Business and the Workforce
Immigrants not only bring diverse skills and perspectives to the U.S. workforce, they often fill employment gaps in crucial fields. We advocate for expanded work visas and related programs so our labor force can continue to benefit from immigrant workers and remain competitive in the global economy
Immigrant restaurateur gives back to the community through Lebanese cuisine
Gus Sleiman’s family left their homeland in 1989 to escape the Lebanese Civil War, a 15-year conflict that killed an estimated 150,000 people and displaced another 900,000 — about one-fifth of the population. Sleiman was 16. The family moved to Michigan then New York and, while visiting a… Read More
What We Know About USCIS’ New H-1B Cap Registration System
The new process for petitioning for highly educated H-1B workers will officially begin on March 1, 2020. For the first time, a U.S. employer who wants to file a petition that is subject to the annual limits must first register with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The agency then… Read More
USCIS Announces Major Change to H-1B ‘Cap’ Filing With Electronic Registration
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that U.S. employers will have to pay a $10 fee and register to have a chance at filing an H-1B petition subject to the statutory “cap” of 65,000 workers per fiscal year (FY). The… Read More
Comments Opposing Removal of 30-Day Processing Provision of Asylum Application-Related Form I-765 Employment Authorization Applications
Under current U.S. immigration law, the immigration service must make a decision on work permit applications filed by asylum seekers within 30 days of their application. The Trump administration proposed a regulation that would eliminate this deadline, creating immediate and harmful effects on asylum seekers and their families as well… Read More
USCIS’ Denial Rates for H-1B Petitions Have Quadrupled
The Trump administration, acting through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), is disrupting the process by which U.S. employers obtain work authorization for highly skilled foreign professionals. According to a report from the National Foundation for American Policy, these changes are affecting how often H-1B petitions… Read More
The Artificial Intelligence Industry Thrives on a Global Workforce
At a time when skills related to the burgeoning field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are in very short supply, the U.S. government is making it harder to recruit highly trained professionals from abroad. According to a report from Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, U.S. immigration policies… Read More
New Data Shows Cedar Rapids’ Immigrants Accounted for Nearly Half of the County’s Total Population Growth
A new report finds that immigrants accounted for 47.1 percent of total population growth in Cedar Rapids between 2012 and 2017, according to new research from New American Economy (NAE). Read More
Lebanese immigrant ensures newcomers have opportunities in Cedar Rapids, IA
When Salma Igram arrived in the United States, she was 18 years old and had never seen a calculator or a hamburger, “let alone a hot dog,” she says. But there she was in her husband’s fast-food restaurant, Jimbo’s, working the griddle and mastering the cash register. “My husband… Read More
Immigrant credits English language and training opportunities as critical to his success
Tony Golobic jokes that he got his first job in America —cleaning oil-fired boilers —because no one else wanted to do it. “The boilers were red hot, the work was dangerous and dirty,” he says. “But I was making really good money, a lot more money than I ever… Read More
New American Economy on the RELIEF Act of 2019
New American Economy explains the merits of the RELIEF Act of 2019. Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
