The Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s policy priorities for the new year include everything from tapping into the immigrant workforce, to promoting innovation, to keeping energy affordable.
The “advocacy agenda” introduced Thursday by the region’s largest business group touches on issues affected by all levels of government. Here’s a look at some of them:
Local employers have a lot on their minds heading into 2024. Participants in a Buffalo Niagara Partnership panel earlier this month talked about headwinds and tailwinds as the new year approaches.
Immigration. The Partnership supports refugee resettlement in Buffalo, and calls for reducing the waiting time for asylum seekers to obtain work permits to 30 days from the current 180 days.
Some employers struggling to find workers have said they’ve found success in drawing from the region’s refugee population. Advocates for refugees, such as resettlement agencies, are trying to connect them with job opportunities.
The Partnership also backs reforming the federal H-1B visa program, changes that would increase the number of visas issued each year and allow Buffalo “to compete for top talent.”
Through H-1B, foreign workers receive temporary visas to work in the United States, with sponsorship by an…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply