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Anti-immigrant rhetoric coming from the White House is negatively affecting U.S. employers. Far-reaching, nonsensical policies directed by our current executive administration and the respective directors of immigration agencies, including United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), are rendering it virtually impossible for American businesses to attract and retain international personnel needed for high-skilled American jobs.
"U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a growth in in new computer and information technology jobs close to half a million from 2014-2024. But with an unemployment rate in tech that already hovers near zero, where will that talent come from?"
On the heels of the "Buy American, Hire American" executive order, U.S. employers are having to battle the policy changes and layers and layers of enigmatic administrative red tape to hire and retain their international personnel. The latest policy announcement came from USCIS Director Francis Cissna, who submitted a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, to provide a roadmap of how USCIS plans to continue making it as difficult as possible for U.S. employers to hire foreign-born individuals, specifically in STEM fields. USCIS is challenging employment-based immigration benefits in a widespread manner, including changing qualifications for H-1B eligibility, changing statutory interpretation, and redefining terms, including what it means to be a "professional" in the United States.
A recent article in Forbes aptly quotes that U.S. employers are going to take the brunt of these negative changes in an economy where "U.S. labor market is the tightest it has been in nearly two decades...if every unemployed person in the Midwest was placed into an open job, there would still be more than 180,000 open positions..." It is in this anti-immigrant climate where U.S. employers will have unfilled highly-skilled positions rendering the companies virtually incapable of competing on the global scale without making drastic changes. Options for U.S. employers needing qualified talent are already turning to outsourcing labor or setting up businesses in more immigrant-friendly countries such as Canada.
While the executive administration may not, we understand the business need for the best possible talent on the market. We understand what our clients want and we are prepared to fight for the best possible result.
Danielle Atchison
Business Immigration Lawyer
MDIVANI CORPORATE IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM