Bloggings on Immigration Law and Policy
by
Greg Siskind
September 18, 2012
Schumer Introduces STEM Bill to Match House
September 17, 2012
Romney: I'll Fix the Immigration System!
September 15, 2012
Gutierrez Offers Cautious Response to STEM News
This is interesting because it makes clear that the Democrats have to be careful not to appear anti-immigration while the GOP is pushing a pro-immigration bill. Of course, the bill only swaps green card numbers from the lottery to the employment categories. Still, it's a lot tougher to defend giving green cards out to random people to highly educated STEM professionals who are more likely to create jobs for Americans.
(Washington, DC) -- Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL-4) issued the following statement reacting to the news that Republicans, including Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (TX), hope to have a vote next week on a bill increasing visas for STEM graduates, those who receive degrees in science, technology, engineering or math at U.S. universities. The Republican proposal, as Rep. Gutierrez understands it, would reduce or eliminate other legal immigration programs in order to increase STEM visas. Rep. Gutierrez is one of the Congress' most visible supporters of legal immigration and immigration reform and is the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Task Force on Immigration. Gutierrez statement: I would like to negotiate on increasing STEM visas, by as much as 50,000, as well as family visas and I have been talking to Republicans, including Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, to see if we can reach a deal. I hope we can. I would like to improve the STEM visa program without doing damage to other parts of our legal immigration system. The President has made this a priority and I am prepared to support a clean STEM increase because it will help our economy and create jobs. Republicans are only willing to increase legal immigration for immigrants they want by eliminating legal immigration for immigrants they don't want. STEM visas have a lot of merit and we should increase them. I am almost always willing to support legal immigration. Republicans almost always oppose immigration, even when it is legal, which has hurt them.
September 14, 2012
House to Vote on STEM Bill Next Week
From the National Journal:
This sounds like good news, but we need to see the details. Stay tuned.House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy gathered some of Washington's biggest tech players in McCarthy's conference room this morning to ask them to back an immigration bill they plan to bring to the floor next week, according to attendees in the room.
The legislation, sponsored by House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, would create a new green card category for foreigners who have received doctorate degrees from U.S. universities in science, technology, engineering and math (the so-called STEM disciplines). Green cards not used by PhDs would be available to those with STEM master's degrees.
The idea that the government should "staple a green card to the diplomas" of foreign students who have earned an advanced degree at a U.S. university has been a favorite talking point of both Democrats and Republicans for years.
About The Author
Greg Siskind is a partner in Siskind Susser's Memphis, Tennessee, office. After graduating magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University, he received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago. Mr. Siskind is a member of AILA, a board member of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and a member of the ABA, where he serves on the LPM Publishing Board as Marketing Vice Chairman. He is the author of several books, including the J Visa Guidebook and The Lawyer's Guide to Marketing on the Internet. Mr. Siskind practices all areas of immigration law, specializing in immigration matters of the health care and technology industries. He can be reached by email at gsiskind@visalaw.com.