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Compete America Praises Introduction of Cornyn Legislation to Reform H-1B and Green Card Systems

'SKIL Bill' Would Relieve Crisis Facing U.S. Employers of Highly Educated Foreign Nationals

Washington D.C. - Compete America today praised the introduction of the "SKIL Bill" by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) to reform both the H-1B visa and employment based (EB visa) green card processes. The legislation is cosponsored by Senators Allard (R-CO), Allen (R-VA), Bennett (R-UT), Enzi (R-WY), and Lott (R-MS).

The SKIL Bill is the latest indicator that both the United States Senate and the Bush Administration are prepared to fix the visa system for highly educated foreign nationals. In addition to the SKIL Bill, Compete America has endorsed measures contained the Senate's comprehensive immigration legislation addressing H-1B and EB visa issues; and has also endorsed President Bush's call to ensure access to talent as part of the Administration's American Competitiveness Initiative.

"Senator Cornyn clearly understands the contribution highly-educated foreign nationals make to the U.S. economy and to Texas," said Texas Instruments CEO and President Richard K. Templeton. "The Senator's bill reaffirms America's proud tradition of welcoming top talent to this country. The reality is that most scientists and engineers with advanced degrees from U.S. universities are foreign born. The competition for talent is truly global. If the U.S. wants to win, we absolutely must encourage these advanced degree holders to stay here and get their green cards - not send them home to compete against us. The 'SKIL' bill really advances that goal."

Both the H-1B and EB visa/green card programs have been responsible for bringing much needed foreign talent to live and work in the United States, and most importantly, to make significant contributions to the U.S. economy and global competitiveness. However, H-1B shortages have been well documented, and backlogs in the green card system are getting worse, forcing thousands of valued foreign-born professionals - including researchers, scientists, teachers and engineers - into legal and professional limbo for seven years or more.

Among the provisions of the SKIL Bill (Securing Knowledge Innovation and Leadership) endorsed by Compete America are the following:

• Exemptions for U.S. educated foreign workers with advanced degrees in math, science, technology and engineering fields 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 months to 24 months to allow them to go more easily from student to green card.
• Exemptions for EB/green card immigrant spouses and children from the annual cap, thus making more visas available for the professionals we need.

The SKIL Bill contains many of the provisions for reform of the H-1B visa and EB/green card systems that are present 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).

"The Senate is ready to address the problem facing U.S. employers of highly educated foreign nationals," said Sandra Boyd, National Association of Manufacturers Human Resources Policy Vice President and Compete America Chair. "It is incomprehensible that Congress would address broad immigration reform without fixing the system that brings legal, highly educated workers to the U.S. We are grateful to Senator Cornyn and the other cosponsors of the SKIL bill as well as those who have supported the inclusion of similar provisions in comprehensive immigration reform."

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.

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