Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my support for H.R. 1044, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, introduced by Congresswoman Lofgren. This bipartisan legislation will help ease green card backlogs for those facing the longest wait times and help our businesses retain the high-skilled staff they need to be competitive.

Last month, I sat down with Sunayana Dumala, who shared her story with me.

It was only 2 years ago that our community was devastated when Sunayana's husband, Srinivas, was murdered in a hate crime in Olathe, Kansas. My predecessor helped her obtain a temporary visa, but she still faces a potentially decades-long wait to gain citizenship. This is because, with him gone, her status was at risk.

These green card backlogs need to be resolved. Sunayana is not alone. Many people have applied for permanent residency and are stuck in long backlogs for green cards.

H.R. 1044 creates a fair and equitable first-come, first-served system, helping to even out green card lines and helping to prevent excessive backlogs for folks like Sunayana. It allows U.S. companies to focus on what they do best: hiring people with the right skills to create products, services, and jobs.

This is a piece of a larger, more comprehensive reform needed to fix our broken immigration system.

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