Jill on the Hill: help balance the federal budget and keep STEM talent
Stuart Anderson makes a compelling argument in this Forbes article, proposing changes to US immigration policies that could generate billions of dollars to boost our economy. If Congress were also to deliver on the popular proposal to provide green cards to international student graduates of our universities, our local economies would benefit exponentially.
According to estimates from Douglas Elmendorf and Heidi Williams of the Penn Wharton budget model, exempting employment-based green cards from statutory limits for applicants and their families who have earned a doctoral or master’s degree in a STEM field would reduce federal budget deficits by USD $129 billion from 2025 to 2034.
Their estimates use a more accurate, more reliable, population-change projection method, instead of a conventional budget estimate. Their approach shows a decrease in federal budget deficits resulting from increased collections of individual income taxes and payroll taxes more than outweigh additional spending on benefits.
Another benefit of making green cards more available to those who graduate from US higher education institutions is that it helps us to retain talent here to create jobs, drive innovation, and improve public health.
Congress should create a direct path to residency for foreign students
Congress should adjust immigration law to permit a smoother entry to work for skilled graduates of US higher education institutions. Our nation would do well to ensure those educated by our institutions can stay and contribute their knowledge and skills to our economy.
Officials across the political spectrum have supported providing a pathway to residency for international students graduating from US colleges and universities, including through bills like the Keep STEM Talent Act and the Dignity Act.
Congress should create a direct path to residency for foreign students, eliminate the green card backlogs – including those caused by per-country caps – and prevent future backlogs. Those with PhDs, masters, bachelors and associates degrees from US higher education institutions should receive priority and represent the wide range of fields of study needed in our economy.
International students have many choices of where they can spend their tuition dollars and contribute their intellectual talent. If the United States is going to lead the world in science and innovation, in addition to innumerable contributions to public health and safety, national security, and cultural ties, we are far more competitive for this talent if students can successfully navigate a pathway to employment-based immigration.
Five reasons we should prioritise green cards for international students with US degrees
- International students make our economy stronger
International students contribute significantly to the US economy through tuition, living expenses, and spending in local communities. For every three international students studying in the United States, one American job is created or supported.
By encouraging them to stay and work post-graduation, we retain talent that contributes to U.S. innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation. Learn more. - Talent retention and filling skill gaps
The US is a global leader in higher education, but many international students are forced to leave after graduation due to complex and restrictive immigration policies.
Facilitating green card pathways for those talented students with US degrees would help keep high-caliber graduates within the country, maintaining the nation’s competitive edge in various fields such as tech, science, healthcare, and more. Learn more from the Bipartisan Policy Center. - Boosting STEM and research advancements
Many international students graduate with STEM degrees, often working in cutting-edge research roles in universities, labs, or startups. And their presence on US campuses helps American students to succeed in STEM fields.
In spite of efforts to encourage more American students to pursue STEM degrees, not enough do. The US heavily relies on international talent in fields like medicine, technology, and engineering. Ensuring their ability to stay post-graduation is crucial to advancing research and development in these sectors.
“Enrolling more international undergraduate students does not crowd out US students at the average American university and leads to an increase in the number of bachelor’s degrees in STEM majors awarded to US students,” according to a study from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) by economist Madeline Zavodny. Learn more. - Global competition
Other countries offer post study work and smoother permanent residency pathways for international graduates, which serves to make them more attractive destinations for students in the first place, and also makes those countries more competitive in retaining talent.
If talented international students are forced to depart the United States due to visa limitations, the US loses valuable expertise. Creating a pathway to permanent residency for students who earn a US degree helps prevent this and ensures the US maximises its return on these students’ investment in international education.
If the US wants to remain a top destination for the best and brightest minds, we need to make sure we offer similar or better opportunities for talented international students. - Fostering innovation
International students bring fresh perspectives, help Americans to better understand global competition, and generate innovative ideas that enrich the educational experience for all students.
A green card pathway for those with a US diploma would allow them to continue contributing to these perspectives in the workforce, benefiting society at large.
One example of how our outdated immigration system disadvantages the United States in the global competition for talent is the story of scientist Erdahl Arikan. When he was unable to secure a visa in the US after graduating with a degree and returned to his “residence abroad” due to the current policies, he decided to take his big idea to China: a breakthrough innovation that eventually helped China take the lead in 5G technology.
Graham Allison of Harvard Kennedy School and Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, noted in a 2022 foreign policy article that the Chinese tech company Huawei now holds 10 times more of the patents related to Arikan’s innovation than its nearest competitor and has produced a third of the global 5G infrastructure, while US companies aren’t even meaningfully in the race.
“Had the United States been able to retain Arikan – simply by allowing him to stay in the country instead of making his visa contingent on immediately finding a sponsor for his work – this history might well have been different,” Allison and Schmidt argued.
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