When the Senate considers S. 744, a bill to reform immigration policy, the ability for international students to participate in U.S. graduate education programs and the U.S. workforce should not be diminished. This year the rate of increase of applications from prospective international students to U.S. graduate schools has slowed to only 1% according to the 2013 CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey. This is the smallest growth in applications over the past eight years. CGS does not want to see this decline become a long-term trend.

CGS Requests:

1. Support the provision in Section 4101(a) to expand the number of non-immigrant visas under the highly skilled H1-B visa program from 65,000 to 110,000 in the first year after enactment, and to between 110,000 and 180,000 in subsequent years.

• Allowing more talented non-immigrants to work in the U.S. will enable more innovation and enhance U.S. leadership in an increasingly competitive global economy.
• According to the Commerce Department, growth in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) jobs was three times the rate of non-STEM jobs over the last decade and STEM jobs pay 26% more than non-STEM jobs.

2. Support the provision in Section 4101(b) to allocate 25,000 STEM non-immigrant visas per year for individuals who have earned master’s degrees or higher in a STEM field from U.S. institutions of higher education.

• Retaining talented graduates educated in STEM fields is critical to enhancing the U.S. role in the world economy as the global workforce becomes increasingly technically skilled and highly educated.
• Other countries are investing in graduate education as a key component to economic growth and are decreasing barriers for highly qualified students. The U.S. share of international students is shrinking as these students have an increasing number of graduate schools from which to choose.

3. Amend the provision in Section 4104(b) to authorize the National Science Foundation to provide scholarships for low-income students enrolled in a program of study leading to a “graduate or undergraduate” STEM degree, consistent with provisions in the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998.

• Providing greater opportunities to a more diverse STEM student population is essential to increasing the enrollment and completion rates in STEM programs of study for Latino, African American and Native American students. 
• Meeting the growing demand for a qualified STEM workforce is not possible unless there is greater participation from populations underrepresented in programs leading to STEM degrees.

For more information, please contact the CGS Public Policy and Government Affairs Office at govaffairs@cgs.nche.edu.