Division of Immigrant Policies and Affairs Services

The Division of Immigrant Policies and Affairs is often the first point of contact for immigrant, refugee, and limited English proficient workers or job seekers to the Department of Labor services.

We are also a point of contact for small businesses for information about the Labor Laws and being in compliance.

Through our toll-free hotline, and presentations to immigrant communities and other groups, we inform people about services provided by the Department of Labor, including:

• Employment services for individuals (such as job searches, resume development, and interviewing skills)
• Labor law compliance for businesses
• Job postings for businesses
• Enforcement of labor law

Our outreach presentations review both the New York State labor law and the DOL complaint handling process for:

• Minimum wage
• Payment of wages and wage supplements
• Prevailing wages under public work contracts
• Child labor
• Hours of work
• Illegal kickbacks
• Tip appropriation and retaliation

We also review other DIPA areas of service:

• Ensuring language access requirements are met by all New York State Agencies so that limited English proficiency speakers can receive services in their own languages.
• Coordination of investigations of possible human trafficking, and providing eligible workers with referrals to service providers,
• U Visa Certifications and T Visa Endorsements.

For businesses, outreach presentations focus on areas of labor law relevant to their operations:

• Our role as a liaison to business services within the DOL
• Industry-specific wage orders
• Payment of wages
• Payroll records
• Maintenance of records
• Laws prohibiting child labor, deductions, tip appropriation
• Workplace environment issues

We are available to present to immigrant and refugee communities, or organizations that serve them. We continue to work with:

• Advocacy Groups
• Community-based organizations
• Social services providers
• Faith-based groups
• Small Business Associations
• Community Boards
• Elected officials
• Local, state, and federal government agencies
• Foreign government representatives

We visit locations where large groups of immigrants and refugees live or work. We use this outreach to bring information to people who are not able to visit a Department of Labor office because of distance or time. 

Through our toll-free hotline, we additionally provide assistance with:

• Connecting immigrants to services within the DOL, including filing complaints for back wages or for unemployment
• Providing referrals to social or other appropriate service providers
• Referrals to resources for immigrant business owners

To request information, to schedule a presentation for your organization or business or to invite us to attend your event, contact us at 877-466-9757.