Statement from Yale President Peter Salovey Regarding Immigration Reform
August 6, 2013
Universities have long struggled with an immigration system that does far too little to encourage talented students and scholars to remain in the United States and contribute to our society.
Yale benefits greatly from being a community of individuals who come from all parts of the world. Many of our international students will return to their countries of origin following completion of their studies, but others wish to remain in the United States to put their skills, knowledge, and achievements to work. Moreover, Yale’s ability to recruit the very best scholars and teachers, regardless of national origin, increases the wealth of talent available for teaching, research, and innovation and collaboration with industry for economic development.
The recent action in the United States Senate to reform immigration law makes important strides toward an immigration policy that promotes economic growth, most notably through proposals that streamline the green card process for international students with advanced degrees in STEM fields and that expand access to non-immigrant visas for highly skilled workers. In addition, the DREAM Act creates a much-needed path to citizenship for students who are undocumented and have been in the U.S. since childhood.
Yale joins the Association of American Universities in applauding the bipartisan group of 68 Senators who voted for the bill. Although the full House has yet to act, we are hopeful that a bi-partisan agreement will emerge this year to sustain the momentum of immigration reform and fix a broken system.
Statement from Yale President Peter Salovey Regarding Immigration Reform
Universities have long struggled with an immigration system that does far too little to encourage talented students and scholars to remain in the United States and contribute to our society.
Yale benefits greatly from being a community of individuals who come from all parts of the world. Many of our international students will return to their countries of origin following completion of their studies, but others wish to remain in the United States to put their skills, knowledge, and achievements to work. Moreover, Yale’s ability to recruit the very best scholars and teachers, regardless of national origin, increases the wealth of talent available for teaching, research, and innovation and collaboration with industry for economic development.
The recent action in the United States Senate to reform immigration law makes important strides toward an immigration policy that promotes economic growth, most notably through proposals that streamline the green card process for international students with advanced degrees in STEM fields and that expand access to non-immigrant visas for highly skilled workers. In addition, the DREAM Act creates a much-needed path to citizenship for students who are undocumented and have been in the U.S. since childhood.
Yale joins the Association of American Universities in applauding the bipartisan group of 68 Senators who voted for the bill. Although the full House has yet to act, we are hopeful that a bi-partisan agreement will emerge this year to sustain the momentum of immigration reform and fix a broken system.