Migration – International World Of Business

USCIS to Welcome 19,000 New Citizens in Celebration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day

Press Room Team — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 13:02:01 +0000

WASHINGTON, D.C. September 18, 2022.- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will celebrate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day this year by welcoming more than 19,000 new citizens in more than 235 naturalization ceremonies across the nation between Sept. 17 and Sept. 23.

“Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris administration, USCIS has been working tirelessly in communities to raise awareness about citizenship consistent with our mission to uphold America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility with fairness, integrity, and respect for all we serve,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day celebrations provide a wonderful opportunity to highlight our agency’s efforts, while welcoming more U.S. citizens to our American family.”

On Sept. 17, the nation observes Constitution Day and Citizenship Day as part of Constitution Week (Sept. 17 to 23). The commemoration honors both the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, and an observance that began in 1940 as “I Am an American Day.” Citizenship Day began in 1952, signed into law by President Harry Truman and, in 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower proclaimed the first Constitution Week.

Each year, USCIS celebrates Constitution Day and Citizenship Day – and Constitution Week – by celebrating the connection between the Constitution and citizenship, reflecting on what it means to be a citizen of the United States, holding special naturalization ceremonies across the country, encouraging new citizens to take action to fully exercise their new rights and responsibilities including registering to vote, and releasing new tools and resources that can help aspiring applicants pursue citizenship. Following each naturalization ceremony, USCIS encourages new U.S. citizens and their families and friends to share their naturalization photos on social media using the hashtags #NewUSCitizen, #ConstitutionWeek, and #CitizenshipDay.

This year’s Constitution Day and Citizenship Day-themed naturalization ceremonies include a naturalization ceremony held at Tumacácori National Historical Park in Arizona on Sept. 16; the World Food & Music Festival in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sept. 16; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, on Sept. 19; U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 20; Homestead National Park in Beatrice, Nebraska, on Sept. 22; and George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia on Sept. 23. On Sept. 17, Director Jaddou will participate in a special ceremony at Ellis Island in New York Harbor and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas will participate in a ceremony in Los Angeles aboard the USS Iowa. For additional venues, please view a list of highlighted 2022 Constitution Day- and Citizenship Day-themed ceremonies.

USCIS reaffirms its commitment to promoting citizenship and making the naturalization process accessible to all who are eligible. The agency has taken a number of steps to support implementation of President Biden’s Executive Order 14012: Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration System and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans, as well as implementation of the Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization, released on July 2, 2021. The Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization calls for a multi-faceted approach operating on the national, state, and community-based levels to encourage the roughly 9 million lawful permanent residents eligible for naturalization today to become citizens.

In addition to holding more than 235 ceremonies across the country as part of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, USCIS will also host numerous activities throughout the month of September, all aimed at empowering immigrants to pursue citizenship along with the rights and opportunities that come with it. The agency will also publicly release an Eligible to Naturalize Dashboard to share statistical information about populations that may be eligible to seek naturalization in the United States and a “Two Generational Family Toolkit” to help families learn about citizenship and prepare for the naturalization test together. The dashboard provides statistics on those eligible to apply for naturalization by birth country and geographic location.

For more information about USCIS’ Constitution Day and Citizenship Day activities, please see the USCIS Celebrates Citizenship Day 2022 Fact Sheet.

How America’s Immigration System Contributes to the Worker Shortage

Press Room Team — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 05:30:00 +0000

Right now, we have over 10 million jobs open in the U.S., yet around 6 million unemployed workers. Moreover, labor force participation does not yet match what it was before the pandemic.

Our America Works Data Center captures these national workforce trends. This page dives deep into how our woefully inadequate immigration system is contributing to our workforce struggles.

Net International Migration to the U.S. is at its lowest levels in decades.

+1,049,000Increase in U.S. population from immigration in 2015-2016

+247,000Increase in U.S. population from immigration in 2020-2021

No one can deny the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the significant drops in migration to the U.S., but the negative trendlines predate the pandemic.

U.S. Census Bureau data shows that net international migration to the U.S. only contributed to a 247,000 person increase to the U.S. between 2020 and 2021. Compared to the prior decade’s high of a 1,049,000 increase in our population between 2015 and 2016 due to immigration, the impact that immigration has had on U.S. population growth dropped by 76%.

Critical sources of talent for American businesses are drying up.

Fewer immigrants coming to the U.S. means that critical sources of talent for American businesses are drying up, contributing to the significant workforce problems companies are currently facing. Many of tomorrow’s innovators are today’s foreign national college students in the U.S. But these numbers have slid as well.

Foreign national undergraduate matriculation dropped nearly 25% between the 2019-20 and the 2020-21 academic years, and foreign national graduate student attendance dropped over 20% over the same period.

Outdated visa caps don’t meet the needs of today’s economy.

An important contributing factor to the decline in immigration to the U.S. is the antiquated, arbitrary quotas on the employment-based visa options that are available to businesses. Very low annual visa caps make it incredibly difficult for companies across a host of industries to meet their workforce needs.

The employment-based immigrant visa (green card) quotas, as well as the H-1B and H-2B quotas for temporary workers, were created in 1990 and have not been sufficiently updated to serve our national interest. In the 32 years since, the size of the U.S. economy has more than tripled from roughly $6 trillion to almost $21 trillion, and businesses have evolved from utilizing rolodexes and fax machines to using smartphones and the internet to compete in an increasingly global marketplace.

The 30-year-old visa caps are woefully insufficient to meet the needs of the American economy today. The most recent data for these programs paint a grim picture for companies struggling to meet their staffing needs, as the demand for work visas vastly outpaces the number of visas the federal government makes available.

In FY 2021, for every three individuals seeking an employment-based immigrant visa to work in the U.S., only one of them would succeed in obtaining a visa to work in the country on a permanent basis.
In FY 2021, for every three individuals seeking an H-2B visa to take a seasonal job in the U.S., only one of them would be able to take a job.
In FY 2022, for every four individuals seeking an H-1B visa to work in a highly skilled field, only one of them would be able to obtain a visa.

The arbitrarily low employment-based immigrant visa quota is the primary contributing factor to the significant visa backlogs that are harming American employers and workers alike. Recent Cato Institute research shows that as of September 2021, there were approximately 1,438,758 visa petitions stuck in processing backlogs.

These backlogs prevent individual workers from being promoted and taking on new roles in their companies and prevent companies from being able to make the best use of their talent to compete in the marketplace. Moreover, the problems associated with the low employment-based green card cap contribute to the problems associated with the H-1B program for high-skilled foreign national workers.

Companies are struggling to meet their high-skilled workforce needs due to H-1B quotas.

Technology companies, financial services firms, American manufacturers, and many other employers of high-skilled workers rely upon the H-1B program to meet their workforce needs. Unfortunately, Congress has neglected to adjust the annual H-1B quota in a manner that will allow employers to meet their workforce needs. Since FY 2014, the annual quota for these visas has been reached within a few weeks of the application period commencing.

483,927Applications filed in spring 2022 for H-1B visas for Fiscal Year 2023

85,000Number of new H-1B visas that will be granted in Fiscal Year 2023

An unfortunate trend is taking place where with every passing year, more and more companies find themselves falling short when it comes to acquiring the talent they need to grow and innovate. At the same time, demand for these visas has consistently increased since FY 2020. American businesses sought 201,011 new H-1B workers in FY 2020, 275,000 workers in FY 2021, and 308,613 workers for this current fiscal year (FY 2022).

The situation is not improving for H-1B employers—in fact, it is getting worse. The H-1B application process for FY 2023 has already come and gone. For the 85,000 cap-subject H-1B visas that will be issued in the upcoming fiscal year, more than 483,000 individual applications were filed. That means only one individual will obtain a visa for every six H-1B applicants.

When the federal government will only allow American businesses to meet approximately 16.67% of their high-skilled workforce needs, it is long past time for Congress to update our immigration laws to reflect the needs of today’s economy.

There are many individuals who would love to work in the U.S. on a permanent basis, and many companies who would love to employ these people permanently. However, the lack of access to employment-based green cards pushes both companies and workers to the H-1B visa as the only option for companies to meet their labor needs in a timely fashion. Improving access to employment-based green cards would help ease some of the problems companies face when considering the H-1B as an option for meeting its workforce needs.

Seasonal businesses need more H-2B visa workers.

Seasonal employers, many of whom are small businesses, use H-2B visas to meet their staffing needs. They too are struggling to meet their workforce needs with H-2B workers.

For the first and second quarters of this current fiscal year (FY 2022), seasonal businesses have already sought 135,829 H-2B workers. This is more than double the annual statutory quota of 66,000, and only represents the needs of seasonal employers for half of this year. These struggles are not new. Seasonal employers sought 188,564 H-2B workers in FY 2020 and 206,011 H-2B workers in FY 2021.

Staffing shortages impact employers across the country seeking to fill various critical job openings, and these problems have been afflicting employers for several years. Landscapers, hotels, restaurants, carnivals, forestry companies, seafood processors, and homebuilders rely upon H-2B visa holders to meet their seasonal workforce needs.

Nevertheless, these types of firms, as well as many seasonal businesses in other industries, oftentimes find themselves short-staffed during their busy seasons.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has long advocated for immigration reforms that will allow companies to meet their critical workforce needs in a timely manner. Our America Works initiative acknowledges that there are many pieces to the puzzle that will help solve our nation’s workforce shortages. Instituting pro-growth immigration policies is one facet to the many policy solutions that would ameliorate the current crisis.

Takes Governor Ron DeSantis Additional Actions to Protect Floridians from Biden’s Border Crisis

Press Room Team — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 18:15:13 +0000

PENSACOLA, Fla. June 20, 2022.- The Governor, Ron DeSantis, announced three significant actions Florida is taking to address the Biden Border Crisis. First, Governor DeSantis announced that Florida has formed a strike force of state and local law enforcement to interdict human smuggling, human trafficking, and to seize illegal weapons being transported through the state. Second, Governor DeSantis has filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court to impanel a statewide grand jury to examine international human smuggling networks that bring aliens to the southern border, and ultimately to Florida. Third, Governor DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1808, sweeping legislation he proposed to further protect Floridians from the Biden Border Crisis. A one pager on today’s announcement can be found here.

“Illegal aliens are being smuggled across the border in record numbers, which the reckless policies of the Biden administration facilitate,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Today, Florida has taken additional action to protect our state from the effects of what is a full-fledged border crisis.”

“As a mother, protecting children is close to my heart,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody. “We cannot turn a blind eye to traffickers and smugglers exploiting the border crisis to subject children to extremely dangerous conditions. I am grateful that Governor DeSantis has asked the Florida Supreme Court to have my Statewide Prosecutor impanel a grand jury to uncover the facts surrounding those in Florida who may be involved.”

“While Biden ignores the mess he made at the border, under Governor DeSantis leadership, Florida is taking action to protect the people of our state,” said Senator Aaron Bean. “I was proud to sponsor Senate Bill 1808 to ensure that Floridians’ tax dollars do not go to the companies helping the federal government smuggle illegal aliens into our country.”

“While Joe Biden has been complicit in leaving our southern border wide open, under the leadership of Governor DeSantis’, Florida is standing up for the rule of law,” said Representative John Snyder. “By blocking midnight flights of unauthorized aliens and requiring our County Sheriffs to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, SB 1808 shows that as the Biden administration continues to turn a blind eye, Florida will do everything within our constitutional power to protect our people.”

“Keeping illegal activity out of our state and off our roadways is a battle that cannot be fought alone, and Florida is in good posture thanks to the strong support of Governor DeSantis, the Florida Legislature, and the effective collaboration between Florida’s law enforcement agencies,” said Colonel Gene S. Spaulding, Director of the Florida Highway Patrol. “Every day across Florida, the men and women of the Florida Highway Patrol put on their uniform and leave the safety and comfort of their homes to protect the citizens of our great state. They make these sacrifices because they are brave, because they are willing to serve, and because they are selfless. The citizens and visitors to our state can rest easy knowing that our law enforcement officers have their back, and the Governor has ours.”

“The effects of illegal immigration on our state present very real costs to our citizens and communities,” said Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Acting Commissioner Mark Glass. “FDLE’s collaboration with our law enforcement partners throughout the state and ‘boots-on-the-ground’ police work proves effective at keeping all of us safer, as seen with this operation today.”

“Our strike force is dedicated to interdicting illegal activity in the state of Florida and working with the state attorneys to aggressively prosecute human smugglers and other criminals to the fullest extent of the law,” said Public Safety Czar Larry Keefe. “We appreciate the strike team’s dedication to keeping Florida safe.”

Governor DeSantis unveiled law enforcement’s efforts to combat immigration-related crimes. The strike force, made up of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Highway Patrol, and sheriffs, is working together to conduct operations throughout the State of Florida to interdict human smuggling and human trafficking, drug smuggling and drug trafficking, as well as to seize illegal weapons. In the span of just three days, in Northwest Florida, law enforcement interdicted five illegal aliens from Honduras and two from El Salvador who were arrested and charged with human smuggling or solicitation to commit human smuggling. The strike force also recovered almost four grams of fentanyl, which is enough to kill nearly 2,000 Floridians.

Governor DeSantis filed a petition to the Florida Supreme Court for an order to impanel a statewide grand jury to identify and investigate persons and international human smuggling networks that move illegal aliens, particularly children, across the southwest border to more desirable states such as Florida. The jury will examine these networks’ impact on the State of Florida and how they have violated state laws. In addition, the grand jury will investigate local governments that are aiding this smuggling scheme by intentionally violating state law, which requires them to cooperate with the federal government on immigration matters.

Senate Bill (SB) 1808 prohibits a governmental entity from executing, amending, or renewing a contact with a common carrier if the carrier is willfully providing any service in furtherance of transporting an unauthorized alien into the State of Florida knowing that he or she is an unauthorized alien, except to facilitate the detention, removal, or departure of the unauthorized person from Florida or the United States. This bill makes it clear that Florida resources will not be used to aid the Biden administration’s practice of secretly resettling illegal aliens into communities across Florida. SB 1808 also requires any law enforcement agency operating a county detention facility to enter into a written agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to participate in the 287(g) program. This program allows for state and local law enforcement officers to collaborate with ICE to enforce our nation’s immigration laws.

These actions today build upon previous actions taken to safeguard Floridians from the Biden Border Crisis. On September 28, 2021, Governor DeSantis announced actions to address the Biden Border Crisis, including issuing Executive Order 21-223.

USCIS Implements Risk-Based Approach for Conditional Permanent Resident Interviews

Press Room Team — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 15:01:03 +0000

WASHINGTON, D.C. April 8, 2022.- The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a policy update to adopt a risk-based approach when waiving interviews for conditional permanent residents (CPR) who have filed a petition to remove the conditions on their permanent resident status.

Effective immediately, new criteria will guide USCIS officers on when to waive interviews for CPRs who filed a Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence. This update replaces previous agency guidance that required all CPRs to undergo an interview if they obtained CPR status via consular processing.

“Implementing a risk-based strategic approach to the CPR-interview process will increase efficiencies that improve processing times, allow for a better use of agency staffing resources, and help reduce the pending caseload while still maintaining procedures to identify fraud and protect national security,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. “This update is consistent with agency priorities to break down barriers in the immigration system, eliminate undue burdens on those seeking benefits, and effectively respond to stakeholder feedback and public concerns.”

Prior policy requiring mandatory CPR interviews did not prove to be an efficient use of USCIS staffing resources. Under this policy update, USCIS may waive the interview requirement if the agency officer determines there is sufficient evidence about the bona fides of the marriage, the joint-filing requirement is eligible for a waiver (if applicable), there is no indication of fraud or misrepresentation in supporting documents, there are no complex facts or issues to resolve, and there is no criminal history that would render the CPR removable.

A noncitizen who obtains permanent resident status based on a marriage that began less than two years before obtaining that status receives permanent resident status on a conditional basis for two years. To remove the conditions on permanent resident status, family-based CPRs generally must file a Form I-751 within the 90-day period before the two-year anniversary of when they obtained CPR status.

Supporting Migrants and Remittances as COVID-19 Rages On

Press Room Team — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 12:49:47 +0000

Just as COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted some communities more than others, globally, the virus has had an oversized negative impact on migrant workers.

Perhaps surprisingly, despite the bleak experience for foreign overseas workers during the pandemic, the effect on remittances—the flow of money they send back home—has, in many cases, proven resilient. But that trend may yet be upended.

The predicament of migrant workers over the last few months has highlighted the pressing need—now greater than ever—to support them and their families back home. We offer some suggestions below.

Remittances often hold up in response to adverse shocks in recipient countries.

The plight of the migrant worker

In the wake of the pandemic, many overseas foreign workers lost their jobs, and reports were widespread of newly laid-off foreign employees stranded in host countries without the means to return home.

Migrants, many of whom are undocumented, often face a heavier burden than a local worker once they lose their job. They often lack access to social safety nets or stimulus checks, which provide a cushion to their local counterparts. This is especially the case for the undocumented or those on temporary work visas

At the same time, many migrant workers have limited or no access to healthcare. Crowded living quarters, together with poor working conditions, put them at higher risk of contracting the virus.

They may also live in fear of deportation as several countries have tightened immigration rules in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Outlook for remittances

Unsurprising then that remittances were expected to take a hit from the pandemic as countries that employ large numbers of foreign workers moved into recession. In addition, the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers employed in major oil-producing countries also suffered repercussions from the drop in oil prices, which weighed down the outlook of Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Russia.

The remittances sent back by migrants are a crucial source of external financing. In 57 countries, it exceeded 5 percent of GDP last year. The money went mostly to low-income households. Against the background of the current health crisis, the need for that income is acute.

Back in April, the World Bank estimated that remittances would fall by 20 percent in low and middle-income countries. This is broadly consistent with projections derived from applying the elasticity of remittances to growth—observed during the 2008 global financial crisis—to the June 2020 forecasts of the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook.

However, growth remained reasonably strong in low-income developing countries during the financial crisis, so the need for remittances in recipient countries was not as urgent as it is now.

Despite the coronavirus and its likely impact on remittances, the picture is not unconditionally bleak. Remittances often hold up in response to adverse shocks in recipient countries. This possibly explains why they were surprisingly resilient in many countries in the first half of the year (see below).

While there is a great deal of diversity, remittances largely fell from March, then started to stabilize in May before picking up. This pattern was broadly in line with the stringency of virus containment policies in advanced countries where strict measures were put in place in March and slowly relaxed starting in May.

The bounce back in remittances could be driven by a greater need to send money back to families as the remittance-receiving countries now struggle with the pandemic (see below) and collapse in external demand. This illustrates the counter-cyclical role of remittances.

But, if migrants are dipping into their meager savings to support families back home, this may not be sustainable over time, especially if the recession in host economies becomes protracted. A second outbreak of the coronavirus in the later part of the year in host economies, for example, could jeopardize remittance flows further.

Now more than ever, adequate and timely policy responses from both remittance-sending and remittance-receiving countries are critical to help migrant workers. Overseas workers often fill essential roles—in healthcare, agriculture, food production and processing—and often risk their lives to perform these jobs.

Host countries could ensure all migrants have access to health care, and basic goods and services. There have been some positive steps in this area: all migrants and asylum-seekers were temporarily granted citizenship rights in Portugal. Italy announced plans for temporary work permits for more than half a million undocumented migrants deemed essential for harvesting crops and caring for the elderly. The State of California has contributed $75 million to a $125 million fund to provide $500 to support each undocumented worker.
Back home, authorities in countries that send workers overseas could step up support to vulnerable households, especially in those countries where the drop in remittances has been more severe. As remittances dry-up, well-targeted cash transfers and food aid can be especially helpful to protect poor households, and those at risk of falling back into poverty.Returning migrants may need training to be reabsorbed in the labor market. Access to credit can help them start a business where opportunities in the formal labor market is limited.
Technology could also be leveraged to the benefit of migrant workers and their families. For example, digital technology and mobile payment systems could be used to facilitate and lower the cost of sending and receiving remittances. The average cost of sending remittances was about 7 percent in the first quarter of 2020. Reducing this cost now would return a significant amount of money to the poor.Governments could modify regulations to facilitate flows while minimizing risks of inappropriate use. Relaxing caps on how much can be transferred digitally (through mobile phones for example) can be helpful. Providing tax incentives to money transfer service providers to offset reduction in fees, as Pakistan did during the Global Financial Crisis can be smart move. Schemes like the 2 percent cash back for remitters instituted by Bangladesh can further support remittance flow. Increasing market competition among the remittance service providers can also drive down the cost.

Gates Opened for Asia Region Funds Passport

Press Room Team — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 14:26:30 +0000

Singapore, 18 January 2016 – Consultations to establish an Asia Region Funds Passport have successfully concluded. The breakthrough paves the way for ratification to make it easier for financial services professionals in a participating APEC economy to sell investment products such as mutual funds to retail customers in other participating APEC economies, and promote job creation and growth in the region.

A Memorandum of Cooperation on the content of the Asia Region Funds Passport was broadly agreed by finance officials and regulators from seven APEC economies. They include Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand—its pilot participants. Securities regulators from these economies are expected to sign the memorandum early in 2016.

“The Asia Region Funds Passport aims to cut down on incompatible or overlapping regulation that may hinder the marketing of managed funds between participating APEC economies,” said Trudie Wykes, chair of the informal group leading its development. “The initiative is a win-win for financial services professionals and retail investors with potentially significant benefits for employment and economic growth.”

“Participating economies will seek domestic approval on the agreed practical arrangements for the initiative’s implementation, operation and governance,” added Wykes, who is also Senior Advisor for the Australia Treasury’s Financial Services Unit. “Economies will endeavor to implement the rules and arrangements with their domestic regulatory frameworks within 18 months after signing the memorandum.”

The Asia Region Funds Passport is on track for commencement by 2017. Activation will occur as soon as any two participating economies sign the Memorandum of Cooperation and implement its arrangements.

“Other APEC economies continue to engage with the pilot participants in the Asia Region Funds Passport to facilitate its development,” noted Wykes. “The progress of the initiative will help to build understanding of its requirements and implications in practice and lay a foundation for its possible expansion within the region.”

Once fully launched, the initiative could save the region’s investors USD20 billion annually in fund management costs, offer higher investment returns at the same or lower degree of risk, and encourage the establishment of locally domiciled funds which could create 170,000 jobs in APEC economies within five years, according the APEC Policy Support Unit.

Collaboration on related tax reference issues is meanwhile underway, in coordination with the private sector. Officials have agreed to undertake a benchmarking and mapping exercise proposed by the Asia-Pacific Financial Forum—a platform established by the APEC Business Advisory Council in support of financial sector integration. The aim is to identify taxation issues in each economy that could impede the competitiveness of the Asia Region Funds Passport.

A tax reference group has also been established to facilitate the public disclosure of tax rules across participating economies to boost ‘passported’ funds and help potential investors understand how the rules of these funds might apply to them.