Washington Expands PFML to Help Workers Struggling with the Federal Crackdown on Immigration Status

Timely expansion of benefits

Effective July 27, 2025, Washington’s Paid Family Medical Act has been expanded to allow employees to use their paid sick leave for immigration-related proceedings involving themselves or their family members. This expansion adds to the existing reasons for which paid sick leave can be used, such as personal illness, caring for a family member, or  health-related closures.  This recent expansion is an acknowledgment  of the current  conflict between Federal and State government policies towards non-citizen workers. 

This expanded benefit provides protections for immigrants who need to take time off to resolve any issues with their immigration status. Recognizing that arrest, detention, and deportation are as damaging to working families as illness  and injury, this new law serves a few compelling policy objectives that serve the interests of both employees and employers for a number of reasons:

·        Supports workers and their families in their efforts to avoid deportation and its adverse consequences by affected workers paid time off in order to resolve immigration issues;

·        Anti-retaliation protection, a significant feature of the statute, are expanded to protect workers who may face adverse employment actions to racism, ethnic bias, or anti-immigration sentiment

·        This law also may help employers to retain employees who would otherwise need to leave their jobs to deal with their immigration issues.

This amendment is codified at RCW 49.46.210 which has been amended to include the following language:

(1) Beginning January 1, 2018, except as provided in RCW 49.46.180, every employer shall provide each of its employees paid sick leave as follows:

. . .

(iv) To allow the employee to prepare for, or participate in, any judicial or administrative immigration proceeding involving the employee or employee's family member.

RCW 49.46.210.