Workplace Immigration
Organizations seeking to thrive in the increasingly competitive and global marketplace consider the workplace immigration system to be an important avenue to hire for hard-to-fill positions (employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visas); supplement temporary or seasonal workforce needs (H2-A/B visas); and expose their current workforce to new cultures and ideas (J-1 visas).
SHRM research has found that nearly 3 in 4 responding employers agree that increased immigration encourages economic growth and makes the U.S. more globally competitive. Additionally, over half of employers agree that the U.S. is losing top talent to other countries because of its immigration system. According to SHRM research, employers agree that modernizing the U.S. immigration system will boost economic growth, combat workforce disruptions, and ensure that the U.S. maintains its competitive edge in attracting and retaining global talent.
Streamlining Immigration Reform: SHRM’s Call for Policy Collaboration
Changes to the workplace immigration system will require collaboration from various federal policymakers — including joint efforts between the executive and legislative branches — as well as the business community.
SHRM supports commonsense, bipartisan legislative and regulatory policy solutions that lessen inefficiencies and arbitrary barriers for U.S. companies to access educated, accessible, and legally authorized workers. SHRM will continue to engage with policymakers in all branches of government and across the political aisle to promote a workplace immigration system that is efficient, fair, and transparent and advances the interests of all.
The Role of Foreign-Born People in the U.S. Labor Force: New Dataset by SHRM
SHRM’s Thought Leadership division has released a new data brief on the role of foreign-born individuals in the U.S. labor force. While it has long been recognized that certain states, industries, and occupational groups heavily rely on foreign-born workers, the new dataset highlights a more compelling truth: There are very few parts of the U.S. workforce in which foreign-born people do not make substantial contributions.
According to SHRM’s data brief, nearly 20% of the U.S. labor force is foreign-born. Additionally, foreign-born workers account for at least 25% of employment in four major occupational groups and at least 20% of employment in seven industries.
As employers work to close the skills gap, it is critical they have the tools to hire a legal workforce and the ability to access top talent no matter where it is found in the world.
SHRM
Workplace Immigration Research
SHRM’s comprehensive workplace immigration survey — carefully crafted in consultation with policymakers from both sides of the political aisle as well as employment-based immigration experts and practitioners — provides a guide to vital policy decisions that would modernize the U.S. immigration system within the greater workforce landscape.
HR professionals say that immigration:
Nearly 3 in 4 (73%) responding employers agree that increased immigration encourages economic growth and makes the U.S. more globally competitive. Over half (54%) of employers agree that the United States is losing top talent to other countries because of the U.S. immigration system.
More than two-thirds (68%) of employers agree that they would benefit from a more streamlined process for organizations to access U.S.-educated, foreign-born talent.
Fifty-seven percent of organizations report that they would benefit from an increase in available and legally authorized workers on visas, with midsize and large employers agreeing at even higher levels (63% and 68%, respectively). Of organizations that have explored hiring foreign-born talent to address workforce shortages, nearly 2 out of 3 (65%) say it has been somewhat or very successful.
More than two-thirds (68%) say that the screening process to allow foreign-born workers to remain and work in the U.S. should be strenuous to address potential security concerns.
Over half (55%) agree that it is risky to invest in foreign-born talent because of the uncertainty in the immigration system and that they would be willing to invest time, effort, and resources into pursuing foreign-born talent if there were more certainty in the system.
How Policymakers Can Modernize the US Immigration System and Better Enable the Nation to Compete Globally
- Invest in all aspects of the immigration infrastructure.
- Enable permanent electronic submissions of immigration petitions/forms.
- Implement a known/trusted employer program.
- Eliminate country caps for employment-based immigrant visas.
- Streamline the issuance and adjudication of employment authorization documents.
- Authorize automatic renewals of previously adjudicated applications.
- Allow year-round eligibility for seasonal employment visas and release additional visas.
- Create one reliable, entirely electronic, employment verification system.
- Increase access to employment-based (EB) visas.
- Ensure all EB visas are utilized through the recapturing of previously unused visas.
- Provide more legal and regulatory consistency regarding the status of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.
With the second Trump administration and the 119th Congress, SHRM’s Workplace Immigration policy priorities are aimed at bolstering:
Increasing access to legally authorized, skilled workers to fill workforce gaps, especially in critical industries such as health care, manufacturing, and education, which face significant disruptions due to worker shortages. Policies should enable the U.S. immigration system to support skills-based hiring while allowing employers to assess their needs and use all reasonable criteria to find the right candidates. This flexibility is crucial for U.S. employers to thrive in the modern workplace.
Removing arbitrary barriers that limit access to talent and promote inefficiencies. SHRM research highlights that processing delays and unpredictability are the top challenges in the U.S. workplace immigration system, making it risky for employers to invest in foreign-born talent. Over half of employers would invest more in foreign-born talent if the system were more certain. SHRM advocates for removing unwarranted barriers to recruiting, hiring, transferring, and retaining top talent.
Promoting the importance of visa programs that increase cross-cultural exchanges and exposure to various viewpoints. Cultural exchanges are crucial for workplaces as they bring diverse perspectives and improve problem-solving skills and adaptability. Programs such as the J-1 visa and Optional Practical Training for F-1 visa holders provide significant benefits, such as access to qualified talent and exposure to different cultures, with most employers reporting positive experiences with these programs and their participants.
Learn More About Workplace Immigration
Learn more by contacting SHRM Government Affairs at governmentaffairs@shrm.org.