It will now be easier for immigrants in New York to find a job or start a business

New online resources have appeared in the city, which contain all the most important things that business owners and job seekers may need. If previously information had to be collected bit by bit on the websites of various agencies, now answers to all questions can be found on several specialized portals. First and foremost, local officials hope it will help new immigrants get their first job in the city or start their own business.

It is no secret that in New York today there is a migrant crisis, perhaps the largest in the entire history of the city. With several thousand asylum seekers arriving in New York every week, city officials are already having to cut costs in order to spend more funding to help migrants. The main thing that local officials are counting on is that migrants will find work as soon as possible.

Job offers, trainings and courses

In city shelters for migrants, cards will now be distributed - by scanning the QR code on them, people will be able to get to broker. Here you will find work offers, as well as various trainings and advanced training courses.

“If you come to this site, whether you are an employer looking to hire to help the economy, to help New York City through the crisis we are currently facing, or if you are a new New Yorker and want understand how to obtain a work permit or find a job, you will definitely find what you are looking for!” – said Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Kevin D. Kim.

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Employment assistance is also available at Workforce1 city centers. There are 18 of them in the city - in all five boroughs. The photo below shows all their addresses.

And here you can apply for an interview in one of these centers.

“Any New Yorker looking for a job can go there and say, 'I want a job, I want free training.' For example, someone who wishes to obtain a commercial driver's license. Or, say, someone worked as a nurse in their home country and wants to take the nursing exam here. We help all these people,” assured Kim.

According to officials, they already have agreements with 500 companies that are ready to accept migrants as soon as they receive work permits. And now they are analyzing which professions are most in demand and which of them are mastered by migrants.

"Of the 130 asylum seekers who have come to New York recently, about half are adults in need of work. And we have a need for workers in all sectors - from restaurant services, construction, infrastructure maintenance. For example, we often receive calls from representatives of the agricultural industry from the north of the state who are looking for workers, explained Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Affairs Manuel Castro.

If you are a business owner and want to hire migrants, then fill out your application here.

Website to help businessmen

There is now a separate portal for businessmen in the city - NYC Funds Finder. Here, business owners can find a variety of programs to help them obtain grants and loans from the city, state or federal government.

“What we used to do was, if you wanted to learn about New York City programs, you had to go directly to the New York City website. Then - to the New York State website, after that - to the federal government website. But now we have launched this website where you can not only get all the information you need, but also connect with one of the financial experts at our Business Solutions Center and book an appointment right there.” – explained Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Kevin D. Kim

Officials remind that you can also find complete information about opening a business on the MyCity portal, which was opened a year ago.

“Once you go to the “My Business” section of the site, it will be a one-stop portal where you will get all the information possible. As a small business owner, I'm trying to figure out how to get licenses or permits, how to pass inspections and avoid fines, or how to open a restaurant. You can find all the answers to this on the “My Business” page of the MyCity portal. We now operate there the country's first chatbot, which works using artificial intelligence", commented Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Manuel Castro.