U.S. immigration policies that turn away foreign high-skilled workers constitute “national suicide,” and reforming those laws would unleash a torrent of innovation, growth, and job creation, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said during an immigration reform event at the U.S. Chamber.

“Immigrants don’t take away jobs; they make jobs – and that is especially true for high-skilled immigrants,” Bloomberg said at the September 28 event hosted by the National Chamber Foundation. Noting the efforts of several countries to attract human talent, Bloomberg added, “The United States simply has to compete like never before for talent. That’s a competition we can win if we work at it – and we must win if we are going to remain the world’s strongest economy, and a beacon of hope for people around the world.”

U.S. Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue echoed Bloomberg’s characterization of high-skilled foreign nationals as for growth and jobs. “In the global economy, investment follows talent, and companies and enterprises that can retain talent will flourish,” Donohue said. Both Donohue and Bloomberg cited research to support their positions. For instance, one study shows that that for every H-1B visa position, U.S. technology companies increase their employment by five workers.

Bloomberg suggested four ideas that could form the basis of bipartisan immigration legislation:

• Dramatically expand the number of visas for high-skilled workers. Every year, 85% of the visas handed out are for those seeking family re-unification or refuge from harm, while only 15% of visas are given for economic reasons. Bloomberg suggests that visa distribution should be better aligned with the nation’s economic needs.
• Allow foreign students earning advanced degrees in technical fields from U.S. universities to work here permanently. Foreign students account for nearly two-thirds of those who earn a computer-science or engineering Ph.D. from a U.S. institution. But the U.S. immigration system blocks them from staying after graduation, Bloomberg says. “Turning these students out of our country is, to put it bluntly, about the dumbest thing we could do.”
• Offer a conditional visa to immigrants who have the capital to back their business ventures. Immigrants are more than twice as likely as those born in America to start a new company, Bloomberg said. “But as with foreign students, our immigration system has no real path for foreign entrepreneurs, even if they have a bright business idea that has already attracted investors.”
• Expand and streamline the H-1B visa program. “The government doesn’t know how many skilled workers are needed every year –only the market does. So let the market work. And we can do that by eliminating the cap on H-1B visas,” Bloomberg said. He also recommended eliminating the cap that limits employment green cards by country. “Right now, Iceland gets the same quota as India. That makes no sense.”

Bloomberg is co-chair of the Partnership for a New American Economy, a bipartisan group that includes business leaders and more than 100 mayors who are promoting immigration reform as a way to stimulate the country's economy. During his remarks, Bloomberg said that his prescription for reform might not be as high a political hurdle as commonly perceived.

“It does not require either party to walk away from its position on taxes or spending,” Bloomberg said. “Instead, the two parties could produce legislation that is consistent with their political principles, that reflects sound economics, that would put thousands of Americans back to work and that will be popular with voters back home.”

For over a decade, the U.S. Chamber has been making the business case for sensible immigration reform. Read more about the Chamber’s plan for immigration reform.