EPI research analyzes a key part of the U.S. immigration system: immigration that occurs for the purpose of work—also known as “labor migration” or “employment-based immigration.” Now that President Obama and a number of members in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are actively working to craft a comprehensive solution to fix our malfunctioning immigration system, we have put together all of our essential resources on employment-based immigration in one place. The following is a list of EPI’s research, analyses, commentary, and blog posts on the impacts of immigration on the economy, on the different work visa programs that facilitate the immigration of foreign workers to the United States, and our recommendations on how to comprehensively fix our immigration system to achieve more broadly shared prosperity for all workers:

Comprehensive immigration reform

• Huge disparity in funding for immigration enforcement vs. labor standards January 23, 2013 (Blog Post)
• Migration and domestic labor markets: Auctions and employer demand versus public policy November 2, 2012 (Report)
• Value Added Immigration: Lessons for the United States from Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom  October 31, 2011 (Book)
• Immigration for Shared Prosperity: A Framework for Comprehensive Reform  April 16, 2009 (Book)

Citizenship

• The effects of citizenship on family income and poverty February 24, 2010 (Report)

STEM visas, high-skilled migration, and offshoring

• America’s Genius Glut February 7, 2013 (New York Times Op-Ed)
• Fixing a problem that doesn’t exist: Special interest STEM immigration bills are not needed December 5, 2012 (Blog Post)
• STEM labor shortages?: Microsoft report distorts reality about computing occupations November 19, 2012 (Report)
• The H-1B and L-1 Visa programs: Out of Control October 14, 2010 (Report)
• Abuses in the L-Visa Program: Undermining the U.S. Labor Market August 13, 2010 (Report)
• Bridge to Immigration or Cheap Temporary Labor? The H-1B & L-1 Visa Programs Are a Source of Both February 17, 2010 (Report)

Farmworkers and farm labor

• Farm exports and farm labor: Would a Raise for Fruit and Vegetable Workers Diminish the Competitiveness of U.S. Agriculture? March 21, 2011 (Report)

Guestworkers and less-skilled migration

• Replacing future immigrants and Americans with temporary foreign workers June 6, 2012 (Events)
• Employer criticisms of new immigration rules are not credible March 6, 2012 (Commentary)
• Jobs and fairness: ‘prevailing wage’ rule good for Marylanders October 26, 2011 (Commentary)
• H-2B employers and their congressional allies are fighting hard to keep wages low for immigrant and American workers October 6, 2011 (Commentary)
• Guestworker diplomacy: J visas receive minimal oversight despite significant implications for the U.S. labor market July 14, 2011 (Report)

Immigration and the economy 

• UK debate sheds light on the impact of immigration on the economy January 20, 2012 (Commentary)
• The contraction in construction squeezed immigrants hardest August 11, 2011 (Report)
• Testimony before the Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement March 10, 2011 (Testimony)
• The low wages of black immigrants: Wage penalties for U.S.-born and foreign-born black workers February 25, 2011 (Report)
• Immigration and Wages: Methodological advancements confirm modest gains for native workers February 4, 2010 (Report)

State-level immigration laws

• Checking Alabama’s ‘status’: HB 56 no cure for a sick labor market October 4, 2012 (Blog Post)
• Alabama law becomes even more anti-immigrant while doing nothing to create jobs June 1, 2012 (Commentary)
• How’s that immigrant-bashing thing workin’ for ya? May 29, 2012 (Blog Post)