The State of Immigration
Based on a comprehensive examination of 10 advanced economies to identify and evaluate the best immigration policies to promote economic growth, the United States ranked 9th out of 10 competitor countries, ahead of only Japan, a country historically closed to outsiders.
U.S. is Far Behind in the Race for Global Talent
China is winning the battle to attract and retain top international talent. By 2025, China will produce more than 77,000 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) graduates per year compared to 40,000 in the U.S. According to a recent House Republican China Task Force Report, the U.S. “needs to continue to attract the best and brightest STEM talent from around the world, or risk falling behind in the global race for talent and losing its competitive advantage in innovation.”
Increase the number of H-1B visas and exempting from the annual cap H-1B workers who have degrees in needed fields from U.S. universities.
Allow individuals with advanced STEM degrees from U.S. universities to immediately qualify for a green card to work and live in the United States.
Reduce the employment-based green card backlog by “recapturing” unused visas caused by processing delays from prior fiscal years, exempting the dependents of those sponsored from counting against the annual quota and eliminating the per-country limit.
Maintain flexibility in the high-skilled visa categories by avoiding overly bureaucratic rules that inhibit access to skilled workers.
Grant highly educated individuals more flexibility for themselves and their spouses.
Create a new visa classification for immigrant entrepreneurs.
Create a new visa classification for long-term, nonseasonal workers.
Expand the current H-2B temporary visa program for seasonal workers to meet current demand.
Create a new temporary agricultural worker visa program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that would allow workers to move easily among employers.
About the Report
Business Roundtable selected the evaluated countries based on five criteria:
- Worldwide university rankings;
- Per-capita income;
- Gross domestic product growth rate;
- Net migration rate; and
- Research and development investment.
After comparing each advanced economy relative to the five criteria, the top 10 countries (including the United States) were selected for the study: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (U.K.). Not coincidentally, these are the countries with which the United States competes most for foreign talent, particularly in science and technology fields.
