The Dignity Act of 2025 is gaining bipartisan traction in Congress after being introduced earlier this year. If it passes and is signed by the President, it could offer meaningful relief to employers facing ongoing labor shortages across the supply chain.
What’s Related
Most immigration debates focus on border policy. The Dignity Act takes a different approach, targeting reforms to legal immigration systems, especially the EB-3 Other Workers category. This visa supports foreign workers in essential, non-professional roles that keep warehouses, trucking fleets, and logistics networks running.
The bill isn’t a silver bullet. But for supply chain employers struggling to staff operations, it could mark a real turning point. Rather than increasing visa caps, the legislation changes how existing EB-3 visas are counted, freeing up more room for actual workers and clearing bottlenecks that have made the program difficult to use.
Why it matters for supply chain employers
The EB-3 category allows U.S. employers to sponsor foreign nationals for permanent roles that don’t require college degrees or advanced training. These include warehouse associates, forklift operators, and long-haul drivers.
For years, the program has faced severe “retrogression,” where processing slows to a crawl because demand far outpaces available visas. That uncertainty makes it nearly impossible for employers to build staffing plans around EB-3 labor.
One major reason is how visas are allocated. Of the roughly 10,000 EB-3 visas issued each year, an estimated 70% go to dependents, including spouses and children, rather than to the workers themselves. These dependents go through the same vetting process but never enter the workforce. As a result, only about 3,000 visas are issued to actual laborers each year.
A simple fix with outsized impact
John Dorer, CEO of EB3.Work
The Dignity Act proposes a straightforward change: only the principal worker would count against the visa quota. Dependents would still receive visas and undergo full screening, but they would no longer consume any of the limited slots.
This single adjustment could double or even triple the number of EB-3 workers admitted annually without changing the overall cap. Faster visa bulletin movement, shorter timelines, and reduced retrogression would make EB-3 planning far more realistic for supply chain employers.
Funding and coordination improvements
The bill also includes more than $3 billion in funding to improve immigration processing:
A fourfold funding increase for the Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification
$2.56 billion for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to reduce I-140 and adjustment-of-status backlogs
$852 million for the State Department to shorten visa interview wait times
The legislation also calls for a new interagency coordinator to help streamline cases across DOL, USCIS, and the State Department.
Why this matters for warehouses and logistics
Warehouses and third-party logistics providers have been hit especially hard by labor shortages in recent years. Pandemic-era demand surges, high turnover, and absenteeism have left many operations short-staffed long after the emergency phase ended.
Smaller warehouses face even tougher competition, often losing workers to larger employers with deeper recruiting budgets. With the proposed reforms, EB-3 could become a reliable, legal labor pipeline for roles where domestic applicants remain scarce.
What employers should do now
Even as the bill moves through Congress, supply chain employers can prepare:
Workforce planning: Identify roles that may qualify for EB-3 sponsorship, such as warehouse associates, dock workers, and truck drivers.
Partner evaluation: Speak with immigration attorneys or workforce agencies experienced in EB-3 programs.
Data tracking: Monitor visa bulletins and legislative updates tied to the Dignity Act.
Budget forecasting: Plan for recruitment and onboarding costs as part of long-term hiring strategies.
A policy worth watching
Unlike many immigration proposals stalled by partisan gridlock, the Dignity Act has drawn real bipartisan support. By aligning legal immigration with labor market realities, it offers a practical option for employers and policymakers alike.
The legislation won’t solve every workforce challenge facing supply chains. But it could turn EB-3 sponsorship from a bureaucratic gamble into a workable staffing strategy, giving warehouses and logistics providers access to a legal, vetted labor pool when they need it most.
John Dorer is CEO of EB3.Work, a workforce solutions company that helps U.S. employers address labor shortages through lawful and compliant staffing strategies.
