IMMIGRATION POLICY AND THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS.

• Author: Hinchman, Grace
• Position: Brief Article

Immigration policy creates deep and passionate opinions. One side argues that immigration takes jobs from non-immigrant Americans, and the other claims the need for immigrant labor to fuel a strong economy. The issue only becomes more divisive when you realize that immigration policy can ultimately increase a corporation's cost of doing business.

Early this summer, President Bush proposed to Congress that it grant legal status to the estimated six million to nine million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. The President's proposal has met fierce opposition from several Congressional leaders from his own party, and indeed, his own state of Texas. The House Judiciary Chairman, James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), and House Immigration Subcommittee Chairman, George Gekas (R-Pa.), said they can't support the President's proposed immigration policy without serious reform of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Additionally, Texas Republican Sen. Phil Gramm has expressed concern that such an immigration policy only rewards lawlessness and effectively punishes those who came to the U.S. legally.

The President's immigration proposal has given rise to some interesting business and labor coalitions. For instance, there is the Essential Worker Immigrant Coalition (EWIC), which has publicly supported a large majority of Bush's plan:

* In the short term, an effective category for temporary and seasonal employees, like the existing H-2B visa.

* An employment-based visa that could be converted to permanent residency.

* An employment-based permanent residency for essential workers granted through a straightforward and easily completed application process.

* The establishment of a one-time mechanism to allow undocumented workers in the U.S. to convert to legal status -- a conditional, employment-based status leading to permanent status.

* Permanent resident status tied to employability, though not on a an employer-specific basis.

* Repeal of employer sanctions (Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986), paired with an updated legal immigration system to reduce undocumented immigration.

Apart from these proposed changes, today's immigration law allows highly skilled and specially trained workers to apply for one of 65,000 H-1B visas through a sponsoring employer. These allow workers to live and work...