Thank you for contacting me to express your support for the "Fairness for
High-Skilled Immigrants Act" (H.R. 3012). I appreciate hearing your
perspective, and I welcome the opportunity to provide my point of view.
Currently, the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) mandates that the
number of employment-based and family-sponsored visas made available to
individuals of a particular country cannot exceed seven percent of the total
number of visas made available per year. On September 22, 2011,
Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) introduced the "Fairness for High-
Skilled Immigrants Act" (H.R. 3012), which would lift this per country
percentage cap for employment-based visas and increase to fifteen percent
the per country percentage cap for family-sponsored immigrant visas.
The "Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act" is currently awaiting
consideration in the House Judiciary Committee. To date, no similar
legislation has been introduced in the Senate, but be assured that I will
keep your experience and views in mind should this issue come before me for
consideration in the future.
In addition, please know that I am committed to passing comprehensive
immigration reform, including improvements to reduce wait times and ensure
that our visa programs are able to meet critical labor shortages in the
United States.