Hearing on High-Skilled Immigration Slated for Tomorrow
Washington, D.C. - Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing on how to increase American competitiveness in the global economy through high-skilled immigration. The hearing will explore ideas to improve American employers’ access to highly skilled and educated foreign workers and students when no American workers can be found. Tomorrow’s hearing will also examine ways to make it more feasible for foreign entrepreneurs to create jobs in the U.S.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) released the following statements in advance of tomorrow’s hearing.
Chairman Goodlatte: “In today’s global economy, our nation needs access to the world’s best talent to maintain our competitive edge. Although high-skilled immigrants are often in demand by American employers, many of them end up on the green card waiting list for years. Consequently, many of these foreign workers and students go back to their home countries and work for one of our global competitors.
“We need to look more critically at our current legal immigration programs and determine whether or not they are meeting the needs of our nation. Our current immigration laws do not prioritize immigrants based on the skills and education they bring to our country-we select only 12% of our legal immigrants on the basis of these qualities. We should increase high-skilled immigration so that we can create more jobs, spur innovation, and grow our economy.”
Subcommittee Chairman Gowdy: “I look forward to this hearing to explore ways we can better meet our country’s increasing need for high-skilled labor and ensure this labor deficiency does not continue to persist. I am interested to hear from witnesses how we can address our employment demands, while also considering the impact on American workers. Our long-term global competitiveness requires we look at all the options, including how we can stop the brain drain to foreign countries, utilize our resources at home, and promote STEM education.”
Witnesses for tomorrow’s hearing include:
Mr. Bruce Morrison, Chairman, Morrison Public Affairs Group;
Mr. Dean Garfield, President, Information Technology Industry Council;
Mr. Deepak Kamra, General Partner, Canaan Partner; and
Benjamin Johnson, Executive Director, American Immigration Council.
All House Judiciary Committee hearings are webcast live at www.judiciary.house.gov. The hearing will take place in 2141 Rayburn. For more information about Tuesday’s hearing, visit /_files/hearings/113th/hear_03052013.html