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

Action Urged on H-1B Visa and EB Green Card Reform This Year

Washington D.C. – Compete America, along with more than 125 leading companies, education organizations and trade associations, today sent a letter to Members of Congress to urge swift action on reforms to the counterproductive and outdated H-1B visa and employment-based (EB) green card programs.

In the letter, the organizations cite the unprecedented announcement by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that the FY 2008 allotment of H-1B visas was met on the very first day applications were accepted as evidence of the critical need for reforms this year.  “This clearly demonstrates that reform can no longer wait.  The status quo imperils America’s innovation leadership and competitiveness, allowing foreign competitors to benefit from the best minds the world has to offer – many of whom have been educated right here in the United States.”  USCIS announced last week that the FY 2008 20,000 cap on H-1B visas for advanced degree holders has been reached, also in record speed.

The organizations also pointed to worsening backlogs in the EB green card system as further evidence of the need for reform this year.

“For many U.S. employers, the H-1B is an interim step to permanent resident status. The shortage of employment-based permanent resident visas, known as EB green cards is just as severe as the H-1B visa shortage.  The EB green card program is essential if we are to retain highly skilled professionals who are already here contributing to our economy.  However, most EB green card applicants face delays in excess of five years, and these delays are getting worse, not better.  Furthermore, massive, multi-year backlogs in the green card program are causing a massive recruiting and retention crisis for employers.” 

Compete America supports provisions in the “STRIVE” Act (H.R. 1645) as well as the Securing Knowledge Innovation and Leadership (SKIL) Bill (S. 1083/H.R. 1930), which has been introduced in the Senate and House, as representing positive steps toward meaningful reform.

The organizations concluded: “We cannot take our position as the world’s innovation leader for granted. As Congress moves through the process of comprehensive reform of our immigration laws in the coming weeks, we urge your support for provisions that address our nation’s highly-skilled immigration crisis.  We believe doing so will encourage job creation, increase economic growth, and enhance U.S. global leadership.” 

For a complete list of signatories and to learn 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.