Week of August 15–21, 2022

The fintech sector in the UK is facing recruitment challenges due to Brexit restrictions on foreign workers, leading to a smaller pool of candidates. All EU, EEA and Swiss nationals now require the same documentation as workers from other countries. Businesses can differentiate themselves by offering support in navigating the visa process, as well as salary and benefit reviews, forging partnerships with overseas colleges and universities, and offering apprenticeships. The process of obtaining a sponsor licence for foreign workers can take up to eight weeks, with additional processing time if a pre-licence audit is required. For small businesses, a sponsor licence costs £536 ($736), and for medium to large businesses, £1,476. Processing time for work visas for candidates generally takes three to five weeks, although there may be faster processing options for an additional fee.

Republican candidates for Congress in Central Florida are calling for limits on legal immigration as part of their “America First” platform. Among them is Laura Loomer, a far-right conservative activist who is proposing a 10-year halt on immigration to the United States as the nation deports millions of illegal immigrants. Two leading candidates in the 7th Congressional District, state Rep. Anthony Sabatini and Army combat veteran Cory Mills, are also campaigning on immigration moratoriums. However, such a policy would be a disaster for Florida, which heavily relies on immigrants to power its agriculture and tourism-dependent economy. Research shows immigrant-owned businesses generate billions of dollars of revenue and employ many Floridians. Efforts to limit legal immigration haven’t gained traction in Congress, but the idea is sparking debate among Republicans.

Young immigrants and their supporters are urging immigration reform that will grant all undocumented immigrants citizenship in the US. Although the Senate reconciliation package includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, lawmakers still need to agree on which immigrants to include before final passage. The package includes billions for both border security and legalization of some undocumented migrants, but its approval by the US House is uncertain. Additionally, some Democrats are opposing the $3.5 trillion price tag. Young immigrants have been advocating for immigration reform, as some are hesitant to apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program due to fears of endangering themselves by providing personal information. Recently, a federal judge's ruling in Texas brought the DACA program to a halt, adding more urgency for immigration reform.

Around 76,000 Afghan refugees and 100,000 Ukrainian refugees have been given options to live and work in the US for two years as they flee conflict in their countries. However, they face a bureaucratic slog to permanent residence, which can take years and comes with no guarantee they will win approval. As it stands, they will lose their right to stay in the US past next year. The Biden administration and a group of lawmakers are seeking to persuade Congress to give Afghans a special pathway to permanent residence, though a similar effort failed in May. Ukrainians must find an American sponsor to enter the US. The number of Ukrainians attempting to enter via the southern border has dropped sharply since the Biden administration launched its sponsorship option.

A committee in Massachusetts called Fair and Secure Massachusetts has filed a petition to repeal a state law that allows undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses. The petitions reportedly contain 40,120 signatures, the amount required by state law to get a referendum on the November ballot, though the committee says it needs another 20,000 to finish confidently. The Work and Family Mobility Act is due to go into effect in July 2023. Supporters argue that the legislation will improve road safety and reduce hit-and-run accidents, as well as benefiting the economy. Immigrants will be required to show two documents proving their date of birth and identity, such as an unexpired foreign passport or certified copy of a birth certificate, to apply for a license.

El Paso County Commissioner David Stout has been appointed chair of the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) Immigration Reform Task Force. The group provides a platform for officials from counties across the US to discuss the impact of federal immigration policy on local governments and communities. The task force engages with federal decision-makers on immigration matters and presents policy positions and resolutions to NACo for inclusion in its official platform. Stout hopes to use his position to influence discussions on immigration reform, especially in regards to migrants, and ensure local decision-makers understand the realities of the US border. El Paso County has benefited from $100,000 in NACo grant funding since renewing its membership in 2014 and has an Office of New Americans and a community ID program to integrate immigrants into the community.

The recent CHIPS and Science Act signed into law by US President Joe Biden removed key immigration provisions that would have established a dedicated startup visa program for foreign entrepreneurs and streamlined the green card pathway for immigrants with Ph.D.s in STEM fields. This is a missed opportunity for the US and a setback in the goal of seeding and accelerating American innovation in critical technologies, leaving it vulnerable to falling behind countries like Canada, which already boasts a successful startup visa program and multiple pathways to citizenship for talented immigrants. The failure of the US government to establish a startup visa program is limiting economic growth and ceding ground to global competitors. The Canadian startup visa program offers a seamless transition for startup founders and their companies, and Canada's immigration policy is viewed by employers as preferable compared to the limitations of the US immigration system.

The White House has reportedly urged the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to increase its deportation of illegal immigrants amid heightened political pressure due to the border crisis. However, the Department of Homeland Security has not yet adopted a more aggressive approach. The Biden administration has been dealing with a massive crisis at the southern border, with approximately 200,000 migrant encounters each month for the past five months, leading to more than two million migrant encounters in this fiscal year alone. Republicans have criticized the administration for rolling back the Trump-era border policies, including a narrower scope for ICE arrests and deportations. In FY 21, ICE arrested 74,082 noncitizens and deported 59,011, a decrease from 103,603 arrests and 185,884 removals in FY 20 and 143,099 arrests and 267,258 deportations in FY 19.

New Zealand's immigration rules will be temporarily adjusted to hire thousands of extra workers to fill a labour shortage. Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced that the government aims to temporarily double the number of people under the working holiday visa scheme, which allows people to enter and work in New Zealand for up to 12 months. New Zealand is seeking to attract 12,000 extra workers over the next year by opening more working holiday visa slots. Wage rules for skilled migrants will also be relaxed in key sectors such as aged care, construction, infrastructure, meat processing, seafood, and adventure tourism. New Zealand's unemployment rate remains at a record low of around 3.3%, with private-sector wages growing at their most rapid rate in 14 years.

The New Zealand government has announced that an additional 12,000 holidaymakers will be allowed to come to the country for work over the next year. The country’s borders fully reopened in July, but fewer people were travelling globally than before Covid hit in 2020 and New Zealand was competing against other countries for migrant labour. Key sectors, including aged care, construction, and seasonal snow and adventure tourism will get a temporary exemption to the median wage requirements for overseas workers. Local workers will not be disadvantaged, the Immigration Minister said. The hospitality and tourism sectors which traditionally relied on international workers were particularly hard hit, he added. The country’s borders fully reopened in July, but fewer people were travelling globally than before Covid hit in 2020 and New Zealand was competing against other countries for migrant labour.