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Congress Moves Forward to Address Immigration Reform in 2013

January 30, 2013

While Congress remains in deadlock over another looming budget crisis, there is bipartisan movement on national immigration reform. Last week, a bipartisan group of senators introduced the Immigration Innovation Act of 2013 that focuses on reforming immigration law for high-skilled workers and promoting U.S. global leadership in innovation. Components of the proposed bill include increasing the quantity of H-1B visas, increasing access to green cards for high-skilled workers while eliminating country-based quotas, and providing a pathway for citizenship for foreign-born students who complete post-graduate degrees at U.S. universities in STEM-related fields.

The legislation has been endorsed by top U.S. tech companies including Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM, as well as a host of tech trade associations and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. President Obama also has supported the movement towards immigration reform, reviving a bipartisan proposal from last-year's Congress that planned on creating a special visa category to allow foreign-born entrepreneurs who launch successful startups to remain in the country. President Obama unveiled his own proposal for immigration reform in Las Vegas, and was joined by a delegation of mayors from across the country. The proposal has support from the Partnership for a New American Economy, a bipartisan coalition of mayors and business leaders who support immigration reform.

congress, workforce