Expanding Access to Legal Immigration and Work Visas Will Boost the Small Business Workforce

"We are pleased the U.S. Senate has released a bipartisan immigration deal that will foster a more rational immigration system while helping to address small businesses’ workforce challenges. We regularly hear from small business owners around the country that they need access to a more robust labor pool. Increasing legal pathways to come to the U.S. and expanding access to work authorization will help address small employers’ workforce needs and contribute to economic growth. 

It’s also important to note that immigrants are twice as likely to start small businesses as native-born Americans, and they create 1 in 10 U.S. jobs. As such, they are essential to our entrepreneurial, job-creating economy.  

Small business owners recognize that our current immigration system isn’t working, and they support bipartisan efforts to fix it and expand access to both high and low-skilled workers. This agreement is an important step forward for addressing our nation’s immigration challenges in a bipartisan manner. Once this is done we urge Congress to advance meaningful, long-term comprehensive immigration reform."

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