Now that the elections are over, members of Congress will be forced to return to work and deal with unfinished business. To help business administrators with small enterprises sort out what to keep an eye on, Paychex has released a list of the top three post-election regulatory issues that are likely to see some action in the coming weeks.

The first: immigration reform.

Paychex notes that President Obama promised executive action on immigration reform due to Congress's inability to make any headway in key reform areas. Paychex says the following matters may be subject to such executive action:

• Expansion of the pool of family member eligible for legal residency status. This would grant temporary relief from deportation for millions of undocumented immigrants;
• Expansion of green card eligibility through the offer of cards to science degree Masters and PhD graduates currently employed in the U.S., and perhaps the creation of a new visa category for highly skilled;
• Streamlining the legal immigration system to recapture unused worker visas, temporarily increase annual visa numbers, or raise or eliminate existing annual country caps;
• Further securing U.S. borders through the increased use of advanced technologies and revised processes.

See also: Impasse on immigration reform frustrates employers