Business and the Workforce

The United States has long-been a beacon of hope for individuals around the world seeking protection and refuge. Our immigration policies must continue to protect those who need it. Learn more about how America can continue to provide humanitarian protection to those in times of crisis.

Recent Features

Guides & FAQs
Practical Guides and FAQs for the Federal STEM Initiatives

Learn how institutions, employers, or talented researchers and other highly skilled individuals in the STEM fields can take advantage of the Early Career STEM Research Initiative.

READ MORE

All Business and the Workforce Content

  • Special Report

Guest Workers Program with a Path to Legalization

Publication Date: 
April 1, 2006
As we have seen in the last month, segments of the United States media, policy leaders, and populace continue to be obsessed with the issue of undocumented immigration to the United States. Turn...
  • Fact Sheet

No Way In: U.S. Immigration Policy Leaves Few Legal Options for Mexican Workers

Publication Date: 
July 1, 2005
Current immigration policies are completely out of sync with the U.S. economy’s demand for workers who fill less-skilled jobs, especially in the case of Mexican workers. While U.S. immigration...
  • Fact Sheet

The Economics of Necessity: Economic Report of the President Underscores Importance of Immigration

Publication Date: 
May 1, 2005
Although immigration is crucial to the growth of the U.S. labor force and yields a net fiscal benefit to the U.S. economy, current immigration policies fail to respond to actual labor demand.
  • Research and Analysis

Maintaining A Competitive Edge: Foreign-Born and US Immigration Policies in Science and Engineering

Publication Date: 
August 1, 2004
Foreign-born scientists and engineers (S&Es) have long played a prominent role in U.S. technological and scientific advancement and are a critical part of the science and engineering (S&E)...
  • Research and Analysis

Putting a Cap on Competitiveness: Arbitrary Limits on H-1B Visas Undermine U.S. Science and Engineer

Publication Date: 
August 1, 2004
Arbitrary congressional limits on the number of H-1B visas that can be granted annually to highly skilled foreign professionals may undermine the international competitiveness of U.S. science and...
  • Research and Analysis

Relinquishing Excellence: Closing the Door to Foreign Professionals Undermines the U.S. Economy

Publication Date: 
May 1, 2004
According to a recent National Science Board report, restrictive U.S. visa policies are beginning to close the door to highly skilled foreign professionals who have long helped maintain U.S...
  • Fact Sheet

Labor Market Numerology: Arbitrary Congressional Limits on Temporary Worker Visas

Publication Date: 
April 1, 2004
The current numerical limits on visas for both high-skilled and seasonal workers prevent U.S. businesses from hiring the workers they need, while doing nothing to protect the jobs or wages of native...
  • Research and Analysis

Beyond the High-Tech Bubble: The Changing Demand for H-1B Professionals

Publication Date: 
April 1, 2004
Contrary to popular myth, H-1B professionals represent only a tiny fraction of the total U.S. labor force and do not crowd out native-born workers in industries that are losing jobs. Rather, H-1B...
  • Special Report

Health Worker Shortages & the Potential of Immigration Policy

Publication Date: 
February 1, 2004
Foreign-born and foreign-trained professionals play an important role in the delivery of health care in the United States. This report examines the important role of immigrant doctors and nurses –...
  • Research and Analysis

Foreign Students on Campus: An Asset to Our Nation

Publication Date: 
February 1, 2003
Americans are rightfully proud of our nation's higher education system. Scholars come to the U.S. from all over the world and we have historically educated many of the world's leaders. But the...
  • Blog

Immigrant IT Workers Play Critical Role in the Coronavirus Pandemic’s Virtual Economy 

June 8, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has radically altered the U.S. workforce. Many people have lost their jobs, while others have had to continue to go to work despite the serious health risks. Some sectors...

  • Blog

Presidential Proclamation Bars Certain Students and Researchers From China

June 1, 2020

President Trump issued a proclamation to prevent certain Chinese nationals from entering the United States using academic student (F) or exchange visitor researcher (J) visas. The proclamation...

  • Blog

Asian Americans Play Key Role in Fighting Coronavirus, Even as They Suffer Racism Spurred by It

May 29, 2020

May 31 closes out Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a time dedicated to recognizing the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The...

  • Blog

Exchange Visitor Program Faces Uncertainty as US Opens but Embassies Remain Closed

May 20, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has affected day-to-day life for everyone, including foreign nationals who planned to participate in the U.S. Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program. These...

  • Blog

Essential Workers Are at the Heart of a Diversifying Working-Class America

May 15, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of essential workers in keeping America up and running. First-responders, medical staff, meat packers, and domestic, hospitality, and...

  • Blog

Government Takes Surprising Position to Preserve H-4 Work Permits – For Now

May 13, 2020

A long-running lawsuit over a rule allowing certain spouses of highly educated H-1B workers to work in the United States took an interesting twist. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS),...

  • Blog

As Coronavirus Fatalities Rise, Trump Sends Immigrant Meatpackers Back to Work

May 1, 2020

The coronavirus presents a clear and immediate danger to America’s food supply. Meatpacking plants in particular have taken a huge hit. To mitigate the loss of production, President Trump signed...

  • Blog

USCIS Consistently Denies H-1B Petitions. This Lawsuit Argues It’s Misinterpreting the Law.

April 17, 2020

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been denying many H-1B petitions by misinterpreting the law. On April 16, 2020, the American Immigration Council and partners filed a...

  • Blog

Coronavirus Travel Restrictions Leave Some J-1 Exchange Visitors Stranded

April 16, 2020

Individuals participating in the J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program were faced with a difficult choice in the hours after President Trump issued travel restrictions to Europe: leave their program...

  • Blog

Shortage of Farmworkers Threatens Americans’ Food Supply During the Coronavirus

April 7, 2020

The U.S. agricultural industry depends on seasonal guest workers to produce the food Americans eat. Since 1986, the H-2A visa program has allowed employers to fill labor shortages with temporary...

  • Fact Sheet

The Economic Contributions of Immigrants in Texas

Publication Date: 
July 11, 2022

New research from the American Immigration Council, The Economic Contributions of Immigrants in Texas, highlights the crucial role of immigrants in the state’s workforce across the manufacturing,...

  • Fact Sheet

Tending to America's Food Supply

Publication Date: 
July 5, 2022
This fact sheet analyzes the essential role of immigrant workers in America's food production, particularly in the meat and dairy industries
  • Blog

Unpacking the Federal STEM Initiatives and Immigrants’ Role in the US Workforce

June 28, 2022

Demand for workers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) continues to grow in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the country will...

  • Blog

State Department Denies Substantial Percentage of Employer-Sponsored Immigrant Visas

June 24, 2022

Surprising data recently revealed that consular officers denied applicants for employer-sponsored immigrant visas at a far higher rate than U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)...

  • Special Report

Practical Guides and FAQs for the Federal STEM Initiatives

Publication Date: 
June 14, 2022
Recent federal policy changes have opened up new avenues for American businesses of all sizes to connect with talented researchers and other highly-skilled individuals in the STEM fields. The...
  • Blog

New Fortune 500 List Shows America’s Economic Success Relies on Immigrants

June 9, 2022

America’s economic success is built on the world’s best and brightest coming to our shores bringing ingenuity, creativity, and determination. From Wall Street to Main Street, businesses started by...

  • Press Release

New American Fortune 500 Report Reveals Impact of Immigrant Entrepreneurship

June 9, 2022
The American Immigration Council released today a report that examines the role of immigrant entrepreneurs and their children in America’s economic success story. The report, “New American Fortune 500 in 2022: The Largest American Companies and Their Immigrant Roots,” found that 43.8%, or 219 companies, in this year’s Fortune 500 list were founded by immigrants or their children.
  • Special Report

New American Fortune 500 in 2022

Publication Date: 
June 8, 2022
Some of the largest and most recognizable American companies were founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants.
  • Blog

Immigrants Will Be Vital in America’s Fastest Growing Jobs Through 2030

May 5, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global supply chains and kept people from going back to work at a time when the demand for goods and labor is high. This has left America contending with a...

  • Press Release

New round of grants to support implementation of comprehensive welcoming plans in U.S. communities

April 1, 2022
National nonprofits American Immigration Council and Welcoming America announce a new level of support through Implementation Technical Assistance and seed grant funding for six communities as part of Round IV of the Gateways for Growth Challenge (G4G)

Most Read

  • Publications
  • Blog Posts
  • Past:
  • Trending