Mid-2025 Immigration and Workforce Trends

We're nearing the midpoint of 2025, and the global workforce landscape is undergoing a quiet yet profound transformation. Traditional immigration debates continue to dominate headlines, and another revolution is unfolding beneath the surface: the rise of e-migration and nearshoring as critical solutions to global talent and business challenges.

This shift is not only highlighted in recent legal and regulatory insights from Global Immigration Partners PLLC and Littler, but also validated by the World Economic Forum’s compelling vision for the future of cross-border collaboration.

Traditional Immigration: A Year of Uncertainty and Compliance Complexity

According to Global Immigration Partners PLLC, 2025 marks a defining year for U.S. immigration, especially in the wake of post-election policy shifts. With 70% of employers anticipating stepped-up enforcement from ICE and DHS in the next 12 months, the firm’s forecast underscores major themes that employers must navigate, including:

H-1B Reforms: Anticipated changes to the lottery system and more scrutiny around third-party placements signal a call for earlier and more strategic H-1B planning.

Green Card Backlogs: EB-2 and EB-3 delays continue to plague Indian and Chinese nationals, challenging workforce continuity.

Remote Work Risks: As hybrid work remains a staple, failure to update Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) and I-9 documentation could lead to costly penalties.

Visa Appointment Delays: Persistent slowdowns at U.S. consulates, especially in Mumbai and Mexico City, create operational bottlenecks for global employers.

Legislative Uncertainty: New executive actions and fluctuating federal policy priorities present a moving target for immigration strategy.

The firm urges companies to proactively audit their I-9 procedures, prepare for PERM audits, and implement robust tracking mechanisms for remote workers' immigration-related compliance.

Brace for Enforcement and Legal Risk

Meanwhile, Littler’s 13th Annual Employer Survey captures the sentiment of nearly 350 in-house legal, HR, and executive leaders on how policy shifts are influencing workplace risk and regulatory exposure. Overwhelmingly, the top two concerns noted in the survey were DE&I and Immigration.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives are under significant scrutiny, with 84% of employers expecting regulatory impacts and 45% bracing for related litigation. That's nearly double the rate from last year.

Immigration Policy also ranks high, and 75% of participants anticipate changes that will affect workforce planning. 70% expect enforcement by DHS and ICE to intensify.

Jorge Lopez of Littler’s Global Mobility Practice advises businesses to conduct I-9 audits and prepare for unannounced worksite visits, especially as policy unpredictability becomes the norm.

Interestingly, employers expect less federal enforcement in areas like wage and hour regulation, AI governance, and NLRB action. However, 82% believe state and local laws will become more aggressive, creating a complex web of compliance obligations. 

The Emergence of E-Migration

While immigration law continue to change, growing more complex, a complementary trend is redefining how global talent is deployed. E-migration, or letting professionals contribute to global companies without leaving their home countries, is emerging as a long-term solution to talent shortages and economic development.

In 2023 alone, more than 2.2 million remote workers from Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico supported global companies while remaining in their local communities. This quiet revolution was accelerated by the pandemic, and it's unlocking the global labor market in unprecedented ways. E-mogration isn't always about outsourcing; it’s about building globally distributed, high-performing teams that transcend borders.

Nearshoring and E-Migration

The U.S. has been proactive in deepening economic ties with Latin America. Initiatives like América Crece, launched to close an annual $100–150 billion investment gap in infrastructure, are laying the foundation for robust regional collaboration. Nearshoring (outsourcing to geographically close countries) offers time-zone alignment, cultural proximity, and geopolitical stability.

E-migration extends this further. Backed by national digital strategies in Mexico and Brazil, a growing pool of tech professionals are now thriving as part of global teams. Between 2020 and 2023, South American remote professionals serving North American firms increased by 70%, with companies like Google, Salesforce, and Adobe hiring the largest portion.

Mutual Benefits

A Deel survey found that remote tech workers in developing nations earn 28% more working for international companies. These earnings fuel local economies, create job multipliers, and even allow first-time homeowners and entrepreneurs to thrive, particularly in underserved regions.

At BairesDev, 40% of hires now come from rural areas or cities with populations under one million, proving that innovation is not confined to urban tech hubs. Deloitte predicts a 7.1 million shortfall of skilled workers by 2034, so as global demand for skilled workers soars, Latin America is poised to help fill the gap.

A New Mobility Era

Together, these reports underscore a crucial message. Immigration still matters and legal compliance remains non-negotiable, but the 2025 workforce narrative is bigger than borders. The combination of e-migration, nearshoring, and strategic compliance offers a win-win for everyone. Businesses can meet evolving talent demands, while professionals worldwide gain access to opportunity without uprooting their lives.