The U.S. immigration system needs fundamental reform to counter worsening demographic trends and to refocus immigration criteria to prioritize high-skilled workers. In a new insight, AAF President Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Whitney Appel summarize and evaluate The America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act’s proposed immigration reforms.

Key points:

• The America COMPETES Act of 2022 (H.R. 4521), contains the first immigration reforms to be considered in regular order by this Congress.
• It includes three reforms: a new entrepreneur’s visa, an exemption for some skilled immigrants from numerical caps, and Temporary Protected Status for residents of Hong Kong.
• While the bill would modestly raise the amount and skill levels of U.S. immigration, it is no substitute for a more comprehensive overhaul.

Read the analysis