Eric Thomas 202/822-9491 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2008

Compete America Urges House to Provide Immediate High-Skilled Immigration Relief and Resist Efforts to Pass Enforcement-Only
Immigration Legislation

Washington D.C. – In a letter delivered today to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Minority Leader John Boehner and Minority Whip Roy Blunt, Compete America urged the House to work towards bipartisan immigration reforms that would include remedies to the legal immigration system that address the immediate need for high-skilled workers, while also urging the House to avoid an enforcement-only approach to immigration reform.

In sending the letter, Robert Hoffman, Chairman of Compete America said “in just a few short weeks, the U.S. government will begin to accept applications for H-1B visas for Fiscal Year 2009.  As was the case last year, not only is the annual supply of H-1B visas virtually assured to be exhaustedon the very first day applications are accepted, half of those applying will lose out in the visa lottery, denying U.S. employers access to tens of thousands of highly skilled and badly needed professionals who could contribute to economic growth and job creation in this country. Today’s arbitrary and unrealistic limits on H-1B visas and employment-based green cards sends the message that America’s doors are closed and that these highly-skilled individuals, many of whom have been educated in U.S. universities, should look for opportunity elsewhere.” 

Hoffman continued “particularly in light of the crisis situation the U.S. is facing regarding access to highly-skilled workers, we are very concerned about the potential for Congress to consider an enforcement-only immigration bill.  We urge the House to consider a package of urgent reforms that will help the U.S. remain the world leader in innovation and serve our economic, national security and other core national interests.”
For a complete copy of the letter, click here.  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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