Business Principles For Immigration Reform
Our current immigration system fails to meet the needs of the nation’s economy, workforce and families. Congress and the administration must work together to build a 21st-century immigration system that advances the social, humanitarian and economic interests of all Americans. Reforms should prioritize the security and well-being of the citizenry while also enhancing business’ ability to attract immigrants who will help grow the economy. It is Congress’ role and responsibility to work with businesses and others to improve the immigration system in America.
Bibles, Badges and Business for Immigration Reform supports the following business principles for reform:
1. Make the employment based visa system more flexible and responsive to economic trends and business needs.
- Increase the number of immigrant employment-based visas;
- Provide employers with a realistic option to transition essential temporary workers to permanent status in a streamlined manner as well as create a new visa category for non-professional full time year-round workers;
- Improve temporary worker visas so that the need for such workers is market-driven, and avoid artificial and static caps that are inflexible and detrimental to our economy;
- Create visa programs that will assist small businesses, especially in areas such as innovative technologies; and
- Provide workable labor market protections that promote hiring qualified U.S. workers for vacancies and protect wages and working conditions of all workers, but that recognize and respect the real-world recruitment practices and talent needs of employers.
2. Address both border and internal controls that create an even playing field for all businesses.
- Prioritize criminal and national security threats when enforcing immigration laws;
- Promote cost-effective border security using appropriate technology along U.S. land borders and coastlines;
- Create a straightforward, rational employment verification system with clear rules and expectations for the employer and the employee, that has an efficient appeals process, implemented in phases so employers do not face sudden losses of employees; and
- Improve enforcement of immigration fraud scams and frauds perpetuated against immigrants.
3. Recognize the important role that family plays in creating a stable workforce.
- Maintain a robust number of family-based immigrant visas recognizing that many small and entrepreneurial businesses are family owned and our economy thrives with a strong family support network; and
- Reduce the visa backlogs for family-based categories to enable the family-based immigration system to function properly.
4. Provide earned legalization for undocumented immigrants to help stabilize workforce demands and grow the economy.
- Create a process that allows the undocumented to earn through legalization lawful permanent resident status in order to retain workers who are filling skill and workforce gaps in the American economy.