Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act Passed!

To encourage high-skilled immigrants, House of Representatives passed Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act( 389 Yea vs. 15 Nay)!

There were some encouraging news last week: Stock market surged 7%, U.S. employers added 120,000 new jobs, unemployment rate dropped to 8.5%, the lowest in 2.5 years....

However, for immigrant workers, the good news came from Capitol Hill.

The House voted on November 29 to end per-country caps on worker-based immigration visas, a move that should benefit skilled Indian and Chinese residents seeking to stay in the United States and the high-tech companies who hire them.

The legislation, which passed 389-15, was a rare example of bipartisan accord on immigration. It would eliminate the current law that says employment-based visas to any one country can't exceed 7 percent of the total number of such visas given out. Instead, permanent residence visas or green cards would be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The bill, said its sponsor, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, "does encourage high-skilled immigrants who were educated in the U.S. to stay and help build our economy rather than using the skills they learned here to aid our competitor nations."

While various interest groups are lobbying for amendments, we are optimistic that the Senate will pass similar bill swiftly.

Still want to live and work in United States? Update your career profile, submit resume to visa sponsors and apply for new jobs!