The “Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act” (RAISE Act) would eliminate most of the immigration system we know today and replace it with a “merit-based system,” similar to that found in Canada and Australia.
Unfortunately this newly introduced bill fails to recognize how much family immigration contributes to our economy and it roots in the warped assumption that legal family immigration harms our economy.
If passed, the bill would eliminate almost all family-based immigration except those for spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens and green card holders.
On the other hand, a merit-based system makes not much sense when its requirements flow from the government instead of the needs of U.S. employers. It goes without saying that if American companies cannot get the workers they need in the United States, they will have to consider expanding to other countries where they can get the needed workers.
It appears that the proposed merit-based system eliminates lower-skilled immigration; completely ignoring that these immigrants contribute significantly to our economy. What good will it do to admit a high-skilled worker when he or she does not have a job offer? Will he or she then take the low skilled job of the low skilled worker we would not allow to immigrate?
Stay tuned for updates on developments.....
