In a recent San Antonio Express-News op-ed, TechNet executive Geoff Wurzel made the case for reforming the green card and visa systems for highly educated, foreign-born professionals:
 

“When we hear the word ‘immigration’ in Texas, our first thought is probably about the border. But not all immigration issues are about the border, and not all immigration issues are the same.

"The immigration system for highly educated foreign-born professionals is about job creation, economic growth and America's continued innovation leadership. But it's also about backlogs, quotas and frustration for U.S. and Texas employers unable to hire the scientists and researchers they need to drive growth in America. Given the great contributions these valuable professionals make to our country, America should be doing everything it can to remedy these problems and make it easier for them to stay.

“… Critics argue that foreign-born professionals take jobs from Americans and are a source of cheap labor, but countless studies have debunked these myths. A recent study by the National Foundation for American Policy has also found that for every H-1B visa position requested, U.S. technology companies increase their employment by five workers.

“Hiring from domestic pools of talent should always be a first priority — and U.S. employers support efforts to improve U.S. science, mathematics, engineering and technology education. But sometimes foreign-born talent — often those who have graduated from Texas universities — is needed to fill high-skilled positions.

“Given the enormous benefits they bring, reforming the legal immigration system for highly educated professionals must top the congressional agenda for 2011.”

It’s time for bipartisan reforms to permanently fix the U.S. green card and visa systems for highly educated, foreign-born professionals.

Read the full op-ed here.

Learn more about the benefits of highly educated, foreign-born professionals to the U.S. economy.

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Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of corporations, educators, research institutions and trade associations concerned about legal, employment-based immigration and committed to ensuring that the United States has the highly educated workforce necessary to ensure continued innovation, job creation and leadership in a worldwide economy.