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REFUGEES WHO LIVE IN THE DES MOINES AREA. THEY HAVE THE DEGREE BUT THEY CAN’T GET THE RIGHT JOB. >> THE PROBLEMS THAT AFFECT IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES ARE NOT NEW. TOMMIE: DR. PAUL MUWAMGUZI CAME TO IOWA WITH MORE THAN A DECADE OF MEDICAL EXPERIENCE UNDER HIS BELT. BEFORE CALLING IOWA HOME, HE WAS A PRACTICING PHYSICIAN IN UGANDA AND WANTED TO CONTINUE HIS PASSION HERE IN THE STATES >> GETTING INTO THE MEDICAL PROFESSION IN THIS COUNTRY IS VERY, VERY CHALLENGING. TOMMIE: HE SAYS GETTING LICENSED IN THE U.S. IS EXPENSIVE AND TIME-CONSUMING. SO TO GET ON HIS FEET, HE WALKED INTO THIS BURGER KING, LOOKING FOR A JOB. >> THE ONLY JOB I HAVE EVER DONE SINCE I GREW UP PRIOR TO THIS WAS BEING A PHYSICIAN. THE FIRST DAY I WAS AT BURGER KING, IT WAS SHOCKING. IT WAS A LEARNING CURVE. TOMMIE: HE MADE IT WORK, WITH SOME HELP FROM LOCAL LEADERS LIKE SANJITA PRADHAN. >> I KNOW THAT PEOPLE HAVE A FEAR THAT, WE HEAR THIS NARRATIVE ALL THE TIME THAT THEY’RE TAKING MY JOB, AND YOU CAN ASK EMPLOYERS ABOUT THIS AND EMPLOYERS WILL TELL, WE CAN’T FIND ENOUGH WORKERS. TOMMIE: MUWAMGUZI GOT GUIDANCE, AND FOUND OUT HE’S NOT ALONE IN THE STRUGGLE. >> HIS STORY’S FAIRLY COMMON. WE HAVE A LOT OF REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS THAT ARE HERE THAT COME WITH FARILY HIGH SKILL SETS. TOMMIE: AFTER 8 MONTHS AT B.K., MUWAMGUZI IS PRACTICING AGAIN. HE NOW WANTS IMMIGRANTS LIKE HIM TO NOT LOSE HOPE BECAUSE SUPPORT IS EVERYWHERE. >> SOMEBODY TO LISTEN TO YOUR STORY AND JUST OFFER YOU HOPE. SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN’T HAVE BEFORE AND THAT FOR ME WAS PRETTY MUC

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An Iowa doctor who emigrated from East Africa said he had to work a fast-food job because he couldn't afford to get a medical license in America.Local leaders say there are thousands of immigrants in Iowa who are stuck in similar situations.Dr. Paul Muwamguzi came to Iowa with more than a decade of medical experience under his belt. Before calling Iowa home, he was a practicing physician in Uganda and hoped to continue his passion in the United States."Getting into the medical profession in this country is very, very challenging,” Muwamguzi said. Muwamguzi said getting licensed in the U.S. is expensive and time-consuming, so he got a job at Burger King to make ends meet. "The only job I have ever done since I grew up prior to this was being a physician,” he said. He made it work, with some help from local leaders like Sanjita Pradhan, with the Greater Des Moines partnership."I know that people have a fear that, we hear this narrative all the time, that they're ‘taking my job,’ and you can ask employers about this and employers will tell you, ‘We can't find enough workers,’" Pradhan said.Polk County Supervisor Robert Brownell said Muwamguzi is not alone in the struggle.“His story's fairly common,” Brownell said. “We have a lot of refugees and asylum seekers that are here that come with fairly high skill sets."After eight months at Burger King, Muwamguzi got his license and is practicing again. He said he wants fellow immigrants to not lose hope because support is everywhere.“(Having) somebody to listen to your story and just offer you hope (is) something that we didn't have before, and that for me was pretty much life-changing,” he said.The Greater Des Moines Partnership said it is working to set up a small fund, to be reimbursed, in order to help immigrants pay for exams. Brownell said he is working with legislators to try and find more support for immigrants in Iowa.