Limiting Green Cards for Skilled Workers Only Works to Hold Our Economy Back

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), along with Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Raúl Labrador (R-ID), are to be commended for introducing the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (H.R. 213), a bipartisan bill that would help our most innovative companies attract the talented employees needed to keep our economy strong and our country competitive.

Eliminating arbitrary per-country caps on employment-based green cards is the single easiest thing Congress can do to help U.S. tech employers and address an unnecessary dysfunction in our broken immigration system.  It makes absolutely no sense that our current immigration system limits the talent pool by restricting nationals from a single country when they comprise more than 7 percent of the total number of employment-based immigrant visas.  ITI’s member companies are among our most innovative, competing in a global economy where talent knows no borders.  Preventing a skilled worker from providing his or her skill set in the U.S. because of a law from an earlier age placing arbitrary country of origin limits on their country of origin is counterproductive and no longer makes sense in today’s Internet-age economy.

We have long advocated for changes to our immigration system that allow U.S.-based employers to attract and retain the world’s best and highly educated employees so that we can continue to compete and succeed in a global marketplace.  Removing the antiquated per-country limits on employer-based visas is an important step in maintaining our competitiveness as a nation, and we commend Reps. Chaffetz, Lofgren, and Labrador for working together to introduce the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act.

Previously the House passed this bill with broad bipartisan support.  Congress should pass the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act quickly this year to help the tech sector continue to lead the innovation economy that drives prosperity and renewed job creation here at home. 

Public Policy Tags: Immigration

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