The Immigration Maze

The headlines are difficult to miss. The immigration debate is an issue to be contemplated and addressed by businesses, as politicians gear up for elections and Americans take sides in the deliberation. While immigration agents are arresting executives and employees for not complying with immigration law, and as the President of the United States is declaring that employers must be held accountable for their employees, even more restrictive and complex immigration regulations loom in the future. Under this flurry of activity, employers are left to decipher overly complicated, and often vague, laws and regulations in their efforts to find workers, fill open positions and keep operations running. What are the key pieces of information that an employer must take into account when hiring foreign nationals? There are three key areas of concern for an employer: 1) work authorization for employees, 2) validating the identity and work authorization of these, and 3) licensing employees who are exposed to controlled technology.