WASHINGTON, OCTOBER 25, 2024 — Today, the American Immigration Council joins 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 Refugee Advocacy Lab 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

For more information, contact:
Brianna Dimas at the American Immigration Council, [email protected] or 202-507-7557.