The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is considering a “Known Employer” pilot program to streamline adjudication of certain types of employment-based immigration benefit requests filed by eligible U.S. employers. The program would ideally make adjudications more efficient and less costly, while reducing paperwork and delays for both the department and U.S. employers who seek to employ foreign workers.
A goal of the pilot would be to expedite or otherwise facilitate legitimate cross-border business travel along the Northern border ports of entry, which is a bi-national commitment under the North American Free Trade Agreement as well as the U.S.-Canada Beyond the Border initiative. In particular, one specific commitment made by the U.S. and Canadian governments under the Beyond the Border initiative is to “explore the feasibility of incorporating a trusted employer concept in the processing of business travelers between Canada and the United States.”
DHS expects to launch the Known Employer program by late 2015.
