Immigrant job woes: Highly educated, minimum wage

Immigrants who do not speak English very well always have a hard time working in their own field here, but when people are bilingual, they have different problems. There should be groups that can help them, we need these skilled, educated workers doing what they were trained to do, not park cars or be a waitress. - - Donna Poisl

Bilingual Iraqi who parks cars is one of many immigrants on refugee visas who face difficulties in getting ahead

BY CAROLINE KYUNGAE SMITH Staff Reporter

Allen Hirmiz earned a civil engineering degree from the University of Technology, the third-best engineering school in Iraq. By the end of 2005, he was working as a project manager for North Oil Co., the second-largest oil company in the country.

But after immigrating to the United States, Hirmiz, 28, now works as a valet parker for the Hampton Inn downtown. He gets paid minimum wage and sometimes works six days a week.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.