We’ve all gotten used to dramatic and rapid changes in consumer technology. Companies that were dominant yesterday are gone today, and many that will be on top tomorrow haven’t even been started yet. Historically, the center of change was Silicon Valley. Even if we didn’t know who was creating the new ideas and launching the latest startups, we knew where they were likely to be found.
Our outdated immigration system threatens that global leadership. It’s a system that was cobbled together in the Cold War, and it does ridiculous things like placing unreasonably low limits on things like the flow of highly skilled workers into this country.
Congress should move quickly to approve the Immigration Innovation Act introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch. The Immigration Innovation, or “I-Squared,” Act would reset the limits on H-1B visas to figures that reflect 21st-century demand for scientists, programmers, engineers and other professionals who help us create even more jobs. And the I-Squared Act would ease restrictions on green cards for people with advanced degrees in the STEM fields.
