Immigration Policy: With Fly-In, LeadingAge Delivers Impact to Capitol Hill

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Participants from member organizations located in five strategically selected states-Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, and Pennsylvania-met with their congressional offices September 23 and 24 to discuss the workforce challenges facing aging services providers as they strive to serve older adults and families. Together, the group conducted 37 meetings across the House and Senate, visiting both Republican and Democratic offices and engaging with members of Congress and congressional staff alike.

Designed to elevate within current broad debates about immigration the aging services perspective, which is increasingly important as America's population is rapidly aging, and demand for care and services increases, our fly-in messaging made clear that when aging services providers cannot recruit and retain enough workers, older adults and their families feel the consequences. Foreign-born staff are vital contributors to this sector.

Conversations centered on three priorities outlined in LeadingAge's immigration advocacy agenda: protecting caregivers who are legally working today, unblocking qualified caregivers already navigating existing immigration pathways, and expanding legal immigration options that better reflect the realities of caregiving work.

As is often the case during advocacy visits, statistics helped frame the problem, but members' stories brought it to life.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and staff with ArchCare, VNS Health, LeadingAge New York and LeadingAge national staff

Some participants described the real-world consequences of workforce disruptions stemming from recent shifts in immigration policy, including changes that impact access to employment authorization. One New York-based provider explained how those policies recently forced the departure of 25 employees, most of whom were part of a long-standing team that had worked weekend shifts together in a single nursing home for more than a decade. This loss of staff disrupted schedules, care continuity, and relationships that residents had come to depend on.

Likewise, a Pennsylvania provider described how one change in immigration policy resulted in the loss of 23 employees in a single day at one of its senior living communities. These examples help explain to lawmakers how policy-driven workforce losses can have outsized consequences for access to care.

Other conversations highlighted a different challenge for our mission-driven and nonprofit members: qualified caregivers who are ready to work but remain stuck in lengthy immigration backlogs. Providers told of having hundreds of nurses in the employment-based green card pipeline who, though they've completed much of the process, remain unable to begin work because of bureaucratic delays and policy barriers.

Given persistent challenges in recruiting and retaining staff throughout aging services in nursing and caregiving roles as well as in other service areas like maintenance and dietary, with demand for services growing, the urgency of addressing bottlenecks like these is real. Conversations highlighted the dysfunction of America's current immigration system, which often forces qualified workers to wait for months and even years before they are able to begin work in communities eager to employ them.

Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) (foreground) with LeadingAge PA members and staff in background at Keystone Coffee

Congressional offices were largely receptive to hearing how immigration policies affect constituents, employers, and older adults in their districts and states. Speaking to constituents, including LeadingAge Pennsylvania staff and provider members, Sen. McCormick made clear his general support for legal immigration pathways for skilled workers.

Reflecting on his meetings over the two-day event, Rob Lahammer, vice president, engagement and advocacy, Roseville, MN-based LeadingAge member Presbyterian Homes & Services, noted members of "both parties know that this is important."

L to R: Members from Cassia, Presbyterian Homes & Services; staff from LeadingAge IA; Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), LeadingAge national

While offices naturally differed in their perspectives and priorities, Lahammer and other members consistently reported being met with thoughtful engagement, questions about specific proposals, and a willingness to continue the conversation.

That receptivity reinforces an important lesson about advocacy. Lawmakers and staff can review reports, statistics, and policy briefs, but there is no substitute for hearing directly from providers caring for older adults every day. When LeadingAge members share firsthand experiences from their communities, they help policymakers understand the practical implications of federal decisions and the urgency of workforce challenges facing aging services.

Momentum gained from this week's conversations, which surfaced clear interest on both sides of the aisle in understanding aging services providers' challenges and finding ways to ensure older adults have access to needed care, is fueling our ongoing work on immigration policy. LeadingAge national and our state partners are eager to keep these discussion alive, and working with Congress to advance practical workforce and immigration solutions in the months ahead.