As college students, we may have an ethical argument or a logical argument about comprehensive immigration reform.
But what some do not realize is that it also makes a huge impact on college students as well.
Foreign students have been coming to America to study for years. They know that the college education system in the U.S. is one of, if not the, strongest in the world.
The more restrictions we have on immigration, the harder it is to let students who want a good education come to the United States to study.
Immigration reform would help these prospective productive members of the United States into our country and into our job market.
According to the American Immigration council, even with restrictions, foreign immigrant students end up inputting billions of dollars into the economy every year.
Imagine the growth we would have if we were able to increase the number of those immigrants.
If the past has been a good example, there have been aspects of previously implemented programs that have aided foreign students in searching for better education.
The way to reform would be to expand the H-1B visa plan. This plan allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty operations. This includes college.
According to Brookings, a Washington D.C.-based thinktank, comprehensive immigration reform is looking to build upon H-1B. “Currently, only a fraction of these students attain a temporary skilled-worker visa after graduating. The H-1B visa program has been one of the main pathways for retaining American-trained foreign students, though only 19,922 H-1B recipients in 2010 (26 percent of all H-1B visas) were foreigners with advanced degrees from U.S. universities,” a recent article from the Brookings website stated.
If H-1B expanded it would mean that there would be more graduating foreign students that come and add to our economy.
Competition is the tool towards all success. Without competition, there is no motivation for a person or a company to get better.
The plan will impact the schools themselves as well. The schools would compete for the interest of those international students, therefore increasing the quality of the school.
Now, due to the difficulties in getting a visa or passage into the U.S., college is almost unaffordable to most international students. Immigration reform would ease the process so that it will cut down the overall price for the college itself.
Reforming our immigration policy, specifically with H-1B, will help our fellow foreign students leave and come to America. In turn, the students will go on living productive lives for the American economy.
