With all of the uncertainty surrounding the administration’s plans for immigration, one thing remains certain – immigrants make our country, our world and our companies better.
As concern from our customers and their foreign national employees escalates, we want to promote a message of support and advocacy. We are launching a campaign promoting the importance of diversity, our foreign national population and immigration.
Our campaign, Immigration Matters, will provide examples, stories and information on the importance of immigration. If you’d like to follow along, please subscribe to our blog or follow the hash tag #ImmigrationMatters on social.
Speak Out in Support of the H-1B Visa Program
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recently encouraged business leaders and individuals to take a stand in support of the H-1B visa program, one of the most debated immigration topics currently making headlines across the country and around the world.
While the H-1B visa program has historically been a key focus area of immigration reform, with Trump’s “Buy American, Hire American” Executive Order, there’s been more scrutiny than ever before. According to the EO, Trump has asked officials to review policies related to all visa programs and recommend changes to root out “fraud and abuse” as well as to propose additional reforms to the H-1B program, ensuring visas are awarded to the most skilled or highest-paid applicants.
In response to the “Buy American, Hire American” EO, AILA President William A. Stock said, “Our immigration system is critical to all geographic and industry sectors, not just Silicon Valley. H-1B workers help transform state and local economies across the nation.”
AILA has encouraged others to speak out in support of the H-1B visa program and has provided a templated letter each individual can send to their Congressman directly. The letter, which can be downloaded here, can be adapted to suit the employers’ needs as appropriate. In addition, AILA has advised that this letter can help Congress understand the value and importance of the H-1B visa program, especially as the time for proposed reformation rapidly approaches.
