Pilot program to help migrants get work permits

migrants at job fair — Hundreds of Venezuelan migrants came seeking work at the Hire A Refugee Job Fair on Nov. 2 on Chicago’s North Side. The event was intended for refugees with work permits, but many migrants came who arrived in the U.S. after the cutoff date for the Biden administration’s expediting of job permits.

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons

New pilot program to help migrants get one step closer to work permits

The application pilot program is a collaboration between the White House, Illinois, Chicago City Hall and the Resurrection Project.

Hundreds of Venezuelan migrants came seeking work at the Hire A Refugee Job Fair on Nov. 2 on Chicago’s North Side. The event was intended for refugees with work permits, but many migrants came who arrived in the U.S. after the cutoff date for the Biden administration’s expediting of job permits.

Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

By Micah Yason

Having permission to work is a vital part of what new arrivals and asylum seekers in Chicago need. This would allow them to join the workforce, make a livelihood and provide for themselves and their families.

Reset learns about a new pilot program launching Thursday as a part of the country’s, state’s and city’s efforts to help migrants coming from the southern border.

GUEST: Erendira Rendon, vice president of immigrant justice for The Resurrection Project