Washington:
To attract the world's "best and the brightest", a group of top Democratic Senators on Friday proposed immediate green cards for foreigners with advanced degrees from American institutes and job offers, a good news for India which sends a large number of students to the US.
At the same time, they have proposed tightening of rules for H-1B and L1 visas, which are also most popular among Indian technology professionals.
The proposals being put forward by a coalition of powerful Democratic Senators are aimed at fixing the country's broken immigration system.
President Barack Obama has also called for a comprehensive immigration reform and identified this as one of his top priorities.
The proposals "will reform America's high-skilled immigration system to permanently attract the world's best and brightest while preventing the loss of American jobs to temporary foreign labour contractors," said a report drawn by Senators Charles E Schumer, Harry Reid and Bob Menendez.
At the moment, high-skilled workers are prevented from emigrating to the US due to restrictive caps on their entry, says the 26-page conceptual proposal for immigration reform.
"In order to accomplish this goal, a Green Card (permanent residency) will be immediately available to foreign students with an advanced degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, and who possess an offer of employment from a United States employer in a field related to their degree," it says.
Given that India is among the countries sending maximum number of higher studies students in the field of science, mathematics, engineering and technology to the US; it is expected to benefit the most.
Under the current system, Indian have to wait for several years - some time even around a decade - to get the coveted Green Card, which is a step short of citizenship.
"Foreign students will be permitted to enter the United States with immigrant intent if they are a bona fide student so long as they pursue a full course of study at an institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering or mathematics," the proposal said.
"To address the fact that workers from some countries face unreasonably long backlogs that have no responsiveness to America's economic needs, this proposal eliminates the per-country employment immigration caps," it said.
At the same time, the Senators proposed tightening of the rules for H-1B and L1 visas.
At the same time, they have proposed tightening of rules for H-1B and L1 visas, which are also most popular among Indian technology professionals.
The proposals being put forward by a coalition of powerful Democratic Senators are aimed at fixing the country's broken immigration system.
President Barack Obama has also called for a comprehensive immigration reform and identified this as one of his top priorities.
The proposals "will reform America's high-skilled immigration system to permanently attract the world's best and brightest while preventing the loss of American jobs to temporary foreign labour contractors," said a report drawn by Senators Charles E Schumer, Harry Reid and Bob Menendez.
At the moment, high-skilled workers are prevented from emigrating to the US due to restrictive caps on their entry, says the 26-page conceptual proposal for immigration reform.
"In order to accomplish this goal, a Green Card (permanent residency) will be immediately available to foreign students with an advanced degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, and who possess an offer of employment from a United States employer in a field related to their degree," it says.
Given that India is among the countries sending maximum number of higher studies students in the field of science, mathematics, engineering and technology to the US; it is expected to benefit the most.
Under the current system, Indian have to wait for several years - some time even around a decade - to get the coveted Green Card, which is a step short of citizenship.
"Foreign students will be permitted to enter the United States with immigrant intent if they are a bona fide student so long as they pursue a full course of study at an institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering or mathematics," the proposal said.
"To address the fact that workers from some countries face unreasonably long backlogs that have no responsiveness to America's economic needs, this proposal eliminates the per-country employment immigration caps," it said.
At the same time, the Senators proposed tightening of the rules for H-1B and L1 visas.
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