U.S. universities draw top students from around the world but immigration regulations make it difficult for them to stay and work after school. (F. Brendan Wilkerson/MNS)
The controversy surrounding Arizona’s new border control law has brought immigration policy in the spotlight. While it is impossible to ignore the estimated 12 million undocumented workers in the United States, it is relatively easy to forget a completely different sector of foreign workers anxiously waiting for reform: the thousands of international students who come to the United States each year to study at the nation’s top universities. While student visas allow graduates to stay in the United States and work for up to 18 months after earning a degree, obtaining a green card or H-1 work visa is not easy.
A recent report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development revealed that many countries around the world are easing immigration restrictions for highly skilled foreigners. The goal is to attract top talent from around the world to power domestic economies. This trend toward looser regulation for well-educated immigrants has not reached the United States.
Business leaders like Bill Gates and Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York have argued that keeping out these workers is counterproductive. Bloomberg likened the policy to “committing economic suicide.” Other proponents have pointed out that companies like Google, Yahoo and eBay were all started by immigrants.
Those opposed to loosening immigration restrictions argue that such opening of the borders could lead to a dependence on foreign labor. If those jobs were left vacant, they say, it would provide incentive for Americans to develop the skills to fill them.
With midterm elections looming in November, it is unlikely that any piece of immigration reform will receive attention before the end of the year.