High Skilled

The immigration laws and regulations provide some avenues to apply for lawful status from within the U.S. or to seek relief from deportation.  The eligibility requirements for these benefits and relief can be stringent, and the immigration agencies often adopt overly restrictive interpretations of the requirements.  Learn about advocacy and litigation that has been and can be undertaken to ensure that noncitizens have a fair chance to apply for the benefits and relief for which they are eligible.  

Recent Features

  • Litigation

USCIS’ Unlawful Denial of H-1B Petitions Spurs Class Action Lawsuit

This nationwide class action lawsuit challenges U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ pattern and practice of arbitrarily denying H-1B nonimmigrant employment-based petitions for market research analyst positions filed by United States businesses.  

All High Skilled Content

  • Blog

Immigrant Potential Is an Expensive Thing to Waste

December 8, 2016

High-skilled new Americans often face obstacles in obtaining jobs appropriate to their skill level. There are many reasons for this. Those who are educated outside the U.S. may fail to have their...

  • Blog

Immigration a Boon to U.S. Economy Finds National Panel of Experts

September 22, 2016

Immigrants and their descendants make valuable contributions to the U.S. economy, according to a new report just released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine entitled...

  • Blog

What to Expect Now That Congress Is Back

September 8, 2016

Congress returned to work this week after a six week recess. While September promises to be a busy month for lawmakers, it is unlikely that immigration reform will be high on their “to do” list....

  • Blog

How Can the U.S. Attract and Retain STEM Graduates?

July 28, 2016

International doctoral students are significantly more likely than native-born U.S. students to major in and graduate from STEM fields In fact, international students make up about 40 percent of...

  • Blog

Lawsuit Against DHS and USCIS Seeks Transparency in H-1B Lottery Process

May 23, 2016

Each year, U.S. employers seeking highly skilled foreign professional workers submit petitions on the first business day of April to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for the...

  • Blog

What You Need to Know About the Temporary Worker Bill Introduced by Senator Flake

May 2, 2016

Last week, Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced the Willing Workers and Willing Employers Act of 2016, which would establish a 10-year guest worker pilot program. According to Flake, the bill...

  • Blog

H-1B Visa Cap Reached in Five Days for Fourth Consecutive Year

April 8, 2016

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 7 that the H-1B cap for fiscal year 2017 was reached—meaning that in five business days, U.S. employers filed more petitions...

  • Blog

Is It Time to Change the H-1B Visa Cap?

March 31, 2016

On April 1, employers will submit their petitions for H-1B visas for high-skilled temporary workers. The start of the H-1B season, when U.S. employers turn their attention toward hiring foreign...

  • Blog

New Rule Improves Learning Experience for International Students With STEM Degrees

March 21, 2016

This month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule which will allow international students in certain science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) fields to...

  • Blog

The Fortunes of H-1B Workers and Their Native-Born Colleagues Rise and Fall Together

August 3, 2015

There is no denying that the granting of H-1B visas for highly skilled professionals from abroad is a politically charged topic. However, the recurring controversies over H-1Bs should not obscure...

  • Blog

What You Need to Know About Foreign-Trained Doctors in the U.S. Healthcare System

January 17, 2018

There are more than 247,000 doctors with medical degrees from foreign countries practicing in the United States. A fourth of all physicians in the nation are foreign-trained—the majority of whom...

  • Special Report

Wages and High-Skilled Immigration

December 14, 2017
This wage calculation is at the heart of the employment-based immigration system Congress devised to protect U.S. workers from unfair competition, while refraining from micromanaging the hiring...
  • Blog

Attacks on Exchange Visitor Program Hurts American Businesses

October 16, 2017

Among the laundry list of proposed restrictions and other attacks on immigration, the Trump administration is reportedly considering cuts to the Exchange Visitor Program (EVP) and therefore...

  • Fact Sheet

Capitalizing on the Economic Potential of Foreign Entrepreneurs

September 13, 2017
This fact sheet describes the legal avenues in the United States available to promising entrepreneurs, as well as some of the barriers they face securing immigration status through these paths.
  • Blog

Who Is in and out Under the RAISE Act

August 11, 2017

The Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act (RAISE Act) seeks to dramatically reshape American immigration by favoring youth and a narrow set of skills over family values and...

  • Fact Sheet

The RAISE Act

August 11, 2017
The Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act (RAISE Act) or S. 354 would mark a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. immigration system. It would significantly reduce levels of legal...
  • Blog

Foreign Workers Make Up 25 Percent of the Entire STEM Workforce

June 14, 2017

With the Trump administration threatening to limit the immigration of highly skilled foreign professionals to the United States, now is a good time to take stock of just how valuable those...

  • Blog

Trump Nominee for USCIS Director Testifies before Senate Committee

May 31, 2017

President Trump’s pick for the next director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Lee Francis Cissna, recently testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. This was the first...

  • Blog

Training for U.S.-Educated Noncitizens Withstands Another Restrictionist Attack

May 12, 2017

Some foreign students complete their stay in the United States by gaining professional experience in their field of study. Immigration restrictionists want to end that opportunity. For the second...

  • Blog

Trump’s Latest Executive Order Targets High-Skilled Immigrants

April 19, 2017

On April 18, President Trump signed the Presidential executive order on Buy American and Hire American. Similar to the other immigration-related executive orders, this one has no immediate effect...

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