Setting the Record Straight on High-Skilled Immigration

High-skilled foreign nationals make important contributions to the U.S. economy and American society, filling key positions as everything from engineers to cancer researchers. They also provide key elements of economic growth by improving productivity, increasing the growth of skilled labor, and encouraging increased business investment in the United States. Despite this, criticism fueled by allegations that some companies have laid off U.S. workers and replaced them with foreign nationals on H-1B visas has resulted in restrictive legislative proposals and arguments that America should sharply curtail the entry of skilled professionals and researchers. Data obtained from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and other research question the main arguments leveled against high-skilled foreign nationals and illustrate the country benefits from the entry of such individuals. To understand why U.S. employers petition for high-skilled foreign nationals note that 77 percent of the full-time graduate students in electrical engineering and 71 percent in computer science at U.S. universities are international students.

Download now or view online.