WSM Advocates for Business Immigration — October 11 Press Release
October 13, 2011
On behalf of our clients and all employers, WSM has been working with high-level groups connected to the Obama administration to advocate for a more supportive environment for entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses, and businesses in general. Our efforts with a working group advising the U.S. Small Business Administration, as well as with the President's Startup America initiative, are starting to pay off. We are encouraged by the press release issued October 11 by the USCIS announcing an initiative called "Entrepreneurs in Residence." USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas said the new initiative will utilize industry expertise, including from the private sector, to strengthen USCIS policies and practices surrounding immigrant entrepreneurs, investors, and workers with specialized skills, knowledge, or abilities. He said the initiative will launch with a series of information summits with industry leaders to gather their strategic input. Although we are heartened to see the government acknowledging the urgent needs of small businesses and others wishing to employ foreign talent, we await real results at the immigration adjudications level so that these employers are not hindered in their efforts to reach their fullest potential but are, instead, better able to contribute to U.S. economic growth. Talk is just talk. We need to see a difference in the way the USCIS analyzes its cases and makes its decisions about work visas.
