SAN DIEGO — Immigrants and refugees were invited to attend a first-of-its-kind job fair that took place on Friday at San Diego Central Library. This event specifically caters to immigrants and refugees who could be new to San Diego or who are unable to find work while they've been here after traveling to this country.
There were interpreters from six different languages on hand. There were representatives from a variety of city departments that are currently hiring.
Those departments include parks and rec, the library, public utilities, development services, transportation, and the Office of Child and Youth Success. It's not only about finding a job but also building career-finding skills.
There's resume help and staff members that can assist people in getting their foreign degrees accredited here in the United States. We spoke with the city's Office of Immigrant Affairs who told us not just finding a job, but a career can be life-changing for those living in a new country.
“The idea for this career fair came from a need to fill vacancies at the City while knowing that new arrivals to San Diego seek to gain housing and employment,” said Office of Immigrant Affairs Acting Executive Director Matt Griffith. “A job can not only provide a pathway to meet those needs, but it can also generate growth and self-sufficiency among our immigrant population.”
We should point out there's a huge increase in migrants traveling to our border claiming asylum.
However - we're told this was something planned in February before recent events. To give more context, it takes the average asylum seeker roughly 180 days before they can legally work in the U.S.
In fact, staff that work directly with immigrants say that's often one of the toughest parts of their journey. They want to work right away but they can't.
For those at the border now - it may be a while before a job fair like this can help them. However, the precedent has been set.