High-Skilled Immigration is Essential to U.S. Competitive Edge, Says CTA

ARLINGTON, Va.--()--The following statement is attributed to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™, formerly Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, regarding Thursday's Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest hearing entitled, "The Impact of High-Skilled Immigration on U.S. Workers":

"High-skilled immigration has allowed the U.S. to attract the world's most talented software developers, engineers, statisticians and mathematicians to help create and maintain some of the latest cutting-edge technology Americans love. Not only have highly skilled immigrants led our country to unbelievable innovations, but they are also responsible for creating more than one-quarter of technology startups and jobs in the U.S. In fact, 35 percent of innovators are immigrants. More, immigrants have fueled higher wages for American workers.

"But artificial caps on the number of high-skilled visas available and limits on permanent visas turn away thousands of highly skilled immigrants. This forces many companies to leave the U.S. - costing us more than 500,000 jobs a year - and encourages foreign nationals, many of whom are U.S.-educated, to return home and found companies that compete against ours.

"Congress can't continue to take our position as the world's innovation leader for granted. It must fix our H-1B visa problem, while also addressing abuses to ensure that the best talent from around the world can work for American companies and start businesses in here in the U.S."

About Consumer Technology Association:

Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM, formerly Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, is the trade association representing the $287 billion U.S. consumer technology industry. More than 2,200 companies – 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world’s best known brands – enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CTA also owns and produces CES® – the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA’s industry services.

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Contacts

Consumer Technology Association (CTA)
Bronwyn Flores, 703-907-7679
bflores@CE.org
www.CTA.tech
or
Izzy Santa, 703-907-4308
isanta@CE.org

Contacts

Consumer Technology Association (CTA)
Bronwyn Flores, 703-907-7679
bflores@CE.org
www.CTA.tech
or
Izzy Santa, 703-907-4308
isanta@CE.org