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Tech firms urge U.S. to let the children of visa holders keep previous the age of 21

Muthumalla Dhandapani, an Indian immigrant with an H1-B visa and a Comcast worker in Sunnyvale, protests President Trump’s immigration orders in 2017.

Santiago Mejia | Hearst Newspapers | Getty Pictures

A coalition of tech firms together with Amazon, Google, Salesforce and Uber are urging the Division of Fatherland Safety to revise insurance policies for kids of high-skilled visa holders, a lot of whom paintings for his or her companies, so they may be able to keep previous the age of 21 and not using a inexperienced card.

In a letter to DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas made public on Tuesday, the corporations requested that the Biden management “determine extra powerful growing older out insurance policies.” They level to the greater than 200,000 youngsters who’ve grown up within the U.S. whilst their folks held visas, together with the high-skilled H1-B visa that is specifically not unusual within the tech trade. As soon as the ones youngsters flip 21, they should practice for a inexperienced card, a procedure that may drag on or even power some to go away for the time being.

Those firms also are encouraging Congress to move the bipartisan The united states’s Kids Act to create a pathway to citizenship for so-called ‘documented Dreamers’ on this state of affairs.

“Policymakers have known the plight of the Dreamers – youngsters dropped at the U.S. via their folks, who know no different nation and have been left with out prison standing – and feature supplied meantime aid during the DACA program,” the crowd wrote. “Now, we urge policymakers to additionally deal with the wishes of the greater than 200,000 youngsters of high-skilled immigrants who possibility falling during the cracks of the immigration device.”

The tech trade has lengthy championed immigration problems, however this time in addition they spotlight the urgent wishes of employers at a time of fashionable exertions shortages within the U.S.

“Previous this spring, American firms had greater than 11 million open jobs – 5 million extra openings than employees,” the coalition wrote. “Many of those task vacancies are for highly-skilled positions, and U.S. firms recruit foreign-born employees to fill within the employee shortages. Those openings are particularly crucial given the pandemic because the U.S. seeks to deal with its global chief standing in innovation and ingenuity.”

The firms argue the present aging-out insurance policies harm their skill to recruit high-skilled employees from out of doors the U.S.

After they flip 21, youngsters of those visa holders “face the tough selection between leaving the rustic that has turn into their house, or making an attempt to re-enter the labyrinthine, high-stakes immigration device for a unique visa the place choices are extraordinarily restricted. Their folks should both turn into separated from their youngsters or abandon their careers and any plans to hunt everlasting place of abode within the U.S,” the crowd wrote.

“Those that are pressured to go away are a loss to The united states’s communities and body of workers,” the corporations wrote.
“Their talents and ability will move to our international competition.”

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