The great majority of Americans, regardless of which of the major political parties they support, agree that immigration reform is badly needed. Immigration reform is a vital key to creating a healthier economy but also crucial to the country’s growth, prosperity, and security, is a key element for the success of US businesses.
The existing employment-based immigration system is generally agreed to be broken and the evidence speaks for itself. In the European Union, 40% of immigration is via work-related visas, while in the United States just 6% of overseas workers are given permanent entry on work-related US visas. Talent and expertise is being shut out by outdated institutional quotas even as other countries are welcoming them with open arms.
Around 36% of those who are lucky enough to gain a very valuable and coveted STEM-related (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) document from a university in the United States are students who only hold a temporary visa, a situation that is exacerbated even further in PhD programs, where more than 50% of those enrolled are students from overseas who will end up having to go back home or move to another country in order to be able to gain work from their credentials.
Although the United States has a bright future, it badly needs immigration policies that will allow American businesses to thrive and grow and that ensure the US remains competitive all over the world for many years to come.