Senator Wants 55,000 Green Cards For Tech Grads

A U.S. senator has introduced legislation that would replace a program which reserves up to 55,000 permanent resident visas for foreign nationals through a lottery with one that saves the same number of so-called green cards for students graduating from advanced science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs at U.S. universities.

“In the global competition for the world’s best and brightest minds in math and science, the United States should take a backseat to no one,” said Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), in statement.

Cornyn’s bill, the Securing the Talent America Requires for the 21st Century (STAR) Act, would allocate 55,000 green cards to foreign students enrolled in graduate level STEM programs at U.S. institutions. To offset those visas, the so-called diversity lottery would be eliminated. The latter program is intended to boost immigration from underrepresented countries.