The Biden administration is seeking to make changes to the immigration process in an effort to help attract skilled workers to the United States to address the labor shortage, according to a top immigration and citizenship official.
Experts discussed how demographic pressures, technological advancements, economic shifts, and pandemic disruptions have caused labor shortages and skills gaps to become increasingly pressing issues in the United States and globally.
Among the successes listed by Jaddou and credited to the Biden administration include the issuance of a growing number of employment-based immigrant visas, as well as making more supplemental H2B worker visas available than before, in collaboration with the Department of Labor.
Jaddou also noted that USCIS had published a comprehensive menu of options for STEM professionals who want to work in the United States and provided policy guidance for those seeking certain statuses that allows them to self-petition.
“This isn’t just a matter of course of improving the economy and our skills matching,” Jaddou said. “It’s beyond that. Every job filled by an immigrant represents the story of someone searching for a better opportunity for themselves for their family for their community.”
According to the director, her agency has published useful information for employees facing termination and a menu of temporary and permanent options for non-citizen entrepreneurs who want to work in the United States.
USCIS has also published policy guidance and a pathway designed for high-potential startup founders, recognizing that visa holders who wish to work in the United States are also allowed authorization for their spouses to work. The agency has also established a process for healthcare and childcare workers to expedite the process to work, and expanded the permit applications pipeline for global talent.
Jaddou touted the Biden administration’s transparency and efficiency, which she asserted were achieved through executive orders given by President Joe Biden since taking office.
She also said that the United States is committed to getting the workers it needs by improving processing times, getting rid of unnecessary barriers and rebuilding trust in the immigration system.
“We recognize there’s a lot more to do to eliminate the unnecessary barriers and restore faith in the immigration system,” Jaddou said. “We remain committed to these goals and expect more progress as we continue to attract the necessary talent that we all need to meet the labor market needs.”
The aim of the webcast was to explore the extent to which immigration policies can be adjusted to address these issues and meet the fast-changing market’s human capital and competitiveness needs of the labor markets.
Canada’s Christiane Fox, deputy minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, also outlined her country’s efforts to overhaul their immigration system.
She discussed Canada’s aim to expand the electronic travel authorization scheme to promote visa-free travel to low-risk persons. Fox also said they had placed over 130,000 Ukrainians and family members in Canada since the conflict and would resettle at least 40,000 Afghans. She also, however, noted the strain the refugees are putting on Canada’s immigration infrastructure.
According to Fox, the nation currently has 800,000 employment openings and is looking for a streamlined way to recognize some refugees as “economic migrants.”
