Congress Moves Forward to Address Immigration Reform in 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.