Since 2021, immigration into the American labor market has increased by four million workers, and the foreign worker population has reached pre-pandemic levels. Foreign-born workers currently make up 17% (28 million) of the U.S. labor force.
The most recent Immigration Trends Report, published by Envoy Global, Inc., reports that 87% of United States employers are currently recruiting and hiring foreign talent, and 71% recruited more foreign talent in Q1 2023 than at the same time last year.
With unprecedented labor shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent Great Resignation, companies are looking to international talent. Understanding the processes involved in legitimatizing those employees in their workforce becomes crucial.
Adams and Reese has a Business Immigration Practice Team that assists employers and their employees in obtaining, strategizing, and complying with non-immigrant work visas, employment-based green cards, international intra-company transfers, adjustment of status, permanent residence, and other immigration documentation.
“Our Immigration Team provides hands-on counsel on all aspects of business immigration law. We make sure that we know the ins and outs of our clients’ businesses, anticipating their needs and working to preemptively advise on immigration services before issues arise,” said Matt Guy, Adams and Reese Partner and Immigration Team Leader, along with leading the firm’s Insurance and Maritime practices.
Guy added “USCIS has experienced unprecedented backlogs in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, immigration officials are often afforded discretion in interpreting and enforcing immigration regulations and related outcomes and penalties. We help our clients navigate these challenges and understand that foreign employees can be a vital part to U.S. companies.”
Guy is joined on the Adams and Reese Business Immigration Practice Team along with attorneys Mary Kate Fernandez and Ray Young Jr.
Fernandez recently presented a CLE on “H-1B Visas: An Employer’s Guide to Hiring Temporary Specialty Occupation Workers,” covering the ins and outs of the H-1B lottery registration, petition process, and various other issues related to sponsoring an H-1B Visa. There were a record number of H-1B registrations in 2022 at 483,000.
Guy, Fernandez, and Young work with Adams and Reese attorneys across our more than 30 practice areas to assist employers from all industries.
For example, Adams and Reese business immigration attorneys work with our Maritime Practice Team for specialty visas for seafarers and offshore personnel, and also work strategically with Labor and Employment, Business Services, and Construction Teams to ensure appropriate due diligence. The Adams and Reese Intersection of Business and Government Team positions the firm to facilitate clients’ needs relating to government entities at the local, state and federal level.
“Our firm’s holistic operation benefits our clients by taking into account all aspects of their business,” Guy said. “We assist our clients in obtaining a variety of visas and green cards and work to find solutions to our clients’ immigration needs.”
Learn more about the Adams and Reese Business Immigration Practice.