It's About Innovation

View PDF Version Did you know ... Foreign-Born Scholars Chosen to Advise Obama Administration on Science and Technology Compete America Applauds President for Strong Commitment to U.S. Science and Technology Leadership This week, President Obama chose three foreign-born scholars to serve on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST): Mario Molina – Born in Mexico; Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego and the Center for Atmospheric Sciences at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, as well as Director of the Mario Molina Center for Energy and Environment in Mexico City; Awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering the threat that CFCs pose to the Earth’s ozone layer, a major environmental breakthrough. Barbara Schaal – Born in Germany; Professor of Biology at Washington University in St Louis, Mo.; Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences, the first woman ever elected to that role. Ahmed Zewail – Born in Egypt; Professor of Chemistry and Physics at Caltech and Director of the Physical Biology Center; Awarded the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Also this week at the National Academy of Sciences, President Obama strongly confirmed his belief in the power of science and technology to help America confront and conquer its greatest challenges, calling for, among other initiatives, the United States to surpass its record investment in R&D, set in 1964 at the height of the space race, exceeding three percent of GDP.  Compete America applauds the President’s commitment to research investments and to maintaining America’s technological edge. Shortsighted visa policies that push away highly educated foreign-born scientists and engineers will only aid the economic development of other nations and endanger America’s own recovery and future. Comprehensive immigration reform is long overdue – we urge action now and support efforts by the President and leaders of Congress to find a comprehensive solution this year. To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   - April 30, 2009 top View PDF Version Did you know ... Overall H-1B Cap Not Yet Reached; Proves Market-Based Approach is Justified FY 2010 Filings Show U.S. Companies Trying to Retain U.S.-Educated Talent Just 45,000 of the 65,000 standard H-1B visas available for FY 2010 have been requested as of April 27, 2009, according to USCIS – proving that a market-based cap on the number of H-1B visas allotted per year – as Compete America has advocated for many years – is justified. Meanwhile, approximately 20,000 of the 20,000 visas for foreign-born graduates with an advanced degree from a U.S. university have been requested – showing that U.S. companies want to retain critical, U.S.-educated talent for the American economy.   Despite the economic downturn and layoffs that have impacted many sectors of the U.S. economy, the brightest scientists and engineers in the world – whether American or foreign-born – will always be in demand. To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   - April 28, 2009 top View PDF Version Did you know ... A Significant Percentage of H-1B Visa Applications for 2010 Will be for Professionals Educated at U.S. Universities and Already Working in America A significant number of H-1B visas sought by Compete America member companies are for foreign nationals who received advanced degrees from U.S. universities and who, in most cases, are already working for companies.  In fact: Over 55% of respondents to a recent American Council on International Personnel survey said that more than 75% of their advanced degree H-1B visa filings for fiscal year 2010 are for U.S. graduates who are currently working in their companies in the Optional Practical Training program. It is completely counterproductive to educate highly educated, foreign-born individuals, train them in our companies and then release them to competitor nations at a time when we need to lay the groundwork for economic growth. Highly educated workers have been at the forefront of economic growth and job creation in America, and they will continue to be the driving force behind America’s bold new initiatives in energy, health care and education. To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -March 25, 2009 top View PDF Version Did you know ... More than 80 Leaders of Business and Academia Urge Congress: Pass H.R. 5882 (the Green Card Recapture Bill) This Year! In their letter to all U.S. Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, America’s business and academic leaders stated: “Failure to enact a recapture provision will further hamper U.S. employers in the global competition for the world’s best talent, as more and more extremely valuable professionals from around the world take their education and abilities to other nations that strategically pursue policies to attract these individuals. ... “America’s future is at stake.  Congress should quickly pass this modest measure [H.R. 5882] that keeps highly talented individuals working to benefit the American economy.  We urge your support for a recapture provision this year.” America Can No Longer Wait – Pass H.R. 5882 Without Delay! To view the letters and signatures, click here.  To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -September 23, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... U.S. Employers Need EB Green Cards to Stay in Global Race for Talent Help America Compete for the World's Brightest Minds.  Pass H.R. 5882 (the Green Card Recapture Bill) This Year! To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -September 16, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... Pass H.R. 5882 (the Green Card Recapture Bill) This Year! To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -September 10, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... Canada Advertises for Highly Educated Professionals Who Can’t Get Permanent Visas to Stay in America While American Immigration Policies Close the Door on Top World Talent, Other Countries Roll Out the Red Carpet! Pass H.R. 5882 (the Green Card Recapture Bill) This Year! To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -September 9, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... America’s ability to constantly create and innovate has helped keep it on the leading edge of worldwide scientific and technological discovery. Helping to drive U.S. innovation are highly educated, foreign-born professionals.  Foreign nationals and foreign residents contributed to more than half of the international patents filed by a number of large, multi-national companies, including Qualcomm (72 percent), Merck & Co. (65 percent), General Electric (64 percent), Siemens (63 percent) and Cisco (60 percent). U.S. employers rely on the EB green card and H-1B visa systems to hire and retain top world talent.  But the systems are broken, which puts U.S. innovation at risk. Congress Must Enact Reforms to the EB Green Card and H-1B Visa Systems This Year! To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -July 24, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... According to a new progress report from Tapping America’s Potential, Congress has made no progress on reforming the visa system for highly educated professionals.  Specifically: “The collapse of comprehensive immigration reform in 2007 has stymied much-needed reform of the employment-based green card and H-1B visa systems. Highly educated foreign-born professionals, particularly those educated at U.S. universities, are one of America’s greatest competitive advantages. The United States should embrace these innovators rather than sending them home to compete against U.S. businesses.” The report also found mixed and little progress on efforts to boost the number of U.S. graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering or math – the pipeline of talent for our nation’s innovation future! Congress Must Get Serious and Enact Reforms to the EB Green Card and H-1B Visa Systems This Year!  To read the report, “Gaining Momentum, Losing Ground,” visit www.tap2015.org. To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -July 17, 2008 top Did you know ... According to a new report from Harvard and Duke Universities and the University of California, Berkeley, highly educated science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) foreign graduates contribute significantly to U.S. economic growth and global competitiveness.  The report found that: Out of the over 2,000 companies interviewed, more than 25 percent reported at least one key founder as an immigrant; The top immigrant founders for U.S. engineering and technology companies were from India; California, New Jersey and Michigan had the greatest percentage of companies founded by immigrants; and Most immigrant founders had strong backgrounds in STEM-related fields, while many immigrant founders entered on either an F-1 student visa or an H-1B visa. As the report concludes, highly educated professionals are making important positive contributions to our national economic development – and America should welcome them. Congress Must Enact Reforms to the EB Green Card and H-1B Visa Systems This Year! To read the report, “Skilled Immigration and Economic Growth,” visit http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1141190. To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -July 10, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... More than half of the 56 Howard Hughes medical investigators chosen this year from the nation's top universities are highly educated immigrants or their descendants. This trend is not a surprise. In fact this has been the proportion for the past several years. Such foreign-born researchers are doing cutting-edge work in cancer, AIDS, nanotechnology and other critical areas of research that will save lives. Meanwhile, Congress continues to stall on crucial reforms to the EB green card and H-1B visa systems that would make it easier for worldwide talent to remain researching, working and innovating here in America. Congress Must Enact Reforms to the EB Green Card and H-1B Visa Systems This Year! To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -June 26, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... H-1B Critics Continue to Deny the Facts Need for Talent and the Positive Impact of H-1B Program on U.S. Job Growth are Well Documented Contrary to the evidence, the Center for Immigration Studies continues to proclaim that there is no relationship between the need for professional talent and the high demand for H-1B visas.  These claims come despite three studies released in March 2008 that provide ample evidence that H-1B visas are in high demand because of a shortage of workers in many high-skilled professions, and that the program actually helps create U.S. jobs. The National Science Foundation found that the unemployment rate of U.S. scientists and engineers dropped to a record low of 2.5% in 2006. National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) providing solid evidence of the extensive quantity of high-skilled job openings in U.S. technology and defense industries.  In its analysis of job openings at all companies in the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500, NFAP concluded that major U.S. technology companies currently average more than 470 high-skilled job openings each, while U.S. defense companies average 1,265 openings in skilled positions. NFAP also provided evidence that the hiring of skilled foreign professionals through the H-1B visa program has a positive impact on U.S. job growth.  The Foundation’s analysis found that for every H-1B position requested, U.S. technology companies showed an increase in employment of 5 workers. For technology firms with fewer than 5,000 employees, each H-1B position requested was associated with an increase in employment of 7.5 workers. Facts don’t lie – America’s innovation economy is in dire need of skilled professionals if we are to stay competitive and keep jobs in the United States. Congress Must Enact Reforms to the H-1B Visa and EB Green Card Programs This Year! For a copy of the research cited above and to learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -June 19, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... SIA and IEEE-USA Agree: The EB Green Card System Must be Reformed This Year The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and IEEE-USA, which represents electrical and electronics engineers, recently partnered to support three bills that would make necessary, incremental reforms to the EB green card system (H.R. 6039, H.R. 5882 and H.R. 5921). In a letter of support sent to Rep. Zoe Lofgren, SIA and IEEE-USA stated: “If enacted, these three simple changes will enhance U.S. technological competitiveness and enable highly educated immigrants to contribute to job creation in the U.S. The IEEE-USA and SIA stand ready to assist your efforts to pass this important legislation.” If SIA and IEEE-USA can agree, Congress should too. Congress Must Enact Reforms This Year and Make the EB Green Card System Work for America! To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -June 12, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... U.S. employers must pay highly educated workers hired through the H-1B visa program the higher of the actual or prevailing wage for that position. U.S. employers take this requirement seriously.  For example… The average annual wage proposed by Google for H-1B hires in 2007 was $96,876, according to Labor Condition Application data, compared to an average prevailing wage of $79,777. (eWeek, May 29, 2008)  H-1B employees are not a cheap source of labor.  Highly educated workers fill critical positions at American companies and contribute greatly to the U.S. economy. Congress Must Enact Reforms This Year and Make the H-1B Visa and EB Green Card Systems Work for America!  To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -June 5, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... While Other Countries Step Up Efforts to Attract Highly Educated Professionals, Congress Fails to Act Australia plans to increase its skilled talent pool by 30 percent next year, from 102,500 in 2007-08 to 133,500. Canada is making it easier for international students to remain in the country after graduation by no longer requiring that they have a job offer to apply for a work permit and allowing students to remain in Canada for up to three years. Previously, foreign students could only receive a one-year permit. The European Union has introduced a “Blue Card” plan that allows highly educated workers to apply for renewable two-year visas, with process times of only one – three months. Meanwhile, America has not raised EB green card numbers since 1990 and highly educated employees must wait six – 10 years to get one.  Many employees become frustrated and go to places that are taking steps to welcome them, like Australia, Canada and the EU. Congress Must Enact Reforms This Year and Make the EB Green Card System Work for America! For a fact sheet on the importance of EB green cards, click here. To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -May 22, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... Employment-based Green Cards – Vital to American Innovation U.S. employers depend on employment-based (EB) green cards to keep highly educated professionals already employed in the workforce here in America so that they can continue innovating for the U.S. economy. But backlogs in the system mean that many of these valuable professionals are left waiting five to 10 years for an EB green card.  That can put an employer’s plans on hold and the life of employees in limbo because of limits on promotions, job changes, and even the ability to travel.  And their spouses, often well educated, are not able to work either. Many employees become frustrated and return to their home countries to compete against us, using their experience working at a U.S. company and in many cases a graduate degree from a U.S. university. The EB green card system doesn’t work for America. It’s time for Congress to reform the EB green card system to reflect the needs of U.S. employers and the 21st century workforce. To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -May 8, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... After Educating Foreign-Born, Highly Educated Professionals, America Must Keep Them At U.S. universities in 2007, foreign nationals accounted for: Nearly 40 percent of all master’s graduates in engineering 60 percent of all Ph.D. graduates in engineering Nearly 50 percent of all master’s graduates in electrical engineering 70 percent of all Ph.D. graduates in electrical engineering U.S. companies rely on H-1B visas and EB green cards to recruit and retain these highly educated foreign professionals after they have graduated from the U.S. educational system.  It’s counterproductive to educate them and then shut them out of the U.S. job market – often times forcing them to go abroad and compete against us. The H-1B visa and EB green card systems must be reformed this year. For state-by-state engineering graduate data and to learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -May 1, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... Companies Contributing to U.S. Education – The Future of the American Workforce U.S. companies have contributed nearly $2 billion through H-1B fees to U.S. math and science scholarships and U.S. worker training since 1999.  These fees have funded: More than 40,000 scholarships for U.S. students in math and science through the National Science Foundation; Hands-on science programs for 80,000 middle and high school students and 3,700 teachers; and Training for more than 55,000 U.S. workers and professionals. U.S. companies pay more than $91 billion each year in state and local taxes directed toward public education. U.S. companies are committed to improving America’s public education system to prepare the next generation of American workers for the 21st century workplace.  At the same time, companies rely on H-1B visas and EB green cards to recruit and retain highly educated foreign professionals as a complement to domestic sources of talent.  The H-1B visa and EB green card systems must be reformed this year. To read profiles on company education initiatives and to learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -April 24, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... The H-1B Lottery: Playing Games with America’s Innovation Future H-1B Lottery is “National Self-Sabotage” The U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had received a preliminary number of nearly 163,000 applications during the filing period ending on April 7, 2008, for the FY 2009 allotment of H-1B visas.  The Economist best described the absurd H-1B lottery system: “The result [of the H-1B lottery] is that hundreds of thousands of highly qualified people – entrepreneurs who want to start companies, doctors who want to save lives, scientists who want to explore the frontiers of knowledge – are kept waiting on the spin of a roulette wheel and then, more often than not, denied the chance to work in the United States.  This is a policy of national self-sabotage.”  –  April 10, 2008 The H-1B visa and EB green card systems must be reformed this year. To play the H-1B lottery and to learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -April 15, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... The H-1B Lottery: Playing Games with America’s Innovation Future H-1B Cap Hit Immediately – Again The U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the FY 2009 allotment of visas for highly educated foreign-born professionals was exceeded by applications received during the filing period that began on Tuesday, April 1, 2008.  H-1B visa “winners” will once again be determined by random lottery. This marks the first year that both the 65,000 overall cap and 20,000 cap exemption were reached during the filing period.  Last year the 20,000 cap exemption was reached weeks after the filing period. This is the second year in a row that the overall cap has been reached during the filing period. This is the fifth consecutive year that the cap has been reached on or before the beginning of the new fiscal year.  The H-1B visa and EB green card systems must be reformed this year. To play the H-1B lottery and to learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -April 9, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... Editorial Pages Across the Country Agree: Congress’ Inaction on Employment-Based Visa Reform Is Putting America’s Innovation Future at Risk The H-1B Lottery: Playing Games with America’s Innovation Future “Congress likely won't revisit comprehensive immigration reform in this election year. But lawmakers would be foolish to wait to lift the H-1B cap, especially during the current economic slump. It makes no sense to limit a source of highly skilled labor that would help the U.S. economy grow.” – Orlando Sentinel, March 29, 2008 “H-1B visas are reserved for the world's best and brightest, and barring their entry is economic self-sabotage.” – Evansville Courier and Press (Indiana), March 26, 2003 “What's needed is obvious. The H-1B program should be both expanded and overhauled … Beyond the H-1B program, more permanent visas need to be steered to highly skilled people.” – USA Today, March 25, 2008 The H-1B visa and EB green card systems must be reformed this year. To play the H-1B lottery and to learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -April 3, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... Editorial Pages Across the Country Agree: Congress’ Inaction on Employment-Based Visa Reform Is Putting America’s Innovation Future at Risk The H-1B Lottery: Playing Games with America’s Innovation Future “Allowing the [H-1B] cap to stay so low effectively exiles not only the world's best and brightest but also the U.S. companies that employ them.” – The Washington Post, March 25, 2008 “…[W]e'd love to see someone in D.C. give a little consideration to the H-1B visa problem. Raising the cap substantially would be a good start, and would be hailed by companies that now see too many talented and eager workers wind up overseas.” – The Oklahoman, March 25, 2008 “…[L]awmakers and the Bush administration should act to address what [Microsoft Chairman Bill] Gates calls an ‘already grave situation.’  This would be a good step toward helping America better compete in a global economy that, like it or not, is here to stay.” – The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, PA), March 17, 2008 The H-1B visa and EB green card systems must be reformed this year. To play the H-1B lottery and to learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org. 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.   -April 1, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... Bill Gates Testifies to Importance of High-Skilled Immigration Reform … So Why Are We Playing Games with America’s Innovation Future? The H-1B Lottery Countdown Continues In congressional testimony last week, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates explained the result of Congress’ inaction on high-skilled immigration reform: “…[M]any U.S. firms, including Microsoft, have been forced to locate staff in countries that welcome skilled foreign workers to do work that could otherwise have been done in the United States, if it were not for our counterproductive immigration policies.  Last year, for example, Microsoft was unable to obtain H-1B visas for one-third of the highly qualified foreign-born job candidates that we wanted to hire.” Now is the time to reform the employment-based visa system, not throw highly educated professionals into a government-run lottery system.  But that’s exactly what will happen on April 1, 2008 when the 2009 cap on H-1B visas is expected to be hit on the very first day that U.S. employers can even file for them.  America can’t leave its innovation leadership to chance! The H-1B visa and EB green card systems must be reformed this year. To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.   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.   -March 20, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... New Study Confirms Importance of Highly Educated Workers … So Why Are We Playing Games with America’s Innovation Future? The H-1B Lottery Countdown Continues According to a new study from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), major U.S. technology companies currently average more than 470 high-skilled job openings each while U.S. defense firms average 1,265 openings in skilled positions. Facts don’t lie – America’s innovation economy is in dire need of skilled professionals if we are to stay competitive and keep jobs in the United States. Now is the time to reform the employment-based visa system, not throw these highly sought-after professionals into a government-run lottery system.  But that’s exactly what will happen on April 1, 2008 when the 2009 cap on H-1B visas for highly educated foreign-born professionals is expected to be hit on the very first day that U.S. employers can even file for them.  America can’t leave its innovation leadership to chance! The H-1B visa and EB green card systems must be reformed this year. To read the NFAP report, click here.  To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.   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.   -March 13, 2008 top View PDF Version Did you know ... It’s That Time of Year Again – Time to Play the H-1B Lottery The 2009 cap on H-1B visas for highly educated foreign-born professionals will likely be hit on or near April 1, the very first day that U.S. employers can even file for them.  That means that all the applications received will go into a lottery, and highly educated professionals will be chosen at random to fill critical roles in our nation’s innovation economy. Last year, the 2008 cap was hit on the same day applications were accepted – a record speed. Clearly, supply does not meet demand. Yet Congress has failed to reform the immigration system for highly educated workers to meet America’s economic needs. America can’t leave its innovation leadership to chance! The H-1B visa and EB green card systems must be reformed this year. To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.   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.   -March 6, 2008 top   View PDF Version Did you know ... Highly educated, foreign-born professionals bring tremendous benefits to the U.S. economy – and at no cost to American taxpayers.  Highly Educated Professionals are Revenue Generators In 2005, the publicly traded venture-backed companies started by immigrants generated more than $130 billion in revenue.  (NVCA) Moreover, Indian and Chinese entrepreneurs founded nearly one-third of Silicon Valley’s technology companies that accounted for $19.5 billion in sales and generated more than 72,000 jobs.  (NVCA) The $1,500 H-1B fee paid by employers has funded nearly $2 billion in U.S. student scholarships and worker retraining programs.  (National Foundation for American Policy) U.S. high-tech goods exports increased by 10 percent from $199 billion to $220 billion, while imports rose by 9 percent from $295 billion to $322 billion between 2005 and 2006.  (AeA) 2006 was the fourth consecutive year of growing high-tech exports, with increases in all eight industry sectors.  (AeA) High tech was the nation’s largest export industry in 2006, comprising 21 percent of total U.S. goods exports.  (AeA) America can strengthen its economy by welcoming more of these highly valued professionals.  Reform the H-1B visa and EB green card programs that bring them here today. For all the facts on how highly educated workers stimulate the economy, click here.  To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.   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.   -January 30, 2008 top   View PDF Version

Did you know ...

Highly educated, foreign-born professionals bring tremendous benefits to the U.S. economy – and at no cost to American taxpayers. 

Highly Educated Professionals are Economic and Innovation Drivers

• Immigrants have started one in four U.S. public companies over the past 15 years. (National Venture Capital Association (NVCA))

• In the last 15 years, immigrants have started 25 percent of U.S. venture-backed public companies, including major U.S. employers such as Intel, Sun Microsystems, eBay, Yahoo! and Google.  (NVCA)

• 25.3% of engineering and technology companies started in the United States from 1995 to 2005 had at least one foreign-born key founder.  Nationwide, these immigrant-founded companies produced $52 billion in sales and employed 450,000 workers in 2005.  (Duke University and the University of California, Berkeley)

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ eight IT job segments added more than 300,000 jobs last year, with average quarterly employment topping 3.76 million last year, up from 3.46 million at the end of 2006, making 2007 the best year ever for IT job creation. (Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS))

• The U.S. IT industry is at full employment, with quarterly unemployment averaging just two percent in 2007.  (BLS)

America can strengthen its economy by welcoming more of these highly valued professionals.  Reform the H-1B visa and EB green card programs that bring them here today.

To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

-January 24, 2008

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Democratic and Republican Presidential Candidates Agree: Highly Educated Professionals Contribute to America

• “… [O]ne of our greatest sources of talent and brains in this nation came from people from all over the world, who studied here, and decided that they wanted to stay and work here. … [W]e … have to fix this H-1B problem, and we have to make it a lot easier for students from all over the world to come and study at the finest institutions in the world.” – Senator John McCain (R-AZ), August 30, 2007

• “I think it is important for us to have available … the talent and the mental capacity we need. So the H-1B visa program is important; it should be expanded, based on the needs that exist.” – Senator John Edwards, September 3, 2007

• “H-1B visas are a great source of a brain magnet, … bringing people into this country who have skill and experience from other countries.  I’d rather staple a green card to your diploma and say that if you can get a Ph.D. from one of our great institutions, we’d love you to stay here.” – Governor Mitt Romney, September 25, 2007

• “… [W]e need to get the best minds from the world once again coming to America.” – Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), October 4, 2007

• “I support comprehensive immigration reform that includes improvement in our visa programs, including our legal permanent resident visa programs and temporary programs including the H-1B program, to attract some of the world’s most talented people to America.” – Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), November 26, 2007

Support for H-1B visa and EB green card reform is bipartisan.  Congress must act now to modernize these systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century.

To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

-December 19, 2007

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New Report Finds U.S. Jobs and Innovation Being Driven Offshore by Employment-Based Visa Restrictions

According to a new study from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), U.S. technology companies, research labs and companies serving clients in a range of fields are being driven to pursue offshore employment alternatives due to current and proposed employment-based visa restrictions.

According to the report:

• The increasing demand for highly educated professionals throughout the U.S. economy and an increasing need to compete globally has created a demand for scientists, engineers and other professionals in the United States that cannot be filled by Americans alone. 

• Further restricting the conditions under which companies obtain H-1B and L-1 visas for skilled foreign nationals, even in exchange for higher annual limits on H-1Bs, is likely to result in less innovation and job creation in the United States as companies hire more individuals abroad.

• A more sensible policy is to increase quotas for H-1B visas and employment-based green cards and to enforce existing laws already in place to protect the interests of U.S. workers. 

Congress must act now to modernize the H-1B visa and EB green card systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century.

To read the full report, visit http://www.nfap.com/pdf/071206study.pdf.

To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

-December 12, 2007

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Widespread Support for EB Green Card and H-1B Visa Reform Continues to Build

Editorial pages across the country continue to call for a fix to the EB green card and H-1B visa programs.

• “Economic protectionists oppose lifting the visa cap to meet demand. But it makes little sense for our universities to be educating these talented foreign students, only to send them packing after graduation.  Current policies have MIT and Stanford educating the next generation of innovators -- and then deporting them to create wealth elsewhere.”

            – The Wall Street Journal, November 30, 2007

• “The government should do all it can to pull the cork out of the H-1B bottleneck... Instead of making the process more burdensome, this country should do what it can to increase the number of bright and highly skilled people in the work force.” -- The Oklahoman, November 27, 2007

• “Last month, the EU introduced a new "blue card," which acts as a temporary work visa for educated professionals. The message it sends is clear. While the U.S. dollar is shrinking in value and American leaders clearly don't want foreigners on their shores, the European Union is laying a giant welcome mat for people who can help its surging economies.”

            -- Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City), November 17, 2007

• “The United States long has benefited from foreigners coming here to better themselves. If we're on the receiving end of a “brain drain,” …why shouldn’t we streamline the process of accommodating the newcomers?”

            – The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC), November 14, 2007

Congress must act now to modernize the EB green card and H-1B visa systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century.

To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

-December 5, 2007

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Number of U.S.-Born Graduates Not Meeting Demand

A recent report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers ^(NACE) found greater competition is expected for graduates in the fields of engineering and computer science during the 2007-2008 recruiting season. 

That’s because the number of U.S.-born graduates with degrees in these fields is not increasing to meet rising demand.

• As a result, an increased number of employers are relying on foreign-born students to meet their employment needs.

• According to the report, one-third of employers who responded said they plan to hire foreign students this recruiting season.

However, arbitrarily low H-1B visa numbers have made it virtually impossible for U.S. employers to hire foreign-born students graduating from U.S. universities.

Congress must fix both the H-1B visa and EB green card systems that U.S. employers use to recruit and retain highly sought after and much needed worldwide talent. 

To learn more about the NACE report, visit www.naceweb.org.

To learn more about the need to reform America’s highly educated immigration system, visit www.competeamerica.org.

-November 14 , 2007

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Foreign-Born, Highly Educated Professionals Create Jobs and Drive Innovation

Foreign-born, highly educated immigrants who study and then remain in the United States drive American innovation, create U.S. jobs, and help keep the U.S. economy strong.

• More than half of the foreign-born founders of U.S. technology and engineering businesses initially came to the United States to study (Kaufmann Foundation).
  
  
• 25.3% of engineering and technology companies started in the United States from 1995 to 2005 had at least one foreign-born key founder.  Nationwide, these immigrant-founded companies produced $52 billion in sales and employed 450,000 workers in 2005 (Duke University and the University of California, Berkeley).

Foreign-born professionals are a significant driving force in the creation of new businesses and intellectual property in America.

Congress must fix the H-1B visa and EB green card systems that U.S. employers use to recruit and retain critical worldwide talent – especially after they have graduated from U.S. universities.

To learn more about the need to reform America’s highly educated immigration system, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

-November 7 , 2007

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The EU Welcomes Highly Educated Professionals While America Turns Many Away

To learn more about the need to reform America’s highly educated immigration system, visit www.competeamerica.org.

¤ ¤ ¤

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.

-October 31, 2007

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The EU Blue Card: A Red Flag for America

Yesterday, the European Union unveiled the Blue Card – a two-year renewable work visa for skilled immigrants.
Europe’s goal? Attract worldwide talent from other countries to help deal with a projected shortage of skilled workers.
Meanwhile, America continues to turn away some of the world’s brightest minds because of arbitrarily low H-1B visa caps and insufficient EB green card numbers.

The EU Blue Card process will take 1-3 MONTHS.
The U.S. Green Card process often takes 5-10 YEARS.

Which would you choose: a welcome mat or a closed door?

To learn more about these and other highly educated professionals who are contributing to America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

¤ ¤ ¤

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.

-October 25, 2007

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Highly Educated Immigrants Awarded Nobel Prize

Highly educated immigrants have a long history of contributing to our country.  Three of this year’s Nobel Prize winners are foreign nationals who now live and work in the United States:

• Leonid Hurwicz – Born in Russia; Professor at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN; Awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.

• Oliver Smithies – Born in Great Britain; Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

• Mario R. Capecchi – Born in Italy; Received a PhD in Biophysics from Harvard University; Professor of Human Genetics and Biology at the University of Utah; Awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

America cannot continue to turn away some of the world’s brightest minds because of arbitrarily low H-1B visa caps and insufficient EB green card numbers.

Congress must modernize the immigration system for foreign-born, highly educated professionals to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century.

To learn more about these and other highly educated professionals who are contributing to America, visit www.competeamerica.org.  

¤ ¤ ¤

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.

-October 17, 2007

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High Tech Companies and Engineers Join Forces to Urge Action on Highly Educated Immigration Reform

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA (IEEE-USA) have joined forces to urge Congress to act this year to reform the highly educated immigration system.

In their joint letter to key Senate and House leaders, they state:

• “Both IEEE-USA and SIA see the retention of highly educated immigrants as part of a broader competitiveness and innovation initiative ….”

• “The SIA and IEEE-USA agree that these highly-talented individuals should be able to get permanent resident status (green cards) in an expedited manner ….”

• “The U.S. should be encouraging highly skilled talent to enter and remain in the United States in order to improve America’s competitive position in the global economy.  Other nations are working hard to attract this same talent to compete against U.S. companies.”

High tech companies and engineers agree: 

Congress must modernize the highly educated immigration system to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century.

For a copy of the letter, click here. 

To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.

¤ ¤ ¤

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.

-October 11, 2007

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New Fiscal Year Begins and U.S. Employers Wait 12 More Months for H-1B Visas

The federal government started its new fiscal year (FY) on October 1, 2007, and
U.S. employers are forced to wait an additional 12 months before they can hire highly educated foreign professionals through the H-1B program – including foreign student talent graduating from U.S. universities.

That’s because the 65,000 FY 2008 H-1B cap was exhausted on April 2, 2007 – the very first day applications were accepted, and half a year before this fiscal year even began.

• This is the ninth time since 1997 that the cap has been reached before the end of the fiscal year.

• This is the fourth year in a row that it has been reached on or before the start of the fiscal year.

This means lost talent, lost job creation and lost economic opportunities for America.  To learn more about the impact, click here.

Congress must act now to modernize the H-1B visa and EB green card systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century.

To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

¤ ¤ ¤

-October 3, 2007

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Widespread Support for EB Green Card and H-1B Visa Reform Continues to Build

Editorial pages across the country continue to acknowledge the need to fix our EB green card and H-1B visa programs this year so that America remains competitive.

• “It is imperative that U.S. companies be able to attract the brightest minds in the world. But this year's annual cap of 65,000 temporary visas was gobbled up in two days. A good place to start, as we've noted before, would be to double the number of H-1B visas.” – San Jose Mercury News, September 20, 2007

• “Every year, … 1 million skilled workers must compete for 120,000 green cards.  They might have had little choice in the past, but many of these workers now have attractive alternatives. Some are already giving up on the United States, taking their talents back to their newly dynamic home economies, such as India and China. … We want these workers. They strengthen us. As more employers and local leaders warn about the consequences of losing them, Congress needs to change the quotas now freezing them out.” – Houston Chronicle, September 16, 2007

• “… [T]he scarcity of certain high-tech skills will further encourage businesses to outsource that work overseas.  After this spring's bruising battle, Congress is unlikely to want to tackle immigration reform quickly, but it must. The problems aren't going away and, in fact, will become increasingly intractable with further delay.” – Dallas Morning News, September 3, 2007

Congress must act now to modernize the EB green card and H-1B visa systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century.

To learn more about highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- September 26, 2007

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New Study Finds Evidence of Reverse Brain Drain

Foreign-born immigrants in the United States help drive international patent creation and innovation.  According to a new study released by the Kauffman Foundation:

• Foreign nationals residing in the United States were named as inventors or co‐inventors in 25.6 percent of international patent applications filed from the United States in 2006, a more than 15 percent increase since 1998.

• Foreign nationals and foreign residents contributed to more than half of the international patents filed by a number of large, multi‐national companies, including Qualcomm (72 percent), Merck & Co. (65 percent), General Electric (64 percent), Siemens (63 percent), and Cisco (60 percent).

• Forty‐one percent of the patents filed by the U.S. government had foreign national inventors or co‐inventors. 

• However, approximately one in five new legal immigrants plan to leave the United States or are uncertain about remaining.

The study estimates that more than 1 million people are currently waiting for green cards, yet only 120,120 permanent resident visas are available annually for them.  This imbalance creates the potential for a sizeable reverse brain drain from the United States to the skilled workers’ home countries.

It’s time for Congress to fix the broken immigration system for highly educated foreign professionals.  This includes streamlining the employment-based green card system and raising the cap on H-1B visas. 

To read the full report and for more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- September 19, 2007

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Nation’s Governors Call on Congress to Act this Year on Highly Educated Immigration Reform

A bipartisan group of 13 governors have called on Congress to enact reforms to the H-1B visa and employment-based (EB) green card systems.  In their letter to U.S. Senate and House leadership they said:

“While we concentrate on building a highly skilled and competitive workforce … today, we and our nation face a critical shortage of highly skilled professionals in math and science to fill current needs.   Until we are able to address this workforce shortage, we must recognize that foreign talent has a role to play in our ability to keep companies located in our state and country; and, therefore, need to ensure the increased availability of temporary H-1B visas, and permanent resident visas (green cards)….”

The letter was signed by the governors of:

It’s time that Congress fix the broken immigration system for highly educated foreign professionals.

For a copy of the letter, click here.

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- September 13, 2007

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It’s that time of year … students across the country are heading back to school. 

For many foreign students at American universities, this will be their last year before entering the job market.  Yet even though they will graduate as some of the world’s top innovators, engineers and scientists – the U.S. government is likely to show them the door. 

Why?  This year, the overall H-1B visa cap for highly educated foreign professionals were taken...IN ONE DAY.  That meant that more than half of all the U.S.-based foreign students set to receive advanced degrees in math, science and engineering from American universities were shut out of the U.S. job market and lost to U.S. employers who badly need them.

These are American-trained innovators and job creators— and an important addition to the U.S. workforce.  It makes no sense to educate them here and then send them abroad to compete against us.

It’s time for Congress to fix the broken immigration system for highly educated foreign professionals.  This includes streamlining the employment-based green card system and raising the cap on H-1B visas. 

America cannot afford to wait for highly educated visa reform any longer.

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- September 6, 2007

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Foreign-born professionals drive innovation and economic growth in the United States.  According to a report issued earlier this year by Duke University and the University of California, Berkeley:

• 25.3% of engineering and technology companies started in the U.S. from 1995 to 2005 had at least one foreign-born key founder.

• Nationwide, these immigrant-founded companies produced $52 billion in sales and employed 450,000 workers in 2005.

• It is estimated that U.S.-based foreign nationals were named as inventors or co-inventors in 24.2% of international patent applications filed from the United States in 2006.

The report makes it clear that foreign-born professionals are a significant driving force in the creation of new businesses and intellectual property in America -- and that their contributions have increased over the past decade.

Yet the employment-based (EB) green card and H-1B visa systems that bring and keep these valued professionals in America are broken and in need of permanent reform.

U.S. innovation leadership cannot be left to chance – especially when foreign nationals contribute so greatly to our nation.

Congress must modernize the EB green card and H-1B visa systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century.

For a copy of the full report, visit www.competeamerica.org/resource/bibliography/immigrant_entrepreneurs.pdf.

To learn more on highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- July 26, 2007

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Widespread Support for EB Green Card and H-1B Visa Reform
Continues to Build

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Editorial pages across the country continue to acknowledge the need to fix our EB green card and H-1B visa programs this year so that America remains competitive.

• “Congress must also allow more skilled immigrants to fill jobs in high-demand fields like technology and nursing. … Some reforms just can't wait for a new president and a new Congress to try again.” – San Jose Mercury News, July 17, 2007

• Business is good in Canada, thanks to the failed efforts of the U.S. Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration bill. … Consider: Software giant Microsoft is going to open an office in Canada. A key factor in the move is the frustration level of company officials, upset that the shortage of H-1B visas for high-tech workers is forcing them to do business elsewhere. … That's what happens when you take a hard-line approach. You exclude everybody, even the best and the brightest the world has to offer.” – Orlando Sentinel, July 11, 2007

• “A comprehensive fix to U.S. immigration policy is overdue, but failing that, Congress should at least adopt a more sensible approach to H-1B visas.” 

– Los Angeles Times, July 10, 2007

• “Massachusetts would benefit if the country expanded its H-1B visa program. …  [T]he United States isn't producing enough engineers and scientists to meet the needs of high-tech industries, so there's ample room to welcome more of the world's skilled workers. … Even if it's with small steps, Congress still has to pursue reform.” – The Boston Globe, July 7, 2007

Congress must act now to modernize the EB green card and H-1B visa systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century.

To learn more on highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- July 19, 2007

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There’s Agreement from Coast to Coast

America’s Editorial Pages Agree:  It’s Time to Fix the System for H-1B Visa and Employment-Based (EB) Green Cards

Congress must act now to keep America’s innovation economy moving by reforming both the H-1B visa and EB green card systems to help U.S. employers meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century. 

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America and to read many more editorials, visit www.competeamerica.org.

- June 21, 2007

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Foreign-born immigrants who study and then remain in the United States drive American innovation, create U.S. jobs, and help keep the U.S. economy strong. 

According to a study released this week by the Kaufmann Foundation:

• More than half of the foreign-born founders of U.S. technology and engineering businesses initially came to the United States to study.

• They typically founded companies after working and residing in the United States for an average of 13 years.

• According to the National Venture Capital Association, immigrants have started one in four U.S. public companies over the past 15 years.

Temporary H-1B visas and permanent employment-based (EB) green cards allow these highly educated foreign professionals to be hired by American companies when they graduate from U.S. universities and then to remain here in the United States so that they can continue contributing to our nation’s strength and prosperity.

Congress must act now to keep America’s innovation economy moving by reforming both the H-1B visa and EB green card systems to help U.S. employers meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century. 

For the complete report, visit www.kauffman.org/immigrants.

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- June 15, 2007

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According to a recent study released by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP):

• U.S. companies have contributed nearly $2 billion through H-1B fees to U.S. math and science scholarships and U.S. worker training since 1999.  These fees have funded:

• More than 40,000 scholarships for U.S. students in math and science through the National Science Foundation;
• Hands-on science programs for 80,000 middle and high school students and 3,700 teachers; and
• Training for more than 55,000 U.S. workers and professionals.

• U.S. companies pay more than $91 billion each year in state and local taxes directed toward public education.

U.S. companies are committed to improving America’s public education system to prepare the next generation of American workers for the 21st century workplace.  U.S. innovation leadership and global competitiveness depend on it.

At the same time, companies rely on H-1B visas and employment-based (EB) green cards to recruit and retain highly educated foreign professionals as a complement to domestic sources of talent. 

Congress must act now on innovation and modernize the H-1B visa and EB green card systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century. 

For the complete NFAP report, visit http://www.nfap.com/pdf/0507brief-business-immigration.pdf.

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- May 31, 2007

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According to a study released yesterday by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP):

• 90 percent of H-1B cases investigated are found to be paperwork violations or misread employer obligations, not “willful” violations, and of those dozen or so willful violations each year, none have been committed by companies with household names.

• Back wages were owed to fewer than one percent (0.28 percent) of the individuals who received H-1B status between FY 1999 and FY 2002.

H-1B visas benefit America and all Americans by helping to keep jobs and innovations in the United States.  Reports of abuse are exaggerated and are the exception rather than the rule, according to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement data.

Congress must act now on innovation and modernize the H-1B visa and EB green card systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century. 

For the complete NFAP report, visit http://www.nfap.com/pdf/0507h1Bstudy.pdf

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- May 23, 2007

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The wait time for an employment-based (EB) green card for highly educated foreign nationals from certain countries routinely takes four to six years.  These are highly sought-after professionals who are already working, living and innovating here in America.  Yet we are telling them to live with uncertainty – or leave the country.  Not surprising, many of these talented professionals become frustrated and leave for opportunities in competitor nations.

A new report from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) points out that a failure to fix the problems in the EB green card system threatens U.S. innovation leadership and the competitiveness of many U.S. companies.  According to the report:

• The enormous backlogs and wait times for employment-based green cards sends a signal to many international students and other outstanding individuals that America may not be the place to build your career or raise your family.

• Even with some of the proposed increases in employment-based immigration quotas, it does not appear the backlogs for nationals from certain high volume countries will be eliminated in the near term due to the impact of the per country limits.

• Making employment-based green card categories current for skilled immigrants could provide important competitive advantages for U.S. employers battling for talent against foreign competitors.

The current 140,000 quota on EB green cards has not been updated since 1990.  It is estimated that up to 300,000 applications are pending at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with an additional 100,000-300,000 pending at the Department of Labor.  The outdated and broken EB green card system is damaging U.S. innovation leadership.  Congress must fix the system now.

For the complete NFAP report, visit http://www.competeamerica.org/resource/bibliography/0507_greencard_backlog.pdf.

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- May 16, 2007

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2008 Advanced Degree H-1B Visa Cap Has Been Hit

Did you know ...

The FY 2008 20,000 cap on H-1B advanced degree visas has been hit just one month after USCIS began accepting applications – a record speed.  Since the 65,000 FY 2008 H-1B visa cap was reached last month – also at an unprecedented rate – U.S. employers are now shut out from hiring much needed worldwide talent.

This means that the United States is welcoming some of the world’s brightest students to our country, educating them and then sending them home to compete against us.

Compounding the problem are the massive, multi-year backlogs in the employment-based (EB) green card system, which prevent U.S. employers from retaining many key employees after their temporary H-1B visas expire.

H-1B visa and EB green card reform is just one critical element of the American Innovation Agenda.  The agenda includes:

• Doubling funding for basic research programs in the physical sciences and engineering at key federal agencies;
• Improving student achievement in math and science;
• Welcoming highly educated foreign professionals; and
• Making permanent a strengthened R&D Tax Credit. 

Congress must act now on innovation and modernize the H-1B visa and EB green card systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century. 

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- May 9, 2007

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2006 Data on Foreign Graduates from U.S. Universities Now Available

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• In 2006, foreign nationals earned 40 percent of the master’s degrees and more than 60 percent of the Ph.D.’s in engineering and technology awarded by U.S. universities. 

• In electrical engineering foreign nationals earned 51 percent of master’s degrees and 71 percent of Ph.D.s

Over the past 20 years the demographics of engineering graduate programs at American universities have shifted dramatically.  Increasingly more of the degrees awarded are earned by foreign nationals.  Historically, many foreign graduates would stay and work in America, helping to create jobs and keep our economy strong.

As the numbers of foreign graduate students have increased, employers seeking to hire them have repeatedly been challenged by the lack of visas available to hire them.   However, hitting the H-1B visa cap at record speed this year means that U.S. employers are now shut out from hiring these talented and gifted minds.  This means that the United States is educating some of the world’s brightest students and then sending them home to compete against us.

Compounding the problem are the massive, multi-year backlogs in the employment-based (EB) green card system, which prevent U.S. employers from retaining many key employees after their temporary H-1B visas expire.

Congress must act now on innovation and modernize the H-1B visa and EB green card systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century. 

To find out what the foreign national graduation rates are for engineering schools in your state, visit www.competeamerica.org/states/index.html.

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- May 3, 2007

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Did you know ...

Foreign-born professionals drive innovation and economic growth in the United States.  According to a report issued earlier this year by Duke University and the University of California, Berkeley:

• 25.3% of engineering and technology companies started in the U.S. from 1995 to 2005 had at least one foreign-born key founder.

• Nationwide, these immigrant-founded companies produced $52 billion in sales and employed 450,000 workers in 2005.

• It is estimated that U.S.-based foreign nationals were named as inventors or co-inventors in 24.2% of international patent applications filed from the United States in 2006.

The report makes it clear that foreign-born professionals are a significant driving force in the creation of new businesses and intellectual property in America -- and that their contributions have increased over the past decade.

Yet the H-1B visa and employment-based green card systems that bring and keep these valued professionals in America are broken and in need of permanent reform.  USCIS has received roughly twice as many applications for H-1B visas for 2008 than are available.  U.S. employers must now wait for a random lottery to learn whether they will be able to make tens of thousands of critical hires. 

U.S. innovation leadership cannot be left to chance – especially when foreign nationals contribute so greatly to our nation.

Congress must act now to modernize the EB green card and H-1B visa systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century.

Click here for a copy of the full report.

To learn more on highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- April 19, 2007

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H-1B Lottery Leaves U.S. Innovation Leadership to Chance

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Last week the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services received roughly twice as many applications for H-1B visas for 2008 than are available.  U.S. employers must now wait for a random lottery to learn whether they will be able to make tens of thousands of critical hires.  This is an absurd situation that underscores the need to fix the badly broken U.S. visa system for highly educated foreign nationals. 

Widespread support from across the country continues to acknowledge the need to fix our EB green card and H-1B visa programs this year so that America remains competitive.

• Many members of the Class of 2007 effectively received deportation orders and lost their post-graduation jobs last week when it was announced that the supply of a key type of work visa had dried up in a single day—months before all but a handful of Harvard students could apply. The federal policy of cutting off educated and productive workers from overseas isn’t only unfair to those across the world who want a share in the American dream—it’s a bad policy for those of us who already live here.

– The Harvard Crimson, April 9, 2009

• If America wants to continue to lead the world in innovation, and thus maintain the prosperity that comes with success, … foreign talent must be made available. – Wilmington News Journal, March 25, 2007

• America's knowledge-based economy is increasingly dependent on the best and brightest immigrants, who account for a quarter of the nation's doctorates and a third of its engineering professors. … To educate the next generation of them in America, only to export them to foreign universities and corporations, is foolish in the extreme. – The Washington Post, March 12, 2007

Congress must act now to modernize the EB green card and H-1B visa systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century.

To learn more on highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- April 11, 2007

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Did you know ...

The U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the FY 2008 allotment of H-1B visas has been reached, effectively preventing any new H-1B hires – including scientists, engineers and researchers and other highly educated foreign professionals – for the next 18 months.

This marks:

• The ninth time the cap has been hit before the end of the fiscal year.
• The fourth consecutive year that it has been reached on or before the fiscal year even begins.
• The earliest point that the cap has been reached in the history of the program.

Compounding the problem are the massive, multi-year backlogs in the employment-based (EB) green card system, which prevent U.S. employers from retaining many key employees after their temporary H-1B visas expire.

H-1B visa and EB green card reform is just one critical element of the American Innovation Agenda.  The agenda includes:

• Doubling funding for basic research programs in the physical sciences and engineering at key federal agencies;
• Improving student achievement in math and science;
• Welcoming highly educated foreign professionals; and
• Making permanent a strengthened R&D Tax Credit. 

Congress must act now on innovation and modernize the H-1B visa and EB green card systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century. 

To learn more on highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- April 4, 2007

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Did you know ...

Massive, multi-year backlogs in the employment-based (EB) green card system prevent U.S. employers from retaining the highly educated foreign-born professionals they need to keep America globally competitive. 

The green card backlogs are so substantial that over the past seven months, the backlogs moved forward only sixteen days – from April 22, 2001 to May 8, 2001 – for highly educated (EB-3) immigrants born in India.  This means that only those EB-3 immigrants born in India who started waiting in line before May 8, 2001 may receive a visa number today.  That’s an almost six-year wait!  And the situation is deteriorating.  So far in this calendar year, that same backlog has moved forward exactly ZERO DAYS.

As a result of these backlogs many valuable employees from countries around the world become frustrated and leave America to compete against us in other nations.

After using the H-1B temporary visa to hire these sought-after professionals, employers use the EB green card to keep them here permanently.  In fact, many of the nation’s leading technology companies sponsor more than 90 percent of their H-1B holders for an EB green card.

The EB green card system must be reformed so that U.S. employers can keep highly educated job creators innovating here in the United States permanently.

EB green card and H-1B visa reform is just one critical element of the American Innovation Agenda.  The agenda includes:

• Doubling funding for basic research programs in the physical sciences and engineering at key federal agencies;
• Improving student achievement in math and science;
• Welcoming highly educated foreign professionals; and
• Making permanent a strengthened R&D Tax Credit. 

Congress must act now on innovation and modernize the EB green card and H-1B visa systems to meet our nation’s workforce demands in the 21st century. 

To learn more on highly educated immigration, visit www.competeamerica.org.

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.

- March 19, 2007

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Did you know ...

International graduate student enrollment is rising at U.S. institutions after three consecutive years of decline. According to a Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) report released today on fall 2006 enrollment, total international graduate student enrollment increased by one percent from 2005 to 2006 at CGS' U.S. member institutions. Even more impressive is the 12 percent rise in first-time enrollment of graduate students from around the world.

The CGS report also shows notable increases in first-time enrollment of students from countries that annually send the most students to the United States, which include:

• India, enrollment up 29 percent from last year, and
• China, enrollment up 17 percent enrollment from last year.

After receiving a degree from a U.S. educational institution, it is critical that highly educated worldwide talent be able to stay and work in America. However, the percentage of students who stay in America after receiving a graduate degree here is approximately 50 percent today as compared with 70-80 percent 25 years ago.

The increase in international graduate student enrollment is a positive development for America, but employers need to be able to recruit and retain the best talent coming out of our U.S. graduate programs. However, our immigration laws impede rather than help U.S. employers recruit and retain this valuable talent - even after they have graduated from a U.S. educational institution. The solution is the SKIL Bill (S. 2691/H.R. 5744), which would permanently repair the broken H-1B visa and EB green card programs. Enacting reform is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. It is time for a permanent fix to the H-1B visa and EB green card problems!

For the complete CGS report, visit
www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/R_intlenrl06_III.pdf.

For more on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit
www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- November 1, 2006

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Did you know ...

As the World Series gets underway, a new study reminds us of how foreign nationals have become a great part of our country - even our national past time. According to the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) report, 23 percent of players on active major league rosters as of August 31 were foreign born, which is more than double the percentage in 1990 and about 10 times higher than it was in the 1920s and 1930s.

Highly educated foreign nationals also have a history of making great contributions to America. For example:

• Carlos M. Gutierrez - Born in Cuba; U.S. Secretary of Commerce; former Chairman and CEO of Kellogg.
• Elias Zerhouni - Born in Algeria; Director of the National Institutes of Health; completed his medical residency at Johns Hopkins.
• Claire Tomlin - Born in England; 2006 MacArthur Fellow; aviation engineer and associate professor at Stanford University; received a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Whether it be baseball, public service, medicine or academia, welcoming foreign nationals to our shores benefits our country.

Unfortunately, U.S. employment-based immigration laws impede rather than help U.S. employers put foreign talent to work for America. The solution is the SKIL Bill (S. 2691/H.R. 5744), which would permanently repair the broken H-1B visa and EB green card programs. Enacting reform is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. It is time for a permanent fix to the H-1B visa and EB green card problems!

For the complete NFAP report, visit www.nfap.com.

For more on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- October 26, 2006

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Did you know ...

The United States may be in danger of losing its position as the destination of choice for international students as other countries have stepped up efforts to recruit worldwide talent. According to "Students on the Move: The Future of International Students in the United States," a report released on Monday by the American Council on Education (ACE), the United States had the weakest international student growth from the 1999-2000 to 2004-2005 academic years. At 17 percent, U.S. growth fell behind five other nations:

• Japan - 108 percent
• France - 81 percent
• Germany - 46 percent
• Australia - 42 percent
• Britain - 29 percent

Among the factors cited for the slower growth is the perception among international students that it's difficult to get a visa in the United States and that our country is not welcoming, as restrictions on travel to the United States increased after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The United States cannot afford to lose this valuable talent - especially since international graduate students continue to make up more than half of the total enrollments for U.S. master's degrees or higher in fields like science and engineering.

Congress has the fix! The SKIL Bill (S. 2691/H.R. 5744) would permanently repair the broken H-1B visa and EB green card programs that U.S. employers use to recruit and retain highly educated workers - especially after they have graduated from a U.S. university. Enacting reform is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. It is time for a permanent fix to the H-1B visa and EB green card problems!

For the ACE report, visit:
http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=InfoCenter&CONTENTID=
18573&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm.

For more on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- October 18, 2006

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Did you know ...

Foreign nationals received five of this year's 25 prestigious MacArthur Fellowships, which are awarded to talented individuals with exceptional creativity and promise. Current U.S. immigration laws actually discourage such individuals from learning and staying here. The solution is the SKIL Bill (S. 2691/H.R. 5744), which would repair the broken H-1B visa and EB green card programs.

The five special MacArthur Fellows who studied and now live and work in the United States are:

• Terence Tao (mathematician) - born in Australia; received a Ph.D. from Princeton University; currently a professor at UCLA.
• David Macaulay (visual storyteller) - born in England; received a B.Arch. from the Rhode Island School of Design.
• Claire Tomlin (aviation engineer) - born in England; received a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley; currently an associate professor at Stanford.
• Matias Zaldarriaga (cosmologist) - born in Argentina; received a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; currently a professor at Harvard.
• Luis von Ahn (computer scientist) - born in Guatemala; received a B.S. in mathematics from Duke University and a Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University; currently an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon.

Recruiting and retaining foreign-born talent such as these remarkable individuals - particularly after they have been educated in the United States - is critical to America's continued ability to compete in the global marketplace. The most serious challenge to such recruiting and retaining are the laws governing high-skilled immigration.

Congress has the fix! The SKIL Bill (S. 2691/H.R. 5744) would permanently resolve our broken H-1B visa and EB green card programs. Enacting reform is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. It is time for a permanent fix to the H-1B visa and EB green card problems!

For more on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- October 11, 2006

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Did you know ...

Highly educated foreign nationals bring great benefits to the U.S. workforce and help produce more and better-paying jobs for all workers. A report released this week by the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) found:

• Foreign talent complements the U.S. labor force, which increases productivity and wages for all workers as it stimulates entrepreneurial investment.
• From 1990-2004, immigration accounted for 14.1 percent of employment growth among workers with at least a college degree.
• From 1990-2004, the wages of native-born workers with college degrees rose by more than 20 percent even though immigration increased the size of the college-educated workforce by 14 percent.

Highly educated foreign nationals have provided tremendous benefits to America, and they continue to be great drivers of American innovation and economic strength. But continuing problems in the H-1B visa and employment-based (EB) green card programs impede rather than help U.S. employers to retain and/or hire these valuable professionals.

Congress has the fix! The SKIL Bill (S. 2691/H.R. 5744) would permanently resolve our broken H-1B visa and EB green card programs. Enacting reform is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. It is time for a permanent fix to the H-1B visa and EB green card problems!

For a copy of the complete IPC report, visit
http://rd.bcentral.com/?ID=4525763&s=108574584.

For more on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit:
www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- October 4, 2006

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Did you know ...

The World Economic Forum announced yesterday that the United States has fallen from first to sixth place in its Global Competitiveness Index. One factor contributing to the United States' plummet in economic competitiveness is our decreased talent pool, a result of U.S. immigration restrictions.

Switzerland topped the list as the world's most competitive environment for business, while Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Singapore all beat out the United States as the other top five most competitive nations.

Both the H-1B and employment based (EB) green card programs facilitate the United States' access to global talent and keep us competitive. The need for reforming these programs to welcome worldwide talent into the American workforce could not be made any clearer. America's innovation and global strength depend on reforming both programs now!

Congress has the fix! The SKIL Bill (S. 2691/H.R. 5744) would permanently resolve our broken H-1B visa and EB green card programs. Enacting reform is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. It is time for a permanent fix to the H-1B visa and EB green card problems!

For more information on the World Economic Forum index, visit www.weforum.org.

For more on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- September 27, 2006

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Did you know ...

Reforming the employment-based (EB) green card and H-1B visa programs that U.S. employers use to hire highly educated, foreign-born professionals is critical to U.S. competitiveness and innovation. Widespread support from across the country continues to acknowledge the need to fix our EB green card and H-1B visa programs this year so that America remains competitive.

• "At the beginning of the year, President Bush decided that an ambitious plan called the American Competitiveness Initiative was important enough to be the centerpiece of his State of the Union Address. It was, and it is. And it's going nowhere. The initiative - actually a comprehensive package that includes an increase in the number of H-1B visas, research and development tax credits and increased federal science and education spending - has been the darling of the high-tech industry for years. ... Now it's time to take action."
  - The San Francisco Chronicle, September 19, 2006

• "Immigrants are America's wealth. They have revitalized entire cities in this nation. They bring skills, a strong work ethic and family values that this country needs."
  - Sacramento Bee, August 14, 2006

• "Highly educated and highly sought foreigners come to the United States on 'H-1B visas' and stay with employment-based green cards. However, the system that allows them into the country should be fixed as part of a comprehensive U.S. immigration reform package. . The United States needs foreign talent to stay competitive .."
  - Arizona Daily Star, August 11, 2006

• "The U.S. has long been a magnet for the world's top talent. But in an increasingly global economy, U.S. employers unable to attract the necessary human capital will lose to their competitors abroad."
  - Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2006

Shortages and backlogs in the EB green card and H-1B visa systems prevent U.S. employers from hiring foreign-born talent. This talent is leaving the United States to go to work for our foreign competitors, thereby damaging U.S. competitiveness, our economy and workforce.

Congress has the fix! The SKIL Bill (S. 2691/H.R. 5744) would permanently solve the EB green card and H-1B visa problems. Enacting reform is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. It is time for a permanent fix to the EB green card and H-1B visa problems!

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- September 20, 2006

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Did you know ...

America's badly broken employment-based (EB) immigration system has led to H-1B visa shortages and EB green card backlogs that are crippling our nation's ability to compete in the global marketplace and hurting U.S. employers' ability to recruit the world's top talent. U.S. employers must be able to recruit and retain the many highly educated foreign-born professionals who come to America to study and then work here after graduation.

The following are but a few of the innumerable examples of competitive disadvantages U.S. employers face in the global fight for talent:

• China Gains A Biotechnologist. A Chinese Avian flu biotechnologist who has expertise in manipulating strains of the virus cannot obtain an H-1B visa to complete his research for U.S. biotech firm Biological Mimetics, Inc. As a result, he takes his expertise back to China.
• Filipino Civil Engineer Unlikely to Stay. A Filipino civil engineer who has been working in California for eight years wants to continue his work as a surveyor for an Irvine-based real estate firm. However, as his H-1B visa expired in August and his green card has not yet been processed, he is likely to leave and take his skills back to the Philippines.
• Top Indian Researcher Leaves. An Indian medical researcher skilled in the study of hepatitis C wishes to continue his research at Thomas Jefferson University. However, due to the current green card backlog, he leaves the United States for a research opportunity in a competitor nation.

Click here for more accounts of the talent crisis.

Eventually, many of these professionals will be forced to leave the United States and take their valuable skills with them, hurting U.S. competitiveness, our economy and workforce.

Congress has a way to fix these lingering problems by passing the SKIL Bill (S. 2691/H.R. 5744). Among the SKIL Bill's many sound policy provisions are exemptions for U.S. educated foreign professionals with master's or higher degrees from theH-1B and EB green card quotas. These exemptions ensure talent can be retained in the United States. Enacting SKIL bill reforms is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. It is time for a permanent fix to the EB green card and H-1B visa problems!

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- September 7, 2006

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Did you know ...

The fiscal year (FY) 2007 20,000 cap on H-1B advanced degree visas has been hit - two months before the fiscal year even begins! Since the 65,000 H-1B visa cap has already been reached, U.S. employers are now shut out from hiring much needed worldwide talent for more than a year.

As the demand for graduates with advanced degrees increases, fewer Americans and foreign-born students are enrolling in U.S. universities to study in the critical fields of science and engineering (S&E). According to new data released by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the 2003-2004 school year:

• First-time enrollments of full-time, foreign-born S&E students dropped for a third straight year, down seven percent from 2003, which is a total decline of 20 percent since 2001; and
• First-time enrollments of full-time U.S. citizen/permanent resident S&E students also decreased, the first such decline since 2000 when data collection began.

Fewer S&E graduates, combined with U.S. employers losing the ability to hire foreign-born advanced degree holders through the H-1B visa program, means that American companies can not get the talent they need to create and grow jobs in the United States. And when U.S. employers are prevented from hiring foreign-born professionals, they leave to work for our foreign competitors - which hurts U.S. competitiveness, our economy and workforce.

The SKIL Bill (S. 2691/H.R. 5744) would provide a permanent fix to the H-1B visa and EB green card problems. Enacting reforms is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. It is time for a permanent fix to the H-1B visa and EB green card systems!

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- August 1, 2006

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Did you know ...

Widespread support from across the country recognizes that reforming the employment-based (EB) green card and H-1B visa programs that U.S. employers use to hire highly educated, foreign-born professionals is critical to U.S. competitiveness.

• "Domestic political pressure has been allowed to keep out thousands of skilled professionals formerly allowed to work here under H-1B visas .. Americans met and conquered enormous challenges in the past, and we can do so again in the future, but we must keep our doors - and minds - open to the contributions new arrivals here can make."
  - U.S. News & World Report
• "[T]he U.S. labor market has also long been a magnet for highly skilled and educated foreigners .. In a world where these brains have more options than ever in Asia and Europe, we drive them away at our economic peril." - Wall Street Journal
• "Raising the H-1B quota serves the national interest and is the . pragmatic thing to do."
  - San Antonio Express-News
• "The Senate bill would raise the annual cap on H-1B visas to 115,000 from 65,000. That's the visa given to highly skilled workers. The cap could be much higher; it is in America's best interest to make it easier for such workers to get permanent-residency (green) cards."
  - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

When shortages and backlogs in the EB green card and H-1B visa systems prevent U.S. employers from hiring foreign-born talent, they leave to work for our foreign competitors - which hurts U.S. competitiveness, our economy and workforce.

The SKIL Bill (S. 2691/H.R. 5744) would provide a permanent fix to the EB green card and H-1B visa problems. Enacting reforms is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. It is time for a permanent fix to the EB green card and H-1B visa problems!

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- July 19, 2006

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Did you know ...

The Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Ombudsman submitted his annual report on the agency's activities to Congress. In a list of "pervasive and serious problems" faced by USCIS and its customers are the untimely processing and systemic problems with the employment-based (EB) green card application process. Specifically:

• In January 2005, USCIS had 270,533 pending EB green card applications, of which 191,221, roughly 70 percent, were categorized as backlogged, meaning in the system for more than six months.
• In April 2006, USCIS had between 170,975 and 229,291 pending EB green card applications, which means it had between 22 percent (30,975) and 64 percent (89,291) more applications than it could possibly approve in a year.
• For more than two years, the Ombudsman has attempted to obtain specific green card backlog information, yet USCIS' admitted lack of reporting capability means that such specific data cannot be obtained.

In the Ombudsman's own words: " . it remains the case that USCIS - based on its own estimates - cannot end a fiscal year without cases pending visa allocation. This, in effect, creates a perpetual backlog of green card cases."

U.S. employers rely on EB green cards and H-1B visas to attract and retain much-needed foreign talent. When backlogs and system inefficiencies prevent U.S. employers from hiring these bright minds, they leave to work for our foreign competitors - much to the detriment of the U.S. economy, innovation and workforce.

The SKIL Bill (S. 2691/H.R. 5744) would provide a permanent fix to the EB green card and H-1B visa problems. Enacting reforms is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. It is time for a permanent fix to the EB green card and H-1B visa problems!

For the complete USCIS Ombudsman report, visit www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0890.xml. For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- July 12, 2006

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Did you know ...

Representative John Shadegg (R-AZ) has introduced the SKIL - Securing Knowledge Innovation and Leadership - Bill (H.R. 5744) to reform the H-1B and employment-based (EB) green card systems that U.S. employers need to hire highly educated foreign nationals. This is a companion bill to Senator John Cornyn's (R-TX) Senate-introduced measure (S. 2691) and is the latest indicator that the U.S. Congress is prepared to fix the visa system for highly educated workers permanently.

Among the SKIL Bill's sound policy solutions are:

• Exemptions for U.S. educated foreign workers with master's or higher degrees from the H-1B and EB green card quotas so their talent can be retained in the United States.
• Creation of a flexible, market-based H-1B cap so that U.S. employers are not locked out of hiring critical talent for over a year at a time.
• Extension of foreign students' post curricular optional practical training from 12 to 24 months to allow an easier transition from student to green card.
• Exemptions for EB green card immigrant spouses and children from the annual cap to make more visas available for needed innovative professionals.

U.S. employers rely on H-1B visas and EB green cards to attract and retain much-needed foreign talent. When U.S. employers cannot hire these bright minds, they leave to work for our foreign competitors - much to the detriment of the U.S. economy, innovation and workforce.

Enacting reforms is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. It is time for a permanent fix to the H-1B and EB green card problems!

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- June 30, 2006

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Did you know ...

While other countries are opening their doors wider to the world's brightest students, the United States is closing its door. Consider.

• While the UK has developed strategies to increase international student enrollments, attracting more than 100,000 students to its educational institutions . the United States has experienced declining and stagnant enrollments in the last three academic years.
  
  
• While traditional "sending countries," such as China and India, expand their higher ed systems to keep their brightest minds at home . the United States for the first time seems to be losing its allure for international students, with countries like Australia superseding it as a top destination.
  
  
• While additional new competitors, such as Singapore, Doha and Dubai, have entered the market to attract and retain world student talent . only 50 percent of foreign students stay in America today, versus 70-80 percent 25 years ago.

As the report issued this week by NAFSA: Association of International Educators states, "today's international students are tomorrow's innovators in the U.S. economy."  America's loss of this talent is our competitors' gain.

Among the solutions called for in the report to reverse these trends is removing unrealistic caps in the H-1B and employment-based (EB) green card programs that U.S. employers use to put some of the world's brightest student minds to work for America.

It is time for a permanent fix to the H-1B and EB green card problems.

Last month, the Senate passed provisions that would reform both processes. The SKIL bill (S. 2691) would also address this critical issue. Immigration laws for highly educated talent should be permanently fixed today!

For more on the report, please visit www.nafsa.org/CompeteReport. For more on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- June 21, 2006

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Did you know ...

Even when highly educated professionals come to America legally - often after graduating from a U.S. university - and are sponsored by a U.S. employer for residency, unrealistic caps and delays in the H-1B and employment-based (EB) green card systems mean they can wait for years to obtain legal residency. A recent report from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) found, among other things, that:

• In certain EB green card categories, waits have worsened considerably in the past few years with the current wait for a newly sponsored highly educated individual exceeding five years.

Frustrated, many of these talented minds are forced to leave the United States to work for our foreign competitors.

While other countries are opening their doors wider to the world's brightest talent, our door remains firmly shut - much to the detriment of the U.S. economy, innovation and workforce. It is time for a permanent fix to this problem.

Last month, the Senate passed provisions that would reform both the H-1B visa and EB green card processes. The SKIL bill (S. 2691) would also address this critical issue.

Enacting reforms is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. Immigration laws for highly educated talent should be permanently fixed today!

For more on the NFAP report, please visit www.nfap.com. For more on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- June 14, 2006

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Did you know ...

Last week the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported that the 65,000 H-1B visa cap for fiscal year (FY) 2007 was hit. This is four months before FY 2007 even begins and the earliest time it's EVER been reached!

• FY 2007 is the eighth time in the last ten years that the cap has been reached before the end of the fiscal year.
• FY 2007 is also the third year in a row that the cap has been reached before the fiscal year even begins.

U.S. employers, who depend on the H-1B to attract and retain highly educated foreign talent, will now have to wait for the FY 2008 65,000 H-1B visa allotment - which is more than 15 months away - to be able to hire the talent they need under this cap!

While other countries we compete with are opening their doors wider to the world's brightest talent, our door remains firmly shut - much to the detriment of the U.S. economy, innovation and workforce. It is time for a permanent fix to this problem.

Last month, the Senate passed provisions that would reform both the H-1B visa and employment based (EB visa) green card processes. The SKIL bill (S. 2691) would also address this critical issue. Both the H-1B and green card programs suffer from unrealistic caps and backlogs that must be solved.

Enacting reforms is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. Immigration laws for highly educated talent should be permanently fixed today!

For more on the USCIS announcement and how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- June 7, 2006

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Did you know ...

The start of fiscal year (FY) 2007 is still four months away, yet the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has already received applications for three-quarters of the 65,000 H-1B visas available in FY 2007.

• FY 2007 is on track to be the eighth time in the last ten years that the cap has been reached before the end of the fiscal year.
• FY 2007 is also likely to be the third time in ten years that the cap is reached before the fiscal year even begins.

U.S. employers depend on the H-1B and employment-based (EB) green card programs to attract and retain highly educated foreign talent.

This recent FY 2007 H-1B visa report makes it clear that the United States does not make enough visas available to allow U.S. employers to put some of the world's brightest minds to work for America.

The H-1B visa and EB/green card programs are in serious need of reform.

Several bills currently under consideration in the Senate, including comprehensive reform packages (S. 2611, S. 2612) and the SKIL bill (S. 2691), contain the necessary provisions to reform these programs.

Enacting reforms is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. Immigration laws for highly educated talent should be reformed today!

For more on the USCIS report, visit
http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/services/tempbenefits/cap.htm.

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit
www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- May 24, 2006

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Did you know ...

• Steven Udvar-Hazy - Born in Hungary; donated $66 million for the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum annex at Washington Dulles airport; co-founder of the International Lease Finance Corporation, the world's leading lessor of commercial aircraft; received a bachelor's in economics from UCLA.
• Carlos M. Gutierrez - Born in Cuba; U.S. Secretary of Commerce; former Chairman and CEO of Kellogg.
• Elias Zerhouni - Born in Algeria; Director of the National Institutes of Health; completed his medical residency at Johns Hopkins.

They are but a few examples of the immigrants who have made tremendous contributions to this country. The United States has a long history of welcoming foreign-born talent to our shores, and highly educated individuals have, in turn, made great contributions to America.

The H-1B visas and employment-based (EB) green card programs have been responsible for putting some of the world's brightest minds to work for America, and U.S. employers depend on these programs to attract and retain highly educated foreign talent. However, the H-1B visa and EB/green card programs are in serious need of reform.

Several bills currently under consideration in the Senate, including comprehensive reform packages (S. 2611, S. 2612) and the SKIL bill (S. 2691), contain the necessary provisions to reform these programs. Enacting reforms is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. Immigration laws for highly educated talent should be reformed today!

For more immigrant profiles and information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- May 11, 2006

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Did you know ...

This week, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the SKIL - Securing Knowledge Innovation and Leadership - Bill (S. 2691), which is the latest indicator that both the U.S. Senate and the Bush Administration are prepared to fix the H-1B and employment-based (EB) green card systems for highly educated foreign nationals.

Among the SKIL bill's sound solutions are:

• Exemptions for U.S. educated foreign professionals with a master's or higher degree from the H-1B and EB quotas so their talent can be retained in the United States.
• Creation of a flexible, market-based H-1B cap so that U.S. employers are not locked out of hiring critical talent.
• Extension of foreign students' post curricular optional practical training from 12 to 24 months to allow them to go more easily from student to green card.
• Exemptions for spouses and minor children of EB green card professionals from the annual cap, thus making more visas available for the professionals U.S. employers need.

The SKIL Bill contains many of the reform provisions that are in the two versions of comprehensive immigration reform introduced by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA).

U.S. employers rely on H-1B visas and EB/green cards to attract and retain much-needed foreign talent. Enacting reforms is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. Immigration laws for highly educated talent should be reformed today!

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- May 3, 2006

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Did you know ...

Misguided immigration policies for highly educated foreign talent, combined with our foreign competitors' increased efforts to attract that talent, have resulted in American brain drain.

Fewer of the world's top minds are coming to the United States to study.

• International applications to U.S. graduate programs are down 23 percent from 2003.
• Foreign student immigration to Australia has doubled since the year 2000 while the same type of immigration to the United States has not increased at all.

After receiving a U.S. graduate degree, fewer foreign students are staying to work and contribute to the United States, finding better opportunities back home.

• While 25 years ago 70 to 80 percent of foreign students stayed in the United States after receiving a graduate degree, today only 50 percent do.

Yesterday's arms race is today's brains race.

U.S. employers use the H-1B and employment-based (green cards) visa programs to attract and retain much-needed foreign talent. These programs must be reformed to turn America's brain drain into a brain gain.

Legislation is currently pending in the U.S. Senate to increase the annual limit on
H-1B and EB (green cards) visas. Enacting this legislation is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. Immigration laws for highly educated talent should be reformed today!

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- April 26, 2006

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Did you know ...

Since 1999, the fees U.S. companies pay for the H-1B visas they use to hire highly educated foreign talent have generated more than $1 billion in funds for U.S. education.

• According to a new report from the National Foundation for American Policy, these dollars have funded 40,000 math and science scholarships for U.S. students; hands-on NSF science programs for 75,000 middle and high school students and 3,000 teachers; and training for more than 55,000 U.S. workers and professionals.

The H-1B visa program brings innumerable benefits to America.

• Not only does the program allow U.S. employers to hire and retain some of the world's brightest minds that create jobs and help keep America competitive, it also generates funds for the U.S. pipeline of talent. Combined, this means that H-1B visas are helping to ensure that America has the workforce it needs for scientific and technological discovery well into the future.

Legislation is currently pending in the U.S. Senate to increase the annual limit on
H-1B and EB (green cards) visas. Enacting this legislation is critical to America's future economic growth and stability. Immigration laws for highly educated talent should be reformed today!

To obtain the complete copy of the NFAP report, visit http://www.nfap.com.

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, visit www.competeamerica.org.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- April 5, 2006

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Did you know ...

In 2005, foreign nationals earned more than 40 percent of the master's degrees and 60 percent of the Ph.D.'s in engineering awarded by U.S. universities.

• Historically, foreign graduates would stay and work in America, helping to create jobs and produce the strong economy and high standard of living that we all enjoy. However, misguided immigration laws are making it increasingly more difficult for U.S. employers to recruit and retain this talent, sending many of the world's brightest minds - educated here in the United States - to work for our competitors in foreign nations.

The Senate this week is considering legislation that would ease the caps on the H-1B and EB (green cards) visas that these highly educated professionals need to stay and work in this country. This legislation is critical to America's ability to remain the world leader in technology and innovation.

• The United States has a long history of welcoming foreign-born students to study and work within our borders, and foreign-born individuals have, in turn, made great contributions to America.

We must continue in this great tradition and reform immigration laws for highly educated talent today.

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, 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.

- March 29, 2006

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