100 CEOs of American tech companies have signed a letter calling for immigration reform to address skills shortages. It was signed by Google’s Eric Schmidt, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Zynga’s Mark Pincus and Microsoft’s Bradford L. Smith among others.
“As you know, the United States has a long history of welcoming talented, hard-working people to our shores,” the letter reads. “Immigrant entrepreneurs have gone on to found thousands of companies with household names like eBay, Google, PayPal and Yahoo! to name just a few. These companies provide jobs, drive economic growth and generate tax revenue at all levels of government.”
“Yet because our current immigration system is outdated and inefficient, many high-skilled immigrants who want to stay in America are forced to leave because they are unable to obtain permanent visas,” it continues. “Some do not bother to come in the first place. This is often due to visa shortages, long waits for green cards,and lack of mobility. We believe that numerical levels and categories for high-skilled non-immigrant and immigrant visas should be responsive to market needs and, where appropriate, include mechanisms to fluctuate based on objective standards. In addition, spouses and children should not be counted against the cap of high-skilled immigrant visas. There should not be a marriage or family penalty.”
Source: Scribd.com
