy […]

Asare is a teacher in Ghana, but his ambitions to pursue advanced degrees and deepen his professional connections in education may soon be taking him to the United States.  As a child, Asare had hoped to follow his father’s path and become a pastor and address important community issues. He recalls his father’s collaborative efforts […]

How might a new philanthropy with $30 million in seed funding build on years of experience working with refugee, immigrant, and international student communities? How can philanthropic capital be more strategically allocated to unlock economic opportunity among underserved populations? How could a new grantmaking organization operate in an intentional way to disrupt power imbalances between grantors […]

Immigrants and refugees make up nearly 20% of Nevada’s population, and a full quarter of the state’s workforce. Yet of the state’s 87,200 immigrant and refugee workers with a four-year degree or higher, nearly 40% are unemployed or underemployed – the result of systemic barriers like limited credential recognition and uneven access to career navigation […]

Planning to order a WES credential evaluation? If you’re looking to pursue the next chapter in your life in the United States or Canada, a WES credential evaluation report will support your post-secondary school and job applications. Keep reading to get answers to frequently asked questions about WES credential evaluations:   What is a WES reference number? How do I obtain one?  A WES reference number is generated once you submit your application along with full […]

When a cohort of Louisville-based organizations joined the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) in 2017, the region had 30,000 open jobs – 9,000 requiring post-secondary training – and not enough workers to fill them. Local leaders from the Louisville Metro Government Office for Globalization (now called the Louisville Metro Government’s Office for Immigrant Affairs), KentuckianaWorks, […]

Written by Shevani Khatri, U.S. Program Associate Enver Latifzade, a key volunteer and leader for the community-based nonprofit RUSA LGBTQ+ (RUSA), came to New York City in 2014 from Uzbekistan seeking asylum as a result of increased homophobia in his home country. RUSA’s mission is to support New York City’s Eurasian LGBTQ+ population. While he was […]

Let’s talk about why a credential evaluation report could be a useful tool. A credential evaluation can help you make full use of the skills, training, and education you received in the Philippines.  It allows organizations such as academic institutions, licensing boards, and employers to compare your degree and credentials to U.S. or Canadian educational […]