CCIA Calls for Adoption of Cantwell-Cornyn Immigration Amendment

File Under: International Trade, News, 2007

Jun 6, 2007

WASHINGTON -- The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) today joined other trade associations in calling for adoption of the Cantwell-Cornyn amendment to the comprehensive immigration reform bill now being debated in the United States Senate.  

The amendment would establish an employer-sponsored, merit-based green card system alongside the self-sponsored, merit-based points system already in the bill. The language would also restore advanced degree exemptions previously removed from the H-1B visa cap.  These provisions are critically important to CCIA’s longstanding efforts to safeguard U.S. companies’ continued access to the highly skilled, foreign-born workers they need.       

Without employer sponsorship, employers will be unable to select and hire the workers whose skills are specifically needed. Instead, they will be forced to choose from candidates selected through a set of generic, government-determined criteria.  The Cantwell-Cornyn amendment would reestablish the vital link between supply and demand: the supply of skilled foreign-born workers and employers’ demand for specific skills.

“We need to maintain the innovative and competitive edge of U.S. technology companies,” CCIA President & CEO Ed Black said.  “U.S. companies should be able to specify and pursue the skill sets they need, rather than rely on a points system that would not accurately reflect their hiring needs.”  While comprehensive immigration reform is badly needed, it should not come at the expense of eliminating employer sponsorship.  CCIA strongly supports the Cantwell-Cornyn amendment.   

Click here to read supporting letter