More than 100 Business Leaders Sign Urge the Biden Administration to Address the Work Permit Backlog
Today, the Refugee Advocacy Lab and the American Immigration Council join over 100 business organizations, including chambers of commerce and trade associations throughout the country, to call on the Biden administration to address the work permit backlogs. The letter urges the Biden administration to prioritize the processing of initial and renewal work permit applications.
According to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, “a big part of the story of the labor market coming back into better balance is immigration returning to levels that were more typical of the pre-pandemic era.” Increased numbers of immigrant workers have helped stave off a recession and boost the economy, with the U.S. outperforming its peers around the world as economies recovered post-pandemic. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that increased immigration will swell the U.S. economy by $7 trillion over the next decade and reduce the U.S. national debt by $900 billion — an undeniable testament to the importance of the immigrant workforce for our collective livelihood.
This letter was organized in partnership with the American Immigration Council and was released alongside a growing movement across the country led by groups including the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, calling for administrative solutions to address the work permit backlog.
The following is a statement from Rich André, director of State and Local Initiatives at the American Immigration Council:
“Communities across the country need workers to fill jobs and support local economies. Swift action is necessary to address the work permit backlog, which hinders economic growth and prevents businesses from accessing the talent they need. Immigrant workers are essential to filling critical labor needs and shortages across the country; reducing work permit backlogs will ensure that immigrants can contribute to our economy without unnecessary delays, strengthening the U.S. workforce and promoting long-term economic resilience.”
The following is a statement from Kate Brick, executive director of the Refugee Advocacy Lab:
"With labor shortages across critical industries in communities nationwide, and more than a million people who are waiting to be able to work and provide for their families, we urge the administration to do everything in its power to reduce the backlog in work permit processing. As the 100+ business groups from across the country can attest, the longer it takes, the more missed opportunity there is to maximize the talent of people who want to work and contribute to the vitality of their local economies."
The following is a statement from Conchita Cruz, co-executive director at the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP), a membership organization of over 600,000 asylum seekers:
“Immigrants are employed as healthcare providers, truck drivers, teachers, construction workers and more, and they want to be able to continue to work and contribute to their communities in the United States. Our members are an integral part of the U.S. labor force and have already been affected by work permit processing delays, forcing their employers to put them on leave and to scramble to cover their critical work. The U.S. government must focus on eliminating the work permit backlog — for the sake of immigrants and the communities that depend on them.”
The following is a statement from Misty Chally, executive director of the Critical Labor Coalition:
“If every unemployed person today found a job, there would still be 1.24 million open jobs. Concurrently, there are over 1 million work permit applications waiting to be processed. There are people in this country wanting to work while employers are searching for employees. Let’s use common sense, put politics aside and help solve the labor shortage by addressing the work permit backlog.”
The following is a statement from Justin Yancy, president of the Texas Business Leadership Council:
“Every day, I hear from business leaders across Texas about their urgent need for workers, with over 800,000 open jobs in the state. The long wait times for work permits are preventing businesses from accessing a willing workforce. By addressing the backlog, we can help fill critical positions in industries like healthcare and manufacturing and strengthen our workforce—a win for Texas businesses and communities across the state.”
Letter signatories include:
Access Community Care
ADC Immigration Law, LLC
American Business Immigration Coalition
American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado
AM Legal Documents Corp.
Ann Arbor SPARK
Apfel Law Group
Associated General Contractors of Maine
Birdwell & Aamold, P.C.
Borderplex Alliance
Boundless Immigration
Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance
Cifuentes Escalona Garces Law
Colorado Business Roundtable
Columbia Group LLLP
Columbus (OH) Chamber of Commerce
Convergent Science, Inc.
Copper Mountain Resort
Cozen O'Connor
Critical Labor Coalition
Dallas Regional Chamber
Eastern Floral
El Paso Chamber
El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Fort Bend Chamber
Feyen Zylstra
Frey Immigration Law Firm PLLC
Furniture Friends
Gallegos Corp
Garza Labor
Global Detroit
Grace Management Group LLC
Grand Rapids Chamber
Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce
Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
Greater Medina Chamber of Commerce
Greater Omaha Chamber
Greater Topeka Chamber
GWI, Inc.
Headbloom Cross-Cultural Communication
Host-A-Scholar
Hughes Nursery & Landscaping
Hunt Companies, Inc.
ImLaw, PC
InvestUP
J. Aponte & Associates, LLC
J. Canavati & Co. LLC
Jan Joseph Bejar, APLC
Joseph M Rollo and Associates PC
Just Right Strategy
Kleiman International Consultants
Kobi’s Place
Ky-Win LLC
Lancaster Chamber of Commerce
Language Equity & Access Partners (LEAP)
Law Office of Amy Maldonado, LLC
Law Office of Angelique Montano PLLC
Law Office of Christine Contreras
Law Office of Megan Guzman
Law Office of Muna Jondy
Law Office of Ralf D. Wiedemann LLC
Law Office of Richard J Davis
Law Offices of Danielle Nelisse
Law Offices of Mariela Caravetta
Law Offices of Shirley Sadjadi
Lima Expeditions, LLC
Locke Immigration Law LLC
Longview TX Chamber of Commerce
Luke’s Lobster
Matrix Law
Michigan Works! Association
Miller Johnson
Mixed Staffing and Recruiting
Mokhiber & Moretti PLLC
Nixon Peabody LLP
Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance
North Texas Commission
OBG Center
Ohio African Chamber of Commerce
Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association
Ohio Life Sciences Association
Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber
Pro 15
Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida
Regionomics LLC
Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce
Retail Association of Maine
Saev Hernandez Immigration Practice PLLC
San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce
Seaport Law Group LLP
Seth C. Addo-Yobo, Attorney At Law
Small Business Association of Michigan
Small Business Majority
State Business Executives
Tailwind Immigration Law, LLC
Takhsh Law, P.C.
Tampa Bay Latin Chamber of Commerce
Teresa Salazar-Cosmos, Law Office
Texas Business Leadership Council
The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia
Traverse Connect
United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Upbeat Financial Inc.
Urban Evolution
USAHello
Vail Valley Partnership
Venezuelan American Chamber
Voices For Health, Inc.
Western Ohio Cut Stone