The U.S. Chamber’s Plan for Immigration Reform

Immigration Policy Priorities for 2012

Immigration Reform

• Immigration reform should accomplish the following goals: control and secure our borders; improve employment verification systems for determining whether an employee is authorized to work in the United States; create an effective and streamlined temporary worker program so that employers can hire immigrant workers when U.S. workers are unavailable; and provide, under certain strict qualification criteria, a pathway to legal status for undocumented workers currently in the United States.

• The Chamber will strongly oppose legislation that cripples the current worker visa systems and fails to include a mechanism that would ensure businesses ongoing access to immigrant workers to fill jobs in response to labor market needs, as well as opposing legislation that imposes unworkable, burdensome, and inconsistent employment verification systems.

• The Chamber considers securing the nation’s borders a top priority and one of the most important measures necessary in reforming our immigration system. The Chamber also considers it vital to our nation’s economy to avoid legislation that unduly hinders legitimate trade and travel.

Worker Visas

• Advocate for continuing and expanding temporary worker programs for highly skilled workers and securing additional workers to be responsive to regional and local labor market needs or shortages, including the expansion of existing worker visa programs, such as the H-1B, H-2B, and H-2A visa programs.

• Ensure that employment-based permanent residency categories enable employers to access and retain the talent necessary to compete in the global market.

• Make certain that any proposed immigration reform contains strong language ensuring the viability of temporary worker programs, so that U.S. companies will be able to hire legal workers in a timely fashion when U.S. workers are not available.

• Support initiatives which streamline the sponsorship process for worker visas and oppose those which add layers of bureaucracy and impose new anticompetitive visa fees on U.S. business.

Employment Verification System

• U.S. employers desire a stable and legal workforce and recognize that current employment verification procedures need to be improved.

• Coupled with other crucial aspects of immigration reform, the Chamber will continue to work with Congress on the implementation of electronic employment verification systems which, among other things, clearly preempt state laws, limit subcontractor liability, require verification of only new hires, include a phase-in timeline that addresses the needs of small business, integrate all employment verification obligations (including I-9) into one system, and recognize a safe harbor for employers acting in good faith.

Border Control

• Support initiatives to increase security and bolster infrastructure at all U.S. ports of entry.

• The Chamber believes a secure border is an efficient border and will work to ensure that the importance of both U.S. economic competitiveness and security are recognized when enacting border security programs.

• Urge Congress and the Administration to address delays, backlogs, and disruptions in our border management systems that impede the movement of legitimate business travelers and tourists across U.S. borders.

• Ensure that the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and future travel initiatives are implemented in a way that helps secure our nation’s borders without negatively affecting the vital relationship between the United States and its western hemisphere partners.

Trade and Travel

• Work with the Congress and the Administration to create agency review processes regarding admissions and inspections at our U.S. ports of entry, as well as visa adjudications at U.S. consulates abroad, to ensure that people wishing to travel to the U.S. for legitimate business or tourism are able to do so in an accommodating fashion.

• Advocate for continued ability of U.S. companies doing business internationally to transfer key employees to the U.S. through the L-1 visa category.

• The Chamber will support initiatives which promote and facilitate travel to the U.S. for both business and tourism and streamline travel from secure parts of the world to the U.S., including expanding the visa waiver program and simplifying the current B-1 and B-2 visa application process.

State Issues

• The Chamber will oppose employment verification laws and ordinances proposed at the state level that attempt to supersede federal immigration law.
 

More information:

• Border Security and Prosperity
• Essential Workers
• Skilled Worker Visas
• Seasonal Workers
• Visa Issuance