Eric Thomas or Frances Cox 202/822-9491 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 7, 2007

Compete America Applauds Bill Gates for Emphasizing Importance of Employment-Based Visas to U.S. Innovation Leadership

Microsoft Chairman Calls on Congress to Reform Immigration Programs for Highly Educated Professionals This Year

Washington, DC – Compete America today praised Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates for his testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, in which he stressed the importance of employment-based (EB) green cards and H-1B visas to America’s continued global innovation leadership.  In prepared remarks, Mr. Gates stated:

“For generations, America has prospered largely by attracting the world’s best and brightest to study, live and work in the United States.  Our success at attracting the greatest talent has helped us become a global innovation leader, enriched our culture, and created economic opportunities for all Americans. 

“Unfortunately, America’s immigration policies are driving away the world’s best and brightest precisely when we need them most.  …  It makes no sense to tell well-trained, highly skilled individuals – many of whom are educated at our top colleges and universities – that the United States does not welcome or value them.  For too many foreign students and professionals, however, our immigration policies send precisely this message.

“This should be deeply troubling to us, both in human terms and in terms of our own economic self-interest.  America will find it infinitely more difficult to maintain its technological leadership if it shuts out the very people who are most able to help us compete.  Other nations are recognizing and benefiting from this situation.  They are crafting their immigration policies to attract highly talented students and professionals who would otherwise study, live, and work here.  Our lost opportunities are their gains.”

Compete America continues to advocate immediate congressional action to reform the counterproductive and outdated EB green card and H-1B visa programs.  In particular, Compete America supports reforms that: ensure that U.S. employers and universities have the ability to recruit and retain highly educated foreign-born talent; fix the extensive EB green card processing backlogs; and reform outdated caps on H-1B visas that cause “blackouts” lasting up to a year and a half on new H-1B visas.

“U.S. innovation leadership requires an employment-based immigration system that allows U.S. employers to recruit and retain top international talent – particularly after they have graduated from U.S. universities,” said Robert Hoffman, Vice President for Government and Public Affairs at Oracle and Co-Chair of Compete America.  “Congress must reform the EB green card and H-1B visa programs this year so that America does not lose some of the world’s brightest minds to foreign competitors.”
 
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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