TM - August 2008 - (Page 32)

recruitment & retention assessment & evaluation compensation & beneﬁts performance management learning & development succession planning [performance management] by Mike Prokopeak Border Insecurity: Immigration Reform and T alent Management Comprehensive immigration reform intertwines illegal workers and national security into a single emotional debate. But it’s the talent and performance implications that have many talent managers feeling insecure. A s election season heats up in the United States, comprehensive immigration reform efforts have cooled off. With skilled talent continuing to come at a premium, more and more organizations are feeling the resulting pinch. Despite renewed efforts by senior congressional leaders Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), reforms stalled on Capitol Hill last spring. Comprehensive immigration reform continues to stymie Congress due to the complicated, emotional nature of a debate that includes border security, English-only language legislation, education reform, potential amnesty for undocumented workers and, perhaps most critically for talent managers, guest worker visas. “That’s one of the problems with reform,” said Bob Meltzer, CEO of VisaNow, a provider of immigration process management and legal counsel. “They put all of these things into one bill, and they couldn’t get any of it through. Just like the Civil Rights Act actually ended up having the president behind it, immigration reform is so big that it needs the president pushing it.” Meltzer, an attorney with an immigration specialty, said he doesn’t foresee much movement on reform until at least 2009. The complicated nature of the debate requires strong leadership, and President Bush’s administration is unlikely to advocate reform in the waning months of its presidency. Individual legislation spun out of comprehensive reform during the past year, but results have been mixed. The Dream Act, designed to provide educational and citizenship opportunities for children of illegal immigrants, failed. Other reforms have moved forward. In June, President Bush signed an executive order requiring all federal contractors to use the E-Verify program to conﬁrm employees’ legal status, despite concerns about the system’s accuracy. Legislation authorizing the construction of a fence along the U.S.Mexico border advanced, with the Supreme Court clearing the way with a June ruling that allows the administration to begin construction. But the insecurity some Americans feel about the nation’s borders isn’t the only concern tied up in immigration reform. As global competition for talent heats up, more U.S. businesses are struggling to acquire and retain the skilled talent they need to continue to drive innovation and performance. Visas: Not Everywhere You Want Them to Be Each April, the U.S. federal government opens up a lottery for applicants for the highly sought-after H-1B visa, a special classiﬁcation for skilled foreign workers to work in the United States. H-1B visa seekers must have at least a bachelor’s degree and be employed in a “specialty occupation.” If successful, visa holders can 32 August 2008 talent management magazine www.talentmgt.com http://www.talentmgt.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of TM - August 2008

TM - August 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Human Performance Leading Edge Foundations Global Background Screening Does Global Assessment Work? Global Total Renumeration: Creat One Organization Border Insecurity: Immigration Reform and Talent Management The Global Workforce: Communication Across Cultures Around the World in How Many Days? Insight: Exelon: Performance Under Pressure Special Report: Perspectives on Managing People Application: Reinventing Sales Rewards at Motorola Dashboard: Mideast Meets West Dashboard: Mergers and Acquisitions 2008 - Don’t Leave Employees Behind Editorial Resources Advertisers' Index Full Potential

TM - August 2008

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