With the Executive Order 2018-05K creating the Office of Opportunities for New Americans and New Americans Advisory Committee, Ohio Governor John Kasich has upped efforts to attract more legal immigrants to the State.
According to him the two agencies will “help legal immigrants more successfully become part of Ohio and find job opportunities in the state.”
“Ohio was built by immigrants and to continue building we need new people from wherever we can find them,” said Kasich. “As we have become one of the nations’s top job creators, our businesses increasingly need a robust pipeline of hard-working people. The Buckeye State is a great, welcoming place to work and raise a family, and whether you are from Indiana or India, New England or Old England, we want you in Ohio.”
The new office, which will be housed within the Ohio Development Services Agency, will help to ensure legal immigrants successfully integrate into communities by breaking down barriers in state government to improve workforce development opportunities.
The 12-member advisory committee will be named soon and will include members who presently engage new immigrant populations in the private-sector, non-profit community and government. They will be joined by leaders with various state agencies that provide programs and services to support immigrants through education and training, employment and entrepreneurship.
While responding to the Executive Order, the Executive Director, Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS), Dr Seleshi Ayalew Asfaw said, “This is good news. I wish this happens before his term expires.”
A new website, www.NewAmericans.Ohio.Gov, has been created to help new immigrants better navigate various state programs. A copy of the executive order can be found here and a fact sheet can be found here.
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