The aging population in the United States is growing rapidly, while the working-age population is shrinking. Immigrants, who comprise nearly 30% of the direct care workforce nationwide, are valuable contributors to the aging services sector. Yet, due to America’s demographic mismatch and systemic challenges including low pay and high turnover, employee shortages continue to strain the sector.

Urge your representatives and senators to enact  the following legislative proposals to address these workforce shortages, which LeadingAge supports:

• The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (HR 5283/S. 2759). It would recapture 40,000 unused visas—25,000 of which are designated for nurses—and help reduce the EB-3 green card backlog caused by outdated annual caps.
• The Essential Workers Advancement Act (HR 5494). It proposes the creation of  a new H-2C nonimmigrant visa for non-degreed, nonseasonal workers such as nursing assistants, home health aides, and personal care workers.
• The Dignity Act (HR 4393). It would provide legal status to long-time undocumented individuals and permanent residency for those who entered the U.S. as minors.

These reforms are critical to ensuring older adults have access to the care they need. Without action, restrictive policies—such as terminations of humanitarian parole and Temporary Protective Status designations—and a severely outdated immigration system will continue to prevent our sector from tapping into a vital source of quality workers–which, in turn, threatens care delivery.