GOP Relaunches Bill Giving Green Cards to Science Grads

Immigration bill would also allow family members to stay legally

A House Republican bill granting green cards to immigrants who've graduated from US universities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is getting a second chance, after GOP members added a provision to expand a family-based program, the Associated Press reports.

The original bill failed because it didn't gain a necessary two-thirds vote under special House rules. Over 80% of Democrats voted against the immigration bill because it required cuts to the Diversity Visa Lottery Program (DV). The program gives visas to countries with low immigration to the US.

The new bill, however, could win over more Democrats because of an amendment it contains, which would expand a program granting spouses and children of permanent residents permission to reside in the US while waiting to obtain a green-card.

The amended bill will only require a simple majority to pass, and it'll likely speed through the House.

But getting it past a Democratic-controlled Senate in a lame-duck session, the AP reports, is unlikely.

Via the Associated Press

Do you support an easier immigration path for foreign STEM graduates?

[DARSB]

It's nice to at least have the option to stay. I wonder how popular this would be with graduates.

[myp]

It's popular with this foreign graduate! I think a streamlined process for STEM students/professionals is ideal for a technologically advanced country like the US, and, if passed, graduates will definitely make use of it.

[DARSB]

@myp That's reassuring. It seems like such a missed opportunity to let all that knowledge and skills get away.

[Dan_Tien]

I do not support a bill giving green cards to foreign students who graduate with science degrees written by the same people who want to cut financial aid for American students.

[Jayden]

Agree,All they are doing is giving a spring board into the country for more cheap labor in an unprotected career path reducing wages by flooding those labor markets.You would have to be stupid to invest in Engineering as a career and they know they are the reason fewer Americans are becoming Engineers from a long government and corporate history of the same.

[kathyparsell]

@Jayden
Strange take on this. Every person I know who has an engineering degree is not only employed but in a job that is not likely to be shipped out to a foreign country. The reson most people don't invest in an engineering degree is that they can't handle the math aspect.

[Jayden]

@kathyparsell Naive ,stand in the unemployment line sometime and see Who's there.Do you honestly think after the tech bubble crashed and many manufacturing jobs went to Mexico, India and China that we need more Engineers?Do you think after the Cold war ended and the reduction of Military spending reducing the money spent in the industrial military complex with all it's lay offs that we need more Engineers?Do you honestly think it was just the job on the assembly lines that went to those other countries?Plenty of people can do math,i think it's highly unlikely there is a genetic superiority in the math capabilities of an illegal immigrant regardless what this government or a corporation tries to say.Yes,it's a fact that it's on average the highest educated,lowest paying career a person can pursue in the United States which is why so many people choose the medical profession since the customers are insured and they have a greater chance of getting a return on their education investment along with a certification required by law so any illegal off the street can't take their job.Or they can go for a career in law work less and get paid more for the same reasons.Many of the people that have Engineering degrees end up working out of their field for lower wages because they can't find a job at all.This country use to have science and engineering fairs and competitions in the public schools back in the 50's and 60's when we put a big importance on Engineering and science fields,awards and state competitions for the best entries were handed out.We were in the space race against those Russians and had something to prove.All those programs are gone from the schools today,but yet we only hear how important Engineering is in this country when someone is trying to bring more illegals green cards and work visas.Why wouldn't they bring back those programs to public schools if Engineering was so important?why wouldn't wages follow regular supply and demand market rules and go up if they were in such great demand?Corporations like illegals in the engineering and science fields because there is no certification required by law,As long as someone can do the job they will just take the most desperate for the least wages.

[FollowTheMoney]

No,not until our borders are secure. Solve one problem, before creating another.

[dances-weebles]

the only time that our borders will be 'secure' is when they're thrown open to anyone who wants to enter or to leave without any sort of documentation.

[FollowTheMoney]

@dances-weebles I'm trying to wrap my head around that one. And ..Uh.. I just don't get it. Should we then get rid of locks and keys too? Just tell the bad guys to stay in jail, no bars and no walls.

[dances-weebles]

@FollowTheMoney um... what do the borders have to do with locking your house, or prison gates? you're confusing too many issues here and maybe that's why you just don't seem to get it.

[FollowTheMoney]

@dances-weebles Some thing is secure or it's not.

[dances-weebles]

@FollowTheMoney but you can't equate your front door with the national borders.

[Sonny]

Oh...so what ...is the Repub. party giving out "stuff"? Handing out "gifts"? I wonder how old "loser Mitt" feels about that. And how about all of you right wingers on here...who were crying and screaming and (lying) about Obama "giving out gifts"? Where is your moral outrage about this republican little goodie...? Or are you basically just the hypocrits that you usually are?

[SavageMazx]

Nope, not in the least.....secure the border, build a big wall and make em line up and go thru proper channels.

[dances-weebles]

nope... open the borders and allow everyone to come and go as they please. you seem to act as though it makes some sort of difference.

[SavageMazx]

@dances-weebles actually I am for deporting any "undocumented workers", and yes closing the border building a fence and patrolling it heavily armed patrols would make a difference. It would curtail the flow of drugs into this country. Any drug dealers or mules caught running drugs into the US should be viewed a terrosist and dealt with accordingly. Why do these people come here, to get away from corruption and vice right, yet they bring the same corruption and vice with them. I am done with it. Lock it down.

[dances-weebles]

@SavageMazx boy, you're certainly entitled to your opinion... even if it's ridiculous and wrong.

yeah... deport all them lettuce and apple pickers. deport all them floor sweepers, and truck unloaders... that'll get the work done... but not by your, i'll wager.

[RobertJHarsh]

Good idea. I have no real problem with it. I would make them wait five years and never give their families instant citizenship until they go through the legal motions to obtain it. I suspect it would be similar to laws in Saudi Arabia and Dubai and they don't get instant citizenship and no one should ever get it here either. Be smart about it.

[hwyangel]

I agree. I would rather immigrants at least have green cards. Better to be "undocumented" than illegal.

[KyleMFb]

Yes...and repubes are going to have to do more than suck up to Mexicans if there going to survive

[Dog-Girl]

Allow the geniuses of the world to make America their home. Then as a country, we will be a stronger nation.
Kinda like what Hitler was trying to do. Im being sarcastic!!!
I believe we sould be a country with an solationist ideology.

[Poseur]

Um, Hitler chased out many of the geniuses of the world, those who he didn't butcher in the concentration camps. He only wanted the Aryans. I find it truly bizarre that one would compare this policy with Hitler's.

[Dog-Girl]

@Poseur ...I mentioned my sarcasms on this issue.
Hitler wanted his idea of nationalistic purity to prevail.
GOP Wants to shape our society using a populace of scientific geniuses. A poor comparison on my part. It felt clever at the time...

[Poseur]

@Dog-Girl Honestly, I am inclined to agree with the GOP on this one, although I don't want other immigration programs to be cut either. I think the two things are opposites. Pro-immigration groups (left or right) want diversity and think it will help the country. Hitler wanted a pure race, which worked to stamp out diversity.

[scotta]

Not really. The question is how did they get here? If they came over on a student visa, I might possibly agree. But if they jumped the fence no. There are procedures that a person must follow to receive A visa

[jessejaymes]

As far back as I can remember this nation has been warning that we have a shortage of highly educated tech and science work force. We were warned that our country would be falling behind if we didn't face this reality. We never did. Between Underwater basket weaving liberal arts garbage degrees and rednecks saying "edjumaction don meks u smert" we have lost the war for qualified employees in today's market. Jobs go begging in this country. I read of 3 million tech jobs that are unfilled because why? Because we don't have the people educated to fill them.

You can yap and yap and yap but big business will get what they need. They own this country. They always have. If America won't pay attention and stop putting out degrees for people studying the mating habits of a termite and if America (particularly the bible belt) keeps on thinking everyone can be a framing construction worker then business is going to get their tech workers wherever they can be found. This bill will pass.

[SpookyThreeTwo]

And by tech you mean computers and IT. Because i don't know where those three million unfilled tech jobs are. In my industry, they're hiring consultants on visas and paying them a third of what they'd pay an american who'd been in my industry for 10 years. No one's creating any more jobs because of the medical device tax, so when those people decide to get their MS in the US, they get to stay and compete for our jobs.

i should say that nine times out of ten, their work is substandard. I've had to clean up messes caused by consultants such as this.

if they limit it to computers and it, good. no one wants those jobs because not a lot of normal human beings would work those hours. Keep the rest of it american. there's plentty of people out there that don't get hired because they don't look ideal on paper.

[jessejaymes]

@SpookyThreeTwo by "tech" I mean technical jobs beyond pounding nails or stocking shelves at Walmart. Jobs that require some education in a given field. We're short on skilled labor everywhere you look. A car mechanic today is a tech job because every car built today is a series of computers.

[SpookyThreeTwo]

@jessejaymes Oh. Okay my bad. I always called those jobs trades, and yeah you're right. Those jobs could use a little competition.

[SpookyThreeTwo]

@jessejaymes Take that back ... the girl who did the awesome tattoo on my right arm is a local artist ... not like you can export tattoo art, but it was an original and she also did one for my wife. Can't forget about artists. They do amazing things most of us technical types are not capable of.

[jessejaymes]

@SpookyThreeTwo I defy you to document tattooing as a solution to the unemployment problem. This has nothing to do with this country needing Science and technical degrees.

[mudzangandoro]

This has nothing to do with illegals...I am for it!

[Waynestew]

I'd like to see you easier path to citizenship for those were actually BORN AND RAISED in this country. But this is not necessarily a bad thing either. More requirements should be in place. Maybe some type of charitable services required.

[myp]

This is about green cards...citizenship is a totally different issue.

[Waynestew]

@myp I know the differences. I believe I said: "path to citizenship." "Path" being the main word. Green cards are a "path" to citizenship. So as I said; I would like to see those whom were actually born and raised in this country have an easier path to citizenship, than Those who just went to school here.

[Poseur]

Being born in the country automatically makes one a citizen. Even if their parents were "illegal" immigrants. There are lots of people who came to the country as very small children, and they should definitely have a path to citizenship (the Dream Act is a great start).

[myp]

@Waynestew I was thinking along the same lines as Poseur, that being born in a country implies that you're a citizen. Also, a green card doesn't always lead to citizenship. I know several people who have lived in the States for years on a visa or green card and have no intention of giving up their other citizenships.

[Waynestew]

@myp You are right being born here usually means you are citizen as long as you can obtain proof.(Hospital birth) But those brought to this country as small children should also have a better chance.

Being a citizen of the US does not mean you have to give up your citizenship to your home country.

[DARSB]

Good to see the Republican gift-giving has started early, I can only guess how revolted Mr Romney must be by now. The next Congress should be interesting to watch as the GOP attempts to deal with its "Hispanic Panic" with not-quite-pandering legislation.

[JohnVicky]

I still get a kick out of using GOP and anything to do with science and technology in the same sentence. I guess the degrees these students hold must be in Creationism and that the earth is only 6,000 years old, Jesus rode a dinosaur, and Noah built a big big boat that crash landed on Mt. Ararat. Seriously dude. ROFL@ the GOP.

[get_involved]

The Democrats think we have a shortage of uneducated poor people. They want to bring in more uneducated poor Democrats.

Help stop ANOTHER Amnesty.

HERE'S HOW: http://www.numbersusa.com

Numbersusa lobbies in Washington against illegal immigration and they will show you what YOU can do help. Be sure to sign up for their e-mails letting you know when something is being done in Washington dealing with illegal immigration and how you can help! Support Numbersusa!

[Grubby]

We have a HUGE shortage of engineers in this country, highly paid positions that actually help CREATE jobs through innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity. The Democrats want more uneducated, undocumented, illegal immigrants to add to their base, so their Idiot in Chief will grant blanket amnesty to all 15 million of them within the next 2 years. The moron Harry Reid won't even allow a bill to be considered that actually grants a LEGAL path to citizenship to intelligent people. My gosh, they might be Conservative (probably will be). They will probably create more businesses, those evil things that only take from their workers. We can't have that happen, not in the new version of America, the version that Obama, Reid, and Pelosi want. The government will take care of everyone....heaven forbid we allow business and free enterprise to take the role that rightly belongs to the federal government.

[Pammo]

I like the idea but I question the motives of the GOP in light of past immigration legislation. Perhaps this is an attempt to win over some of the Latino voters who went so heavily for Obama.

[Jayden]

Of course,all the careers that have no certification of law and unrepresented get exploited by cheap labor.It's no wonder fewer Americans are becoming Engineers.It's the highest educated lowest paid field you can get into for the reason above.

[tomincali]

huge mistake as is the dream act. rewarding these folks is a big of a fail as the 86 shamnesty,no it is a bigger mistake being that 2 million grew into 12 to 20 million all do to their failures.

[mudzangandoro]

I have a lot of foreign friends from third world countries graduating with very prestigious degrees but they quickly fall outta status so quickly because the immigration system is mostly slow and broken. They are not allowed to work off campus and are only allowed to work 20hrs on campus doing crappy jobs like cleaning dorms.
As soon as they graduate, they pay an application fee to apply for an opt visa which only allows them to work for 1yr. Within that 1yr they are supposed to find a company willing to sponsor them to get an H1B visa. This is tough to do because most companies will not take the risk. They end up falling outta status.
The lucky ones that do get sponsored for 6yrs. And then they get their green cards through the company which is a long and tedious processes full of bullet holes. Some applications get denied, some get lost, some get appealed..its crazy!!!
Am for it!!