Competition bill could carry high-skilled immigration changes

He and other colleagues, including those in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, “are pursuing every opportunity that we have to make progress on immigration reform,” he said Wednesday.

“I’m certainly hopeful that the Senate is open to those provisions,” Luján said. “It still doesn’t solve everything, and it still doesn’t solve the challenge associated with those specific visas. But it makes progress, and it’s forward-looking from a workforce perspective.”

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., one of 13 co-sponsors on the Senate’s competition bill, also said Wednesday she would support the House’s immigration additions, highlighting the challenges universities face in retaining foreign-born graduates under the current immigration scheme.

The immigration provisions could even garner support from some Senate Republicans, who have historically refused to support other efforts at immigration changes without significant increases in border security funding.

“If there’s broad support for the provisions, then I’m absolutely open to including it,” said Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., another co-sponsor on the Senate bill. “More broadly in terms of skills-based immigration reform, I think it’s essential to maintaining our national competitiveness.”