Immigration Policy Principles
Immigration is essential to the strength and stability of America’s restaurant workforce. In a people‑powered industry with tight margins, a consistent and reliable workforce directly affects a restaurant’s ability to manage costs, maintain service levels, and plan for growth.
The right immigration solutions provide operators with the stability they need to protect their current teams, fill persistent labor gaps, and build a workforce pipeline aligned with long‑term economic realities. These outcomes are central to the Association’s imperative of empowering a future‑ready workforce—one that supports operational efficiency, resilience, and opportunity across the industry.
The Association’s immigration policy principles outline a practical framework for achieving these goals.
Protect the Current Workforce
Restaurants rely on experienced, long‑serving employees who are deeply rooted in their workplaces and communities. Reform should provide stability and legal certainty for these workers so businesses can retain talent, reduce disruption, and operate with confidence.
Fix the Work Visa System
The current visa system does not meet the year‑round workforce needs of the restaurant industry. A modern approach should expand and improve legal work‑visa pathways, providing predictability, flexibility, and timely access to workers for positions that remain unfilled.
Build a Modern System for the Future
Demographic trends mean future labor demand cannot be met without legal immigration. Immigration policy must be updated to reflect economic realities, support growth, and give employers fair, workable compliance tools—especially for small businesses.
Together, these principles form a practical framework for immigration reform that strengthens the restaurant workforce, supports small businesses, and sustains the industry’s role as an economic and community cornerstone.
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