Stopping the Brain Drain

Much of what we read about regarding immigration reform has to do with lawmakers finding new ways to keep people from living illegally within our borders. However, there are some groups working to keep certain immigrants living here, because it can be a good thing for everyone – the immigrants and the natural born citizens.

There is a coalition of 25 leading Chambers of Commerce in the United States, and they are working to reform skilled worker immigration to help drive job creation, innovation, and overall economic growth. Here are three reforms this group is asking Congress to consider:

1. Skilled Worker Visas—Increase the availability of temporary, skilled worker (H-1B) visas. The existing quota has proven insufficient to meet the demands of the U.S. labor market. This shortage has led companies to outsource work overseas.
2. STEM Graduate Green Cards—Create green cards (permanent-resident visas) for foreign students who graduate from a U.S. university with an advanced degree in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The United States will continue to experience “brain drain” whenever there is a lack of employment-based visas.
3. Entrepreneur Visas—Create a new category of visa for immigrant entrepreneurs who launch businesses in the United States and meet certain employment and financing goals. U.S. immigration law does not currently have an “entrepreneur visa.”

If you or someone you know are currently managing an immigration issue like these, please contact The Law Offices of Azita M. Mojarad and Associates. Whether these particular reforms pass or not, we can help.