Florida Universities Join Effort To Ease Visa Requirements For STEM Grads
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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading an effort to make it easier for foreign graduates of U.S. universities to get a work visa.
Editors note: This post was written by WLRN reporter Luc Cohen.
The presidents of more than 100 U.S. research universities signed a letter to President Obama and Congressional leaders urging them to make it easier for international students to get jobs in the country after they graduate.
The letter argues that highly skilled workers in STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — are in high demand in the U.S. work force and necessary for global economic competitiveness.
The university presidents call on Congress to provide students who graduate from American universities with advanced STEM degrees with a “clear path to a green card.”
“After we have trained and educated these future job creators, our antiquated immigration laws turn them away to work for our competitors in other countries,” the letter reads.
The presidents of the University of Miami, Florida State University, the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida all signed the letter.
