Eric Thomas or Frances Cox 202-822-9491 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 1, 2007

Compete America Endorses Cantwell / Cornyn Amendment to Senate Immigration Bill

Establishing Employer-Sponsored Merit Green Card System and Restoring H-1B Visa Provisions Viewed as Vital

Washington, D.C. – Compete America today urged the U.S. Senate to adopt the Cantwell / Cornyn amendment to S. 1348, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, when debate renews next week.   The amendment is a bipartisan measure proposed by Senators Cantwell (D-WA), Cornyn (R-TX),  Bennett (R-UT), Leahy (D-VT) and Hatch (R-UT).

“We are asking the Senate to address key provisions in the immigration reform bill that U.S. employers deem critical to the innovation economy,” said Robert Hoffman, Vice President for Government and Public Affairs at Oracle and Co-Chair of Compete America.  “The Cantwell / Cornyn amendment will establish an employer-sponsored merit system to complement the current Senate proposal, as well as restore key H-1B visa provisions passed by the Senate last year.  We believe the amendment is entirely consistent with the bipartisan compromise underlying the current Senate bill, and the innovation agenda articulated by the Administration and leaders of both parties in the House and Senate.  It should be approved.”

Among the key provisions of Cantwell / Cornyn endorsed by Compete America are the following:

Establishing an employer-sponsored merit system to complement the bill’s self-sponsored merit-based system.

• This complementary “employer-sponsored” green card pool would let companies determine the skill sets that are needed for a category of permanent residents. It would leave the merit-based system entirely intact – taking no numbers away from family or from workers at any skill level.  The amendment is also designed to protect U.S. workers by applying labor market tests to employer sponsorship of foreign workers.

Restoring Critical H-1B Cap Exemptions

• The amendment would restore exemptions for foreign professionals with advanced degrees from U.S. universities as well as holders of advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics from foreign universities.  Both provisions were passed by the Senate last year. 

• The current Senate bill would create a presumption that an H-1B visa or L visa applicant intends to stay and work in the United States permanently, and they would be refused the visa unless they can prove otherwise.  This outdated and anticompetitive presumption was removed from the law years ago and the amendment would reverse the attempt to reinstitute it.

Restoring “degree equivalency”

• Because the current Senate bill requires a “degree in the specific specialty,” it would eliminate the possibility of qualifying for an H-1B with a degree that is related or through experience.  The amendment would restore provisions for degree equivalency to provide for employer flexibility in filling critical talent needs.

Maintaining stronger H-1B visa enforcement

• The current Senate bill contains a host of provisions that would increase H-1B program enforcement, a welcome goal. However, the bill would treat every employer under the burdensome extra rules that currently apply only to “willful violators” and to employers with excessive numbers of H-1B employees.  This amendment would eliminate that provision, while retaining the strengthened enforcement regime.

“This is a common-sense amendment that will appeal to any Senator concerned with keeping America competitive,” concluded Hoffman.

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, please 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.

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