Welcome to Mobility Minute, a newsletter published every Friday byWorldwide ERC®for the benefit of members and the global mobility and relocation industry. Here's a quick glimpse of what you'll find in this week’s issue:
Global Travel Prices Continue to Increase
Update on the Global Mobility Industry’s Diversity Initiative
FY 2023 H-1B Cap Reached
Reminder: Fill Out the 2022 Transfer Volume & Cost Survey
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Global Travel Prices Continue to Increase
The 2023 Global Business Travel Forecast (GBTA) forecasts that travel spending on business trips may not return to normal until 2026, which is two years later than expected. The worldwide expenditure on business travel is expected to rise by nearly 34% to $933 billion in 2022. Although this is an improvement, it falls far short of the pre-COVID-19 business travel revenue of $1.4 trillion in 2019.
Why is this important?
The GBTA’s recent report found that the cost of airfare, hotels, and rental cars will continue to increase into next year, making it more expensive for organizations to relocate their employees. The cost-per-attendee for business meetings and corporate events is also estimated to increase by 7% by 2023.
The Global Mobility Industry’s Diversity Initiative
The first year of the Upward Mobility (UM) program was successful both in terms of impact and learning opportunity. Seventeen companies offered UM internship opportunities around the country. In addition to work experience provided by their employers, UM offered students several opportunities to learn more about working in the mobility industry.
The first cohort of UM interns has had positive experiences with their hosts while learning a great deal about our industry. Several interns have expressed an interest to seek work within the mobility industry after graduation. Organizations are encouraged to earmark funds to support a UM intern in next year’s operating costs.
On 23 August, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the agency had received enough H-1B visa petitions for fiscal year 2023. The H-1B visa is limited to 65,000 regular visas and an additional 20,000 advanced degree visas per annum. With the caps on H-1B visas reached, USCIS will not conduct any further lotteries for H-1B visas for FY 2023, which runs from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023.
In its announcement, USCIS also stated the agency had also notified registrants through their online accounts that their H-1B visa request had not been selected to file a petition. The agency further stated it would still accept and process petitions to extend the time in the U.S. and change the terms of employment and employers of current H-1 visa holders.
Poll: USCIS received 483,927 H-1B registrations for FY2023 and initially selected 127,600 of those for submitting petitions for visas, a 26.4% selection rate. What percentage of the H-1B registrations that your organization submitted for FY2023 were selected? Answer the poll.
For more information about the H-1B visa program, please go to the H-1B webpage on the USCIS website.
Congratulations to 45 New Certified Relocation Professionals (CRP®)
As of this year, 45 new Worldwide ERC® members have earned the right to use the coveted Certified Relocation Professional (CRP®) designation. Over 3,000 individuals now hold the prestigious designation, which was created in 1990. The CRP designation is a highly regarded, competency-based credential that demonstrates a broad understanding of the field of employee mobility within the United States.
Reminder: Fill Out the 2022 Transfer Volume & Cost Survey
Worldwide ERC® recently opened its 2022 Transfer Volume & Cost (TVC) survey. The brief survey compiles responses from organizations across a variety of industries about U.S. domestic short-term assignments and permanent transfers.
Why is this important?
Whether a corporate or industry service provider, the TVC survey will deliver the vital information you need to plan for what’s to come. It includes all significant total move costs and costs by key provisions, such as home sales, household goods shipments, and temporary living.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule preserving and fortifying the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy for certain eligible noncitizens who arrived in the U.S. as children, deferring their removal and allowing them an opportunity to access a renewable, two-year work permit. —DHS
House and Senate Democrats and the Biden administration have supported or proposed several bills and measures to reduce the employment-based green card backlogs and exempt highly skilled foreign nationals from immigration quotas. Republicans in Congress in a position to influence legislative outcomes are now opposing any positive measures on legal immigration. — Forbes
Chief human resource officers in the semiconductor industry recently wrote a letter to Congressional leaders on the need to liberalize U.S. immigration laws to increase access to foreign-born scientists and engineers in America. — Punchbowl News
On Wednesday, President Biden announced a sweeping effort to forgive up to $20,000 of federal student loan debt for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for other qualifying borrowers. — NPR
Want to reach net zero energy use? Having a dedicated energy manager in an office helps because that person can make sure goals are clear and can be met. You also need good data, which you can get by installing energy meters, conducting energy audits to understand usage, optimizing operations based on the audit results, and retrofitting underperforming systems. — The New York Times
Inflation has severely affected consumers’ morale but has yet to affect their actual buying behavior to anything like the same extent. The clearest explanation is what John Leer, chief economist of data group Morning Consult, calls an unprecedented divergence between inflation and unemployment. Even as small business optimism scrapes recession-like levels, unemployment remains near record lows. — Financial Times
After welcoming a record number of foreign visitors in 2019, Japan instituted one of the strictest border closures in the world during the pandemic. More than two years later, the country is slowly starting to allow tourists back.
Is Japan open for travel?
Even though the number of people allowed to enter Japan has increased, access is very limited. American travelers must now apply for an eVisa to enter Japan. And all international travelers regardless of vaccination status must be accompanied at all times by their licensed guide or group leader.
Worldwide ERC®, P.O. Box 41990, Arlington, VA 22204, United States, 1-703-842-3400
