CHARTS: Here’s Why America Needs MORE Immigrants

Business Insider
May 25, 2012

A recently released report by the Partnership for New American Economy and the Partnership for New York City laid out several reasons as to why U.S. needs to work harder on luring high skilled immigrants.

We called this issue a “no brainer” last year, and it seems that the government is also catching up. Senator John Cornyn, a Texas republican, has proposed that the U.S. add 55,000 green cards for “foreign students who earn graduate degrees from U.S. universities,” reports Matt O’Brien for San Jose Mercury News. Currently out of 85,00 such visas issued annually, only 20,000 are set aside for foreign students.

This proposal comes shortly after Sillicon Valley technology firms have tripled their request for temporary H-1B visas for skilled workers since recruiting period started in April. Turns out that U.S. is in real need of STEM -Science, Technology, Engineering, Math- workers. O’Brien reports that in 2007 and 2008, the 65,000 visas ran out within few days. While last year the demand for such visas was only 10,200, this year it’s already hit 32,500.

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