Client Payment Portal

Corporate Roundtable Highlights: Chicago 2025 | The Business Immigration Benchmark (043)

Mar 26, 2025 | Immigration Updates

By Laura Bloniarz

Want to stay in the loop? Subscribe here to get the latest updates on the Business Immigration Benchmark podcast and more!

In this week’s episode of The Business Immigration Benchmark, I recap key insights from our recent in-person Benchmarking Collective roundtable in Chicago. The event brought together global mobility professionals to discuss pressing industry challenges, including compliance strategies, cost management, and dependent support.

For global mobility professionals navigating uncertainty, this episode provides actionable insights into how technology, compliance, and change management are shaping industry priorities.

Key Takeaways:

1. Compliance & Preparedness:

  • I-9 Audits: A top priority for attendees, as government inspections increase in 2025. Companies are conducting internal audits to identify and correct compliance gaps before they become issues.
  • Public Access & PERM File Audits: While these audits are typically complaint-driven, organizations are reviewing their processes to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements.
  • Foreign National Travel Compliance: Employers are focusing on proactive communication regarding U.S. consular guidance, travel best practices, and remote work policies.

2. Effective Communication Strategies:

  • Town halls have proven to be an effective method for educating foreign national employees on compliance expectations, visa policies, and travel documentation requirements.
  • Companies with liberal remote work policies are ensuring IT security and legal compliance by developing structured approval frameworks for international work arrangements.

3. Cost Management & Dependent Support:

  • Most companies continue to support dependent fees, particularly for relocation cases.
  • Organizations are taking a more transparent approach to cost-sharing, particularly regarding premium processing fees. Some companies are eliminating company-funded premium processing but encouraging employees to cover costs if needed.

4. PERM Program Challenges & Risk Management:

  • Companies that have undergone recent restructuring are navigating increased scrutiny in PERM filings, especially in light of the administration’s focus on U.S. worker protections.
  • Some organizations are exploring alternative strategies, such as international rotations or EB-1 multinational manager sponsorship, to mitigate risks associated with the labor market test.

My Parting Thoughts

The Chicago roundtable reinforced how global mobility teams are adapting to compliance pressures, cost constraints, and evolving workforce policies. As we continue these discussions, it’s clear that benchmarking and peer collaboration remain essential tools for navigating 2025’s challenges.

If you have insights or strategies you’d like to share, feel free to DM me on LinkedIn or submit a question here!

Related Posts:

Immigration Update

TPS is back for Haitians! There is a new 18-month designation period for Haitians interested in Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This new TPS designation enables Haitian nationals currently residing in the United States as of May 21, 2021to file initial applications for TPS, so long as they meet eligibility requirements. “Haiti is currently experiencing serious security concerns, social unrest, an increase in human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Secretary Mayorkas. “After careful consideration, we determined that we must do what we can to support Haitian nationals in the United States until conditions in Haiti improve so they may safely return home.” Individuals eligible for TPS under Haiti’s new designation must file an application for TPS with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services within the registration period that will begin upon publication of notice in the Federal Register. This includes current beneficiaries under Haiti’s TPS designation, who will need to file a new application to register for TPS to ensure they do not lose TPS or experience a gap in coverage. Individuals filing for TPS may also request an Employment Authorization Document and travel authorization. All individuals applying for TPS undergo security and […]

Read More

Breaking Immigration News for Employers

Annual Limit Reached in the EB-3 and EW Categories All legally available visas in the EB-3 (3rd preference) and EW (Other Workers) categories for FY 2024 have been issued.  Embassies and consulates should have been allocated enough numbers for all applicants which were scheduled by NVC for their initial interview during the month of August or September.  The fact that the annual limit has been reached means that those posts cannot request additional numbers which may have been required to process “comeback” cases from previous months. The Department of State characterizes this milestone as having facilitated travel including for healthcare workers, for example Schedule A Nurses.  Practically speaking, Schedule A Nurses likely contributed in large part to the demand for EB-3 Immigrant Visas causing the limit to be reached already.  Annual limits will reset on October 1, 2024 (start of FY 2025), at which time embassies and consulates, and USCIS may resume issuing EB-3 and EW visas to qualified applicants under the FY 2025 annual limits. Charlie Oppenheim, Director of Visa Consulting at WR and retired Visa Chief of the Department of State, clarifies that the FY 2024 visa limit being reached won’t affect applicants who were scheduled for their initial August or September […]

Read More