The Migration Policy Institute published a new report proposing how to revamp the nation’s immigration system to better meet our current, and future, demographic and economic needs.
The report starts with a reminder that the current immigration framework was last substantially updated more than 30 years ago. At that time, Congress imposed strict, unrealistically low limits on employment based non-immigrants (the 85,000 yearly cap on bachelors and masters degree or higher specialized knowledge H-1B visas, and the 66,000 annual cap on H-2B seasonal agricultural worker visas), and per-country immigration limits that have resulted in decades long waits for immediate families to be reunified and for skilled talent to be able to get their permanent residency to work for the employers who petitioned successfully for them. Economically speaking, 1990 was light years away from the current internet and knowledge based global economy that we take for granted today. The U.S.’s immigration system is completely out of step with the nation’s current demographic and economic realities.
The report walks through the current challenges facing the nation, and proposes thoughtful solutions for what a new immigration framework could look like.
You can read the full report here.