Sen. Chuck Grassley to Place Hold on Employment-Based Visa Bill
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is placing a hold on the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (H.R. 3012) that overwhelmingly passed through the House Tuesday night 389-to-15. The bill would remove the per-country limitations placed on employment-based visas. NumbersUSA took no position on the bill since it would not change overall immigration levels.
However, Sen. Grassley, who serves as the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is concerned that the bill could have an impact on future immigration numbers as well as the impact it could have for highly-skilled unemployed Americans currently looking for work.
The following is the statement Sen. Grassley is providing for the Congressional record:
"I rise to inform my colleagues that I am placing a hold on H.R. 3012, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act. This bill would eliminate the per-country numerical limitations for employment and family-based immigrants. I have concerns about the impact of this bill on future immigration flows, and am concerned that it does nothing to better protect Americans at home who seek high-skilled jobs during this time of record high unemployment."
The bill's author, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), opposes the hold, stating, "While per-country limits make some limited sense in the area of family immigration, they make no sense in the context of employment-based immigration. American companies treat all highly skilled immigrants equally regardless of where they come from, and our immigration policy should do the same. The hold should be lifted and the Senate should swiftly pass this bipartisan legislation."
For more information on H.R. 3012, click here.