US Employers call for EB Immigration Reform

Compete America on behalf of thousands of US employers write to congress in support of immigration reform. They write:

U.S. employers rely on EB green cards to keep foreign-born talent living, working and innovating in America. Yet, despite the critical importance of these visas, Congress has failed to address the well documented backlogs in the EB green card system that leave some foreign-born, highly educated professionals waiting over six to 10 years to receive a permanent resident visa.

The three bills will address many shortcomings in the EB green card system. For example:
• H.R. 6039, by exempting highly educated, foreign-born students earning an advanced degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics from a U.S. university from the annual EB green card limit, would help U.S. employers retain these talented individuals in the U.S. workforce. For example, foreign nationals comprise half of the master’s and 70 percent of the Ph.D.s in electrical engineering from U.S. universities.

• H.R. 5921 will help put an end to multi-year wait times by eliminating unduly restrictive per
country limits on EB green cards.

• H.R. 5882 will help to reduce visa backlogs by “recapturing” EB green cards from prior years
that went unused due to government processing delays and making them available immediately to those who meet the requirements.

Without these incremental reforms, U.S. employers will continue to be crippled 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 competitors abroad.