House leader Boehner: passing needed immigration reform “difficult”
Businesses throughout the country are pushing for immigration reform. This push is not just coming from the tech industry, although many are aware of the push by leaders in Silicon Valley. Most prominently, the tech industry led by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his immigration lobby group Fwd.us, have persistently pushed for additional visas for foreign programmers and engineers.
A recent article in the Financial Times points out that this is just one industry pushing for change. Additional encouragement for immigration reform is voiced by the Western Growers Association. The group, representing farmers in California and Arizona, argues the current system puts their harvest at risk. Most farmers do not have the programs needed to verify that papers provided by employees are legal. These farmers unwittingly hire illegal workers only to later be asked by immigration inspectors to fire their workers in the midst of harvest season. Following this request puts their harvest at risk unless the farmers can find additional workers on short notice to help bring in the crops.
Manufacturers are also pushing for change. Caterpillar, a leader in the production of heavy machinery, is looking to fill both engineering and lower skilled jobs. The company argues that expanding the pool of candidates to include more foreign applicants will benefit the company.
Will reform happen in 2014?
House Speaker John A. Boehner provided a list of immigration principles that both the White House and Republicans appeared to agree upon, only to note a week later that changing immigration laws would be “difficult,” as reported by the LA Times. This appears to signify another year of debate about immigration reform.
Regardless of the timeline for implementing reform, one thing is clear: businesses throughout the country ranging from specialized technology industries to manual labor positions are pushing for changes to the nation’s current system.
Counsel available for those applying for visas, green cards
Those who find themselves attempting to navigate the current laws can be easily overwhelmed. In addition to completing various forms and providing an array of paperwork to qualify for the ability to legally work within the United States, an immigrant also has to determine which type of visa is best for his or her situation.
Making the correct determination and completing the application properly can reduce the amount of time needed to receive a visa. Contact an experienced business immigration law attorney to discuss your situation and help increase your odds of completing a successful application.
