The Daily Californian
July 8, 2012
A letter sent July 2 to President Barack Obama and top-ranking congressional officials signed by leaders from more than 100 American universities — including UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and UC President Mark Yudof — calls for new legislation to allow foreign-born students to stay in the country longer after their student visa expires upon graduation.
According to a report by the Partnership for a New American Economy, an immigration reform group composed of mayors and businessman who organized the letter effort, more than three-fourths of all patents which come from the top 10 American research universities have had at least one foreign-born student involved.
The letter comes in an attempt to retain many foreign-born students within the math, science, engineering and technology fields due to their importance to the nation’s research capabilities and economic growth, according to the letter.
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