Eric Thomas or Frances Cox 202/822-9491 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 1, 2008

Compete America Applauds House Subcommittee for Advancing Green Card “Recapture” Bill

Legislation Would Make Already Authorized Visas Available to Help U.S. Employers Retain Critical Highly Educated Professionals

Washington D.C. – Compete America today praised the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law for advancing H.R. 5882, legislation to “recapture” both employment-based (EB) and family-based green cards that Congress authorized in the past but that went unused before the end of the fiscal year because of government processing delays. 

The bipartisan measure, sponsored by Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), would help U.S. employers retain the highly educated professionals who are already living, working and innovating in America, and is strongly supported by 70 employer, family and community-based organizations.

“Chairwoman Lofgren and her Democratic and Republican colleagues should be commended for moving this important legislation forward.  By putting unused green cards back into the system, this bill will foster increased innovation in America and help boost the U.S. economy,” said Robert Hoffman, Vice President for Government and Public Affairs at Oracle and Co-Chair of Compete America. “Far too many highly educated professionals have waited in excess of 5 years for a green card.  These individuals are already making important contributions to our nation, and we praise any and all efforts to help keep them working in America.”

Backlogs in the EB green card system are well documented, with some foreign-born highly educated professionals waiting as long as 10 years, and others not even knowing when a permanent resident visa will become available.  Without these incremental reforms, U.S. employers will be crippled in the global competition for the world’s best talent, as more and more extremely valuable professionals from around the world take their education and abilities to competitors abroad. 

In addition to H.R. 5882, Compete America has endorsed passage of H.R. 6039/S. 3084 – which would exempt highly educated, foreign-born students earning an advanced degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics from a U.S. university from the annual EB green card limit – and H.R. 5921 – which would eliminate per country limits on EB green card distribution.  While Compete America supports these interim fixes to the EB green card system, it continues to urge for permanent reforms.

“America can not afford to keep its door closed to top worldwide talent while the rest of the world moves ahead and welcomes them,” continued Hoffman.  “We look forward to working with the full House Judiciary Committee and the entire Congress to make sure that the recapture legislation and other permanent fixes to the EB green card system become law this year.”

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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