Immigration

Immigrants make invaluable contributions to American innovation, the American economy and the American Dream. Unfortunately, U.S. immigration policy today is failing our country and all who have a stake in America’s success. America’s business leaders support modernizing the U.S. immigration system to reflect the world we live in today.

A Modern Approach to U.S. Immigration Policy

Immigrants make invaluable contributions to American innovation, the American economy and the American Dream. They bring new ideas and fresh perspectives to our companies and our communities. They are workers and taxpayers who complement the domestic workforce and make contributions large and small to our everyday lives. They are also our neighbors. Immigrants built our country and are central to its future.
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On Immigration Policy, Businesses and Workers Need Certainty

To maintain America’s place as the global hub of innovation, our immigration system must be modernized to recruit and retain top talent. This requires advancing policies that deliver certainty for businesses, workers and their families. Not only must Congress and the Administration enact a solution for DACA recipients – who are hard-working students, employees and members of our armed forces – policymakers should also avoid policy changes that harmfully disrupt lives, business operations and our nation’s economy.  

Solving the DACA Challenge

On January 29, 2021, Business Roundtable Immigration Committee Chair Tim Cook, Chief Executive Officer of Apple, sent a letter to President Biden applauding his efforts to make a permanent legal solution for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients a priority in his first 100 days. 
BRT Submits Statement for the Record Urging Permanent DACA Solution

In a statement submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee for the record of the June 15, 2021 hearing on H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, Business Roundtable urged lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to pass a permanent solution for DACA recipients, including a path to citizenship.

How the Future of American Immigration Can Impact the Economy

Providing new ideas and fresh perspectives, immigrants have always been a key part of America’s innovative spirit. A vast majority of economists and business leaders agree that immigration is a net positive for the U.S. economy. But, the system for welcoming these highly valuable workers is broken. This study explores how two potential policy scenarios—restricted and balanced—would impact the U.S. workforce and economy.

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Curbing OPT Program for Foreign-Born Students Would Jeopardize American Jobs and Hurt U.S. Economy

Scaling back OPT would result in the loss of 443,000 jobs over the next decade, including 255,000 jobs held by U.S.-born workers. Read our analysis.

New economic analysis from Business Roundtable shows how new restrictions and caps on OPT proposed by the Administration would result in a significant decline in program participation, all leading to negative economic consequences.

Based on a comprehensive examination of 10 advanced economies to identify and evaluate the best immigration policies to promote economic growth, the United States ranked 9th out of 10 competitor countries, ahead of only Japan, a country historically closed to outsiders.

State of Immigration

The U.S. is far behind in the race for global talent. Read more on our report.

U.S. Immigration Policy: Lessons from Canada and Australia

No matter what changes are made to the U.S. immigration system, the Canadian and Australian examples teach the United States that immigration is important to fuel economic growth. 

Examining the immigration policies of Canada and Australia, Business Roundtable finds that both countries make it easier for international students and the spouses of visa holders to work than under U.S. policy; impose no annual limits on high-skilled temporary visas, which allows their systems to adapt to labor market needs; provide for much greater speed and transparency in processing business visas than the United States; and do a better job than the United States in addressing the demographic challenges of aging populations.

Modernizing America's Immigration System

Immigrants continue to play a critical role in strengthening America’s place in the world. That’s why America’s business leaders support policies that will keep the U.S. in the lead—those that benefit our communities, workers and our families. Modernizing immigration policy is an important step in continuing that tradition of excellence.

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ECONOMIC IMPACT

Immigration reform isn’t just good for companies— it’s also good for American workers, consumers, and the economy as a whole.
Talent

To maintain America’s place as the global hub of innovation, our immigration system must be modernized to recruit and retain top talent.
The State of Immigration

Based on a comprehensive examination of 10 advanced economies to identify and evaluate the best immigration policies to promote economic growth, the United States ranked 9th out of 10 competitor countries, ahead of only Japan, a country historically closed to outsiders.

The Latest on Immigration