U.S. Immigration today proposed a new rule to make it easier for American businesses to recruit temporary high-skilled workers.  Under the current system, employers must fill out voluminous paperwork to apply for one of the 65,000 visas allotted for this purpose.

The new rule would streamline the process by allowing employers to electronically register and ensure visas are available before they submit a full application - saving an estimated $23 million over 10 years. Studies have suggested that every temporary high-skilled worker creates five additional jobs.

Statement of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg:

“This new rule is a welcome step to make the temporary high-skilled worker program more transparent and efficient. Our unemployment rate is 9 percent, and every measure that allows us to recruit more job-creators is needed.

“The new rule has the full support of the Partnership for a New American Economy, a group of Mayors and business leaders who are making the economic case for immigration reform, but we strongly believe the Administration and Congress should go even further. We need to speed up the cumbersome approval process that begins once applications are filed and we need legislation that removes the arbitrary and outdated caps on temporary high skilled visas.”