Jan. 3 (Bloomberg) — Business groups and activists lobbying for broad changes in U.S. immigration laws say they now expect House Republicans to consider piecemeal legislation this year and could start by tightening border security.

Party leaders have been discussing options for months. House Speaker John Boehner, who says he's committed to advancing legislation, last month hired an immigration policy adviser from the Bipartisan Policy Center to work on the issue.

"Boehner has had many opportunities to shut down this process and he never has," said Randel Johnson, senior vice president for immigration and labor issues at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "We're definitely working towards an expectation that the House is going to move forward on immigration."