International Education Is Key to Making Immigration Reform Work for America

WASHINGTON, March 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- There is near-universal agreement that the U.S. immigration system is broken, but much less agreement on how to fix it. NAFSA believes that Congress must recognize the pivotal role of international education and include reforms that expand the United States' ability to attract foreign students and scholars from around the world. They fuel our economy and boost job creation. As professors, researchers and colleagues, they help us prepare American students to compete in the global workforce. And they connect us to the leadership of other countries.

President Obama has pledged to do everything in his power "to forge a bipartisan consensus this year on this important issue so we can continue to move forward on comprehensive immigration reform." Recently Senators Charles Schumer (D - N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R - S.C.) took a good first step by issuing their long-anticipated framework for comprehensive immigration reform. But last week, Sen. Graham said that immigration reform is "dead." Historically, immigration reform has been an issue that transcends party lines, succeeding only with bipartisan cooperation. It is an issue of critical importance to our country, a moral and economic imperative. Members of Congress must come together and work -- on behalf of all Americans -- to confront the tough issues. NAFSA applauds and strongly supports efforts to advance a productive national conversation on immigration and urges Congress to move forward with fair, effective reform that will lift up Americans to compete in the global economy, reflect our fundamental values as a nation of immigrants, and make the United States welcoming and accessible to the world's best talent and future leaders.

Much of the most heated debate about immigration reform centers on the important matter of how to address illegal immigration, but it is clear that America's legal immigration system is also long overdue for significant reform. As we look at how best to deal with the enforcement and security aspects of immigration, it is also critical that we continue to keep front and center the goal of an effective 21st-century immigration system that works for America as part of our national toolkit for creating jobs, connecting us effectively with the global economy, and helping us prepare a future workforce that is ready for the challenges and opportunities of the coming decades. A key part of the package must be reforms that expand the United States' ability to attract foreign students and scholars from around the world.

Foreign students and scholars are a core part of the pipeline of skilled talent from outside our borders that fuels our economy and boosts job creation. They help us prepare our own students with vital skills and knowledge, and through the ties they establish here, they are an important foreign policy asset for the United States. Today, prospective students outside our country have many options when it comes to study, employment, and life in countries across the globe. Many countries are aggressively recruiting them and are adjusting their immigration and work laws to create additional incentives for them. Successful immigration reform must include measures that enhance the ability of international education to strengthen our economic future and our connections with the global community. We urge Congress to include the following reforms:

• Address the visa and immigration challenges foreign students and scholars continue to face in coming to study in the United States.
• Provide short- and long-term options for foreign students to work after they graduate from our colleges and universities, including a direct path to green card status for sought-after graduates.
• Increase the number of employment-based green cards available annually so that talented foreign faculty, researchers, and scientists no longer face long delays and unnecessary wait periods while trapped in short-term immigration status.

In a recent report, A Visa and Immigration Policy for the Brain-Circulation Era: Adjusting to What Happened in the World While We Were Making Other Plans, NAFSA urges a comprehensive set of policy actions with respect to immigration and visa policy.

With nearly 10,000 members, NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world's largest nonprofit professional association dedicated to international education.

SOURCE NAFSA: Association of International Educators