The Office of New Americans Advisory Board (as created in 2020 under § 2.2-2496 and established as an advisory board, within the meaning of § 2.2-2100, in the executive branch of state government. The purpose of the Board is to advise the Governor, cabinet members, and the General Assembly on strategies to improve state policies and programs to support the economic, linguistic, and civic integration of New Americans throughout the Commonwealth.
The ONAAB is pleased to submit the fifth annual board report to the Honorable Glenn A. Youngkin and the Virginia General Assembly. Pursuant to § 2.2-2498 of the Code of Virginia, this report serves as a summary of its activities, findings, and recommendations.
The ONAAB defines “New Americans" as: New Americans refer to foreign-born persons residing in Virginia and their children, foreign and native born. The foreign-born population in the Commonwealth is estimated to be 1.19 million individuals or roughly 13.5% of the total state population.(*1) This fast-growing segment of Virginia’s overall population ranks as the 10th largest immigrant population in the nation.(*2)
Two-thirds of all immigrants live in Northern Virginia, but sizable immigrant communities exist in Richmond, Roanoke, and other metropolitan areas throughout the Commonwealth. In fact, certain census tracts in Accomack, Rockingham and Lunenburg Counties have immigrant densities like many parts of Northern Virginia.
Additionally, Virginia is one of the top three recipients of Afghan refugees resettling in the United States. Virginia’s Office of New Americans have provided resettlement services to 19,046 Afghans during Federal Fiscal Years 2019-24 as of September 19, 2024.
ONAAB has adopted the following Guiding Principles that provide an overarching focus regarding the work of the board.
• Recognizing our Value
• Ensuring Linguistic and Cultural Competencies
• Data Integrity
• Championing Representation
The Board maintains a committee structure that is flexible but allows for deeper analysis of the far-ranging and multifaceted issues that New American communities face in Virginia.
• Access to Services Committee - This committee will focus on building awareness of the specific barriers that newcomers face in accessing services and resources.
• Economic Opportunity Committee - This Committee will explore the economic landscape and review what support is provided by the Commonwealth for workforce development and entrepreneurs.
• Inter / Intra Governmental Affairs Committee - This Committee will explore the interconnectivity of governmental policy and changes to those policies that impact New American communities in the Commonwealth.
The Board also has dedicated Language Access and Data Integrity leads in line with our Guiding Principles.
In the last year, ONAAB members listened to key stakeholders, learned how to engage with legislators and communicate with state agencies, and collaborated with other advisory boards. ONAAB leadership surveyed key stakeholders across the state to identify unmet needs. We worked with the Virginia Latino Advisory Board (VLAB) and Virginia Asian Advisory Board (VAAB) to write a letter to the Governor about the importance of developing a statewide language access plan. To highlight the economic opportunities within New American populations, we have formed a committee with leaders from VLAB and VAAB to plan an international business symposium for spring of 2024. This work helped us form the following summary of recommendations.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
ACCESS TO SERVICES RECOMMENDATIONS
Legislative Recommendation:
Honor-based Violence
• United States-based cases of individuals harming or killing a family member due to “dishonor" has been documented now for decades, with perpetrators providing their justification to victims, witnesses, law enforcement, and in court. A law specifically listing honor-based violence and honor-based killing as illegal in Virginia will have a tremendous impact in the United States.
• Suggested legislation for Honor-based violence and Honor-based killing language is included below:
• A. Any attempts to cause harm, serious injury, exploitation, coercion, deception, fraud, or trafficking to anyone on the basis of so-called honor will be subjected to a Class 3 Felony.
• B. Any attempts to cause serious injury with intent to maim or kill anyone on the basis of so-called honor will be subjected to a Class 2 Felony.
• C. Any attempts to murder anyone on the basis of so-called honor will be subjected to a Class 1 Felony. D. A victim may recover compensatory and punitive damages in a civil action from any person who has caused harm, serious injury, exploitation, coercion, deception, coercion, fraud, or trafficking.
• E. A victim’s kin may recover compensatory and punitive damages in a civil action from any person(s) who is responsible for the death of their family member in the name of honor.
• F. “Harm" includes social, or emotional, or physical, or financial, or any harm inflicted to the individual as a result of the individual exercising their freedom of choice, or anything not listed herein.
• G. “Exploitation" includes social, emotional, physical, financial, documents, childhood family marriage promises, cousin marriage, marriage broker, online marriage advertisement, or trafficking, or other forms of exploitation, not listed herein.
• H. “Coercion" also includes any form of grooming, social, emotional, physical, financial, cultural, historical, dowry, property, bride price, or any additional forms of coercion not listed herein. A. “Deception" also includes deceive, or manipulate, or lie, or gossip, or restrict movement, or restrict communication, or misrepresentation, or theft by deception, or defrauding, or evasion of liability, or counterfeit, or dishonesty, or use of family members, or use of friends, or pressure of community, or pressure of culture, or religious abuse, or any guise of a family vacation, or any attempts to restrict movement in a home, or any attempts to restrict travel alone, or any attempts to restrict communication in any form, or attempts to restrict communication with law enforcement, child protective services or social services, any attempt to restrict individual from gaining an education, any attempt of restricting an individual from exercising their right to work, any attempt of confiscating money or paycheck, or anything not listed herein.
• I. “Fraud" also includes visa fraud, documents fraud, and any fraudulent activities used to deceive a person into a forced marriage, or fraudulent situation, or any form of fraud not listed herein.
• J. “Trafficking" includes sex trafficking of a minor or adult, labor trafficking, and any form of modern-day indentured servitude or any other trafficking violation not listed or referenced herein.
• K. Any additional form of Honor-based Violence conducted not listed herein.
• L. Each violation of this section constitutes a separate and distinct felony.
Education
Improve access to English language learning for refugees and immigrants in Virginia.
• Provide specific avenues for local literacy programs to gain access and utilize federal and state funding.
• Encourage public/private partnerships that could fund English classes and address barriers. For example, large employers of New Americans could partner with a literacy agency to provide onsite English for their employees.
• Dedicate one of the new Virginia Department of Education Lab schools(*3) to English Language Learning.
• Facilitate transition from ESOL programs to institutes of higher education by investing in Bridge Programs that address the English proficiency and college readiness needs of New Americans.
• Provide accessible information about associate and trade-based programs with a direct tie to the labor market and ensure high-demand courses are made known and open to diverse groups.
STEAM Education Access for New American Children
• Support and create a STEAM education program with focus on New American communities
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY RECOMMENDATIONS
Centralized Resource Database for New Americans
• Platform & Accessibility:
• Host on the Office of New Americans website or integrate into the Department of Social Services platform.
• Ensure searchable, filterable functionality by category, region, and user needs.
• Content & Scope: Include comprehensive service categories such as:
• Employment Services: Job centers, non-profit placement, resume and interview support, career counseling.
• Education & Upskilling: Community college and adult education programs, vocational training, apprenticeships, ESL/GED/digital literacy.
• Healthcare Resources: Free/low-cost clinics, mental health services, Medicaid navigation.
• Language Access: Interpretation/translation services, bilingual providers, English language programs.
• Entrepreneurship & Small Business Support: SBDCs, microloans/grants, MWBE certifications, business planning/legal assistance.
• Credential Recognition & Licensing: Foreign credential evaluation, re-licensing pathways, licensing boards, bridge programs.
• Financial Empowerment: Financial literacy, free tax prep (e.g., VITA), credit-building, banking access initiatives.
• Digital Equity & Access: Low-cost broadband/devices, digital skills training, public computer access and tech support.
• Maintenance & Sustainability: Conduct annual reviews and updates to ensure accuracy, relevance, and continuity.
• Implementation Plan:
• Phase 1: Build a structured spreadsheet with fields such as service name, provider, contact details, geographic coverage, eligibility, languages, and affiliation.
• Phase 2: Develop a searchable, interactive web platform with map-based navigation and user submission features.
• Impact:
• Streamlines access to essential services for New Americans.
• Supports state goals around workforce participation, economic opportunity, and community integration.
• Reduces service duplication and strengthens long-term economic development for immigrant communities.
Virginia New Americans Economic Forum
• Establishment of an economic forum targeted toward New Americans and their needs.
• Purpose is to set workforce development plans in place, create new programs aimed at increasing outreach to New Americans, and connect small and international businesses and various representatives from New American communities.
• Forum participants could include, but are not limited to state agencies, small businesses, international businesses, trade associations, non-profits, public and private colleges and universities.
Workforce Development
• Through Budgetary action, provide funding to the Office of New Americans and the Department of Labor to study employment and educational history of New Americans to determine focus of career pathway programs, and New American capacity to fill employment gaps in the state.
• Through Budgetary action, provide funding to the Office of New Americans, the Department of Labor, Virginia Economic Development Partnership, and the Department of Education to explore further opportunities to recruit New American talent and retain them through statewide employment initiatives.
• Through Budgetary action, provide funding to the Office of New Americans and the Department of Labor to review licensing and certification criteria and develop, translate, and disseminate career pathway maps.
INTER/INTRA GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS RECOMMENDATIONS
U.S. Citizenship Recommendations
• ONA should highlight the existing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Citizenship Resource Material on the ONA website and in any other related state agency websites or materials.
• ONA should explore working directly with the USCIS Office of Citizenship and Applicant Information Services to use their resources, and/or develop other resources specific to Virginia, to promote naturalization at community events, meetings, etc.
• Through Budgetary Action, provide funding to the Office of New Americans to develop programs that will promote naturalization, highlight, and utilize existing USCIS Office of Citizenship Resources and Application Services, and provide technical support to those applying for citizenship.
Language Access Recommendations
• The Office of New American Advisory Board recommends that the Virginia Governor empower the Office of Diversity, Opportunity and Inclusion to create and provide oversight of a statewide language access plan, in partnership with the Office of New Americans and the Office of New Americans Advisory Board, that would provide guidance and expectations for agency and department language access plans throughout the government of Virginia. The state language access plan would also include procurement policies and the review of the Code for provisions that would limit or restrain the implementation of a state language access plan. This would then be accompanied by legislative action for compliance provisions.
• The Office of New American Advisory Board recommends that adequate funding be provided to fully staff the Office of Diversity, Opportunity and Inclusion to oversee the compliance of agencies and departments within the state language access plan. The ODOI would also be tasked with the periodic review of state language access plan for compliance with federal guidelines and current best practices.
• Develop private-public partnerships that provide English upskilling services to contribute workforce development for businesses throughout the commonwealth. As an example, partnering with EnGen and making use of their English Language upskilling services with their industry specific courses. This will further prepare Virginia’s New American workforce for the manufacturing, healthcare, and trucking industries and help fill job vacancy gaps at a faster rate.
OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS
• Amend the Code to allow for more meetings per year.
• Amend the Code to raise the number of appointed non-legislative citizen Board members to twenty-one.
• Amend the Code to include additional ex-officio members on the Board.
OFFICE OF NEW AMERICAN ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS
• Commission a new JLARC study to assess the integration of New Americans in the Commonwealth and update the findings from the 2004 report.
• Enhance the Office of New Americans budget to address expanded and unmet needs.
CURRENT MEMBERS
Sarah Basha, Access to Services Committee - Leesburg
Martha Cohen, Access to Services Committee - Henrico
Jacob DePeralta - Annandale
Yacoub Fakhri, Access to Services Committee - Henrico
James Gordon, Access to Services Committee – Halifax
Panayiotis "Yoti" Jabri, Economic Opportunity Committee - Prince George
Raba Letteri, Access to Services Committee - Reston
Andrei Lipan, Access to Services Committee - Chesterfield
Karina Lipsman, Inter/Intra Governmental Affairs Committee - Alexandria
Karina Martich, Economic Opportunity Committee - Richmond
Manoj Mathai, Inter/Intra Governmental Affairs Committee - Aldie
Chris Mitchell, Inter/Intra Governmental Affairs Committee - Grundy
Cuong Nguyen, Access to Services Committee - Richmond
Elizabeth Njuguna, Access to Services Committee - Ashburn
Krishendeo Ramsingh, Economic Opportunity Committee - Roanoke
Eric-Michel Sossou-Gloh, Economic Opportunity Committee - Alexandria
Sasha Taylor, Access to Services Committee - Alexandria
Zarmina Yusufi, Economic Opportunity Committee - Fredericksburg
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(*1) U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024, ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Table S0501
(*2) Ibid.
(*3) Virginia Department of Education, Laboratory Schools Frequently Asked Questions
