I do wish to talk about this amendment which is called the Securing Knowledge. Innovation. and Leadership Act amendment. otherwise known as the SKIL bill. This was a component of the comprehensive immigration reform bill that passed the Senate last year. Of course. that did not go anywhere. We are back again. I assure my colleagues that we will be coming back time and time again until we get this matter voted on. In the past 2 years. there has been much focus by Congress and the administration on restoring Americas competitive edge. While some have viewed the SKIL bill. as it is called. as an immigration issue. I believe it should be considered as a competitiveness issue. not just an immigration one. In fact. the National Academy of Sciences included similar recommendations in its study "Rising Above the Gathering Storm." This very report was the original. the genesis of America COMPETES and several other bills introduced in the 109th Congress. That report recommended to Congress that it should "continue to improve visa processing for international students and scholars to provide less complex procedures and continue to make improvements on such issues as visa categories and duration. travel for scientific meetings. the technologyalert list. reciprocity agreements. and changes in status." The report also recommended that Congress should "institute a new skillsbased. preferential immigration option. Doctorallevel education in science and engineering skills would substantially raise an applicants chances and priority in obtaining U.S. citizenship" under this particular legislation. The United States has always been blessed by recruiting the best and the brightest from all around the world. whether they be scholars. scientists. or researchers.
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visa immigration