Congress are working on it
http://www3.capwiz.com/c-span/issues/bills/?billtype=H.R.&billnumb=4241&congress=109
# The following text may be copied in the e-mail, if you do not want to spend too much time in drafting your letter:
# Dear Member of Congress:
* As we begin Fiscal Year 2006, America’s long-term economic health must be at the forefront of our nation’s legislative agenda. On behalf of Compete America, a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, research institutions and trade associations committed to ensuring that the United States has the talent necessary for continued innovation, job creation and economic expansion in a worldwide economy, I am writing to alert you to several issues that we believe pose a significant threat to U.S. competitiveness and economic security. Leading business and scientific organizations recently warned that the United States is in danger of losing its innovative edge. Lagging student interest in math, science and engineering, coupled with a pattern of reduced government investment in basic research in the physical sciences are troubling indicators for the future. These disturbing trends must be reversed.
* As we continue efforts to grow our pipeline of American scientists and engineers, we need to enable U.S. companies recruiting at U.S. universities to have access to all the graduates – including foreign students. For example, in electrical engineering, 56 percent of master’s and 66 percent of the PhD graduates of U.S. programs in 2004 were foreign students. We should open the doors wide to these talented individuals. Unfortunately, current U.S. Government policies are going in the exact opposite direction. If U.S. businesses are not able to hire or retain these employees, our overseas competitors will. As an example of the growing problem, on August 12, 2005, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the entire FY 2006 allotment of H-1B visas had been exhausted. The announcement was unprecedented, as it came nearly two months prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year – signaling both the significant demand for highly educated workers in many specialized professions and a growing competitiveness problem for America. This is the seventh time since 1997 that the cap on H-1B visas has been reached before the end of the fiscal year. This is the second year in a row that it has been reached on or before the start of the fiscal year. U.S. employers need predictability – something the current system does not allow.
* The green card process also needs reform to enable employers to hire and retain the best qualified individuals in sufficient numbers. Compete America believes that those individuals with the education, experience, knowledge and skills critical to U.S. competitiveness in the 21 st Century should be granted priority permanent resident status. Such reforms would significantly assist U.S. employers in retaining that talent, as well as alleviate the overwhelming demand for H-1B visas. USCIS’ efforts to reduce application backlogs have created another problem – unavailability of permanent visas, frequently called “green cards.” As of October 1, 2005, the State Department has set the clock backward – adding years to the wait for a green card for thousands of foreign professionals from countries such as India, China and the Philippines. The impact of the new restrictions will make it nearly impossible for these highly educated and skilled workers to gain permanent residence in the United States in the foreseeable future. Moreover, the recent unavailability of visas will force thousands of professionals to put their lives on hold, with the inability to change jobs, locations or employers.
* To make matters worse, many of these professionals – including researchers, scientists, teachers and engineers – will see their wait for permanent residency drag on for many more years. Our system of backlogs, delays and unpredictability is discouraging and unwelcoming, forcing many valued employees to seek employment in other nations. This is not only disruptive to U.S. employers and our economy, but exceedingly unfair to hard-working, valued members of the American workforce. Access to this talent keeps innovation and jobs in the United States.