Republican Sens. David Perdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas will unveil legislation that proposes a skills-based immigration system and seeks an overall lower level of legal immigration according to the Washington Examiner.
Perdue and Cotton have called for a return to “historic” levels of permanent legal immigration. A top Senate aide with knowledge of the bill described the new plan as something that would “raise U.S. workers’ wages, create jobs and make the economy more competitive”.
Both senators have criticized the current immigration system in which just a small percentage of immigrants come to the U.S. because of their skills. The new system will prioritize high-skilled immigrants and match applicants depending on how they fit the workforce’s current needs.
It’s a push toward the other controversial goal of reducing legal immigration. The U.S. lets in more than 1 million people each year legally, but some Republicans have said that number hurts American citizens by pushing down their wages, and making it harder for them to find work in their own country, since they face competition from unskilled workers who are willing to work for less.
Today’s system often benefits family members of current U.S. residents, but Perdue and Cotton are pushing for a change that would force the U.S. to weigh the skill sets of potential candidates, and favor those with more skills.
This represents a different approach to immigration reform than has been championed by some other Republicans as recently in the 2013 “Gang of Eight” bill.
