Review the details for Roofing Day in D.C. 2025; register by March 25!
Join fellow roofing professionals on Capitol Hill as we advocate for our industry! Congress must see and hear from you to understand the critical issues we face. Together, we can make a difference. Register now for Roofing Day in D.C. 2025 April 8-9, and view our itinerary and briefing webinar to prepare for the big day! This year, our advocacy issues will again focus on workforce challenges and pro-growth tax reform.
Trump administration issues immigration registration rule
On March 12, the Department of Homeland Security issued an interim final rule, Alien Registration Form and Evidence of Registration. The rule implements President Trump’s Executive Order 14159 by amending federal regulations to designate a new registration form for foreign nationals to comply with existing statutory requirements. Individuals subject to the requirements who are not already registered with the government must use the form to satisfy their statutory obligations. The rule also amends DHS regulations to designate additional documentation that may serve as evidence of registration.
This rule essentially revives enforcement of the existing registration process within U.S. immigration law that has been dormant for decades. It requires all non-U.S. citizens to register and be fingerprinted if they remain in the U.S. for 30 days or longer and have not previously completed registration through a visa application or other acceptable immigration process. It also requires such people to always carry proof of registration once registered, and failure to do so carries civil and criminal penalties. The rule will take effect April 11 and be an enforcement priority of the administration.
View more information from U.S. Customs and Immigration Services regarding how to ensure compliance with the new rule and private legal analysis. NRCA will remain engaged regarding this issue and provide further information about implementation as it becomes available.
Congress passes federal funding for remainder of fiscal year 2025
On March 14, Congress passed and the president signed a continuing resolution to provide funding for government agencies for the remainder of fiscal year 2025, which runs through Sept. 30. This bill provided level funding through the end of September with a few increases in the Department of Defense and immigration enforcement and decreases for some non-defense programs in the amount of $13 billion. Congress now will focus on crafting a funding bill for fiscal year 2026, which historically begins with the president’s budget proposal likely to be released in May.
H-2B visa cap reached for second half of FY 2025; supplemental visas may be issued
In early March, the statutory cap for the H-2B seasonal visa program for the second half of fiscal year 2025 was met based on applications filed by businesses in need of H-2B workers to supplement their workforce. In January, there were 9,271 applications with 140,280 H-2B positions requested, far exceeding the statutory cap of 33,000 visas for the second half of the fiscal year (April 1 through Sept. 30). Given the strong demand and authority granted by Congress, the Departments of Homeland Security and Labor may issue supplemental visas under a temporary final rule published in December 2024. This second half supplemental allocation contains up to 19,000 visas available to returning workers who received a visa or were otherwise granted H-2B status during one of the previous three fiscal years, as well as an additional amount reserved for nationals from designated countries in Central America. NRCA joined with allied associations in sending a letter to DHS and DOL to urge the release of supplemental visas in a timely manner to provide maximum certainty for employers in addressing seasonal workforce needs.
