Transatlantic Greater Birmingham
Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Lauren Hunt T: 0845 6036650
Transatlantic Chamber Patrons
US urged to review
visa freeze ruling Transatlantic business leaders are calling on the US Government to review its decision to extend a freeze on immigration visas. An extended freeze has been placed on a
range of visas – including H-1B, H-2B, H-4, J-1, and L-1.
BritishAmerican Business, of which the
Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber is part, says the move restricts legal and temporary immigration for the purposes of work and study. Chief executive Duncan Edwards said: “As
the representative of more than 400 US and UK companies committed to transatlantic trade and investment, we firmly believe that the ability to deliver prosperity for our nations is tied to the ability to attract the best, and most skilled workers from across the globe. “We therefore regret the US
administration’s decision to restrict legal, temporary immigration for the purposes of work and study. This process does not take employment opportunities away for local citizens; on the contrary, it attracts investment and creates jobs in the United States. “The Covid-19 health crisis needs to be
contained and travel restrictions have understandably been part of the public health response. However, any restrictions on travel and an open and vibrant environment for labor mobility should be temporary and removed as soon as the health risk allows. “We call on the US Government to create
processes to allow all those with already approved visas to enter the country, to help embassies around the world inform applicants and businesses, and to review the decision as soon as it is possible.”
Shaping our region as part of a global Britain
Professor Julian Beer, president of the Transatlantic Chamber, reflects on key themes from last month’s Global Trade Conference – including Britain’s place in the global economy.
In my role as president of the Transatlantic Chamber in the Midlands, it was my pleasure to welcome online delegates to this year’s Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Global Trade Conference. We have previously hosted two Transatlantic
conferences in Birmingham and, even before the Covid-19 pandemic, were planning a wider Global Conference this year. This decision was made mainly as a result of the need to focus on Britain’s place in a global economy post-Brexit and, specifically, to look at the significant opportunities that the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 could offer to forge and renew wider trade relationships.
‘We need a new dialogue which balances economic, societal and environmental factors’
Little did we know when we started planning
what we know now about how the world would change both in the short term and undoubtedly beyond 2020 as a result of Covid-19. What I was hoping to hear at the conference –
and very much did – was discussion around what we need to do, and to think about, for the UK and our trading partners to help define Britain’s place in the global economy and for Global Britain – post-Brexit and Covid-19. I very much believe we need a new dialogue
which balances economic, societal and environmental factors, where we think about,
and implement, new ways of doing things and avoid replicating the models of yesterday. Birmingham was once known as the
‘Workshop of the World’ and the Midlands region has a fantastic history of manufacturing. The question I would like to raise is whether now should be the time to develop a much more focused manufacturing strategy? This is a working thought and one that I hope
will spark a debate as we look to shape the future of Birmingham and the West Midlands as part of a new global Britain.
Airline steps up recovery with new flights
United Airlines has stepped up its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic by adding nearly 25,000 domestic and international flights to its August schedule. The airline said it plans to fly 40 per cent of its overall schedule this
month, with customers slowly returning to flying. According to the TSA (Transport Security Administration), more than
600,000 passengers passed through airport security checkpoints on Monday 29 June – the first time since 19 March that those numbers exceeded 25 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. United added more than 350 daily flights from its US hubs in August, including doubling the number of flights from New York/Newark compared to July. Internationally, the August schedule includes returns to Tahiti and additional flights to Hawaii, the Caribbean and Mexico. Across the Atlantic, United will add more flights and options to Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Munich, Paris and Zurich. Ankit Gupta, United's vice president of domestic network planning, said: “We're taking the same data-driven, realistic approach to growing our
32 CHAMBERLINK August/September 2020 United added more than 350 daily flights from its US hubs
schedule as we did in drawing it down at the start of the pandemic. Demand is coming back slowly and we're building in enough capacity to stay ahead of the number of people travelling. “And we're adding in flights to places we know customers want to travel to, but doing so in a way that's flexible.”
Professor Julian Beer
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