Essential Worker Immigration Coalition: Reform platform

This lobbying group / business association is gearing up for immigration reform this year. It wants more immigrant workers, the more legal the better.
Here is its platform for reform:
Reform should be comprehensive: addressing both future economic needs for future workers and undocumented workers already in the United States.
Reform should strengthen national security by providing for the screening of foreign workers and creating a disincentive for illegal immigration.
Reform should strengthen the rule of law by establishing clear, sensible immigration laws that are efficiently and vigorously enforced.
Reform should create an immigration system that functions efficiently for employers, workers, and government agencies.
Reform should create a program that allows hard working, tax paying undocumented workers to earn legal status.
Reform should ensure that U.S. workers are not displaced by foreign workers.
Reform should ensure that all workers enjoy the same labor law protections.
The policy platform goes on….


EWIC IMMIGRATION POLICY OUTLINE
A. New Non-Immigrant Programs Based on Economic Needs
• A short-term program for industries that have short-term needs for one year or less.
• A long-term program that could be renewed if there are continuing needs.
B. New Immigrant Visa (Permanent Residence) Program Based Upon Economic Needs
• Available to participants in either short-term or long-term non-immigrant programs.
• Based upon petition by either Employer or Employee through a test of the U.S. labor market.
• With sufficient numbers of immigrant visas.
• New employment-based permanent visas should not come at the expense of other immigration categories.
C. Mechanism for Undocumented Workers in the U.S. to Earn Legal Status
• Establish a mechanism to allow undocumented, taxpaying and otherwise admissible workers in the U.S. to earn a legal status.
• Define clear requirements and obligations for eligible and qualified participants.
• Conversion to lawful status should be based upon employability, although not necessarily a particular employer.
D. Workable Immigration Enforcement System
• Enforcement of immigration laws is critical for economic, national security and for successful comprehensive immigration reform.
• Pairing enforcement with an updated legal immigration system to reduce undocumented immigration will result in adequate screening of the workforce, more control over undocumented workforce, and a shift in focus to the very small percentage of bad actors who seek to abuse the system.
• Enforcement reform should clearly define requirements and obligations for all parties.
• New enforcement regimes must not penalize employers for their past inability to comply with a broken system.
E. Funding for Immigration programs
• Dedicate resources to fund continuing program initiatives.
• Provide start-up funding for structuring and implementing new program.