WASHINGTON, DC – This week, H.R. 1044, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, reached 290 bipartisan cosponsors in the United States House of Representatives. The Senate companion S. 386 has 31 bipartisan co-sponsors. FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement:

“We applaud Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren and Ranking Member Ken Buck, as well as the grassroots communities who have organized and advocated for this issue for so long, on reaching 290 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House for H.R. 1044, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act.

“Eliminating the discriminatory per-country caps is a crucial first step to keeping highly skilled individuals contributing here instead of taking their talents to our global competitors, while also providing relief for them and their families, including their U.S.- born citizen children, waiting to build their lives in the U.S. The Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act is an important step forward in providing fairness and certainty to hundreds of thousands of immigrants already living and working here. Congress should take up this legislation for a vote immediately.”

Background
The Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act is a commonsense solution to a crucial flaw in our broken immigration system. The bill would remove discriminatory “per-country” caps that limit the number of individuals from one country who can receive a green card each year. These outdated caps force immigrants and their families to wait decades, potentially even a lifetime, for the green card they are eligible for today. Eliminating per-country caps would make our legal immigration process more fair, efficient, and better able to keep world-class talent in the United States.

With 290 bipartisan co-sponsors, the bill’s champions are now able to make use of the “consensus calendar,” a new procedure established in the 116th Congress. This process ensures legislation with broad support is given a fair vote and not blocked or buried by opponents. More information on H.R. 1044, the “Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act,” and the consensus calendar process is available here.