The United States has a long and proud history of welcoming the world’s best and brightest to its shores.  Highly educated foreign professionals have made and will continue to make great contributions to the U.S. economy, help create jobs for all Americans and build America’s innovation economy.

As a coalition of corporations, educators, research institutions and trade associations committed to ensuring that the United States has the talent necessary for continued innovation, job creation and economic expansion in a worldwide economy, Compete America believes in the following principles:

• The United States must grow domestic sources of talent.  Compete America’s members are committed to improving U.S. science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and encouraging more young Americans to choose careers in those fields.
• U.S. employers must be able to recruit and retain highly educated foreign-born professionals – particularly after they graduate from a U.S. university – as an important complement to domestic sources of talent. 
• The U.S. employment-based visa system must be permanently fixed so that highly educated foreign-born talent can stay in the United States, innovating for America.
• Brainpower is even more essential in a down economy.  Future growth and job creation will be led by innovation, whether it’s new technologies, new cures or new sources of energy.  America does not have a monopoly on brainpower, and in an increasingly competitive global environment, we have to retain the talent that will keep us leading worldwide innovation. 
• Strong, smart enforcement is needed to protect American and foreign-born workers.  Laws should punish bad actors and recognize that most employers who hire foreign-born professionals follow the rules scrupulously.
• Immigration reform must safeguard the interests of American workers, while recognizing that excessive and protectionist measures that shut off access to foreign-national talent will inhibit innovation and job growth, and result in fewer opportunities for American workers.

Compete America strongly supports bipartisan reform of the employment-based visa system and encourages a process that will allow all stakeholders to express their interests so that legislation can be enacted this year.