Issa Bill Seeks to Fill U.S. Gap in High-Tech Job Readiness

February 17, 2011

Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) is once again proposing legislation that would put as many as 55,000 foreign-born students in graduate school programs around the country on the road to a green card.

Issa's "Advanced Degree Visa Bill" proposal is designed to, in his own words, "get smart folks into our high-tech economy." The proposed law acknowledges the relatively small number of American-born students pursuing advanced degrees in math, science, engineering and medicine. The promise of a green card is used as an incentive to foreign-born students to remain in the U.S. after their student visas expire and put their hard-earned knowledge to work for our economy instead of taking that information home to benefit a fiscal rival.

The bulk of the visas available under the program would come from shifting immigration opportunities currently allotted to the green card diversity lottery over to the Advanced Degree Visa. The lottery system -- started as part of the Immigration Act of 1990 -- grants up to 50,000 visas to applicants with at least a high school education or two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training to be successful. The diversity immigrant visa lottery program is limited to applicants from countries with traditionally low rates of immigration to the U.S. like Ireland, Australia and Nepal. It has come under fire in recent years as a vehicle for unskilled workers who do not make significant contributions to the American way of life to get into the country.

Representative Issa's proposed legislation has not yet passed, so it has had no effect on the American immigration program. Regardless of whether it passes or not, applying for any type of visa can be a challenging and taxing process. To increase your chances of a successful application, work with an experienced immigration law attorney in your area.

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