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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement on the Senate passing the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, a bipartisan bill he championed to lift the per-country caps on high-skilled immigrants:
“North Dakota is home to thousands of hard-working immigrants who bridge the gap between our workforce shortage and our immediate need for physicians, software developers, and other highly-skilled workers. Without these individuals, important services would be unavailable in many parts of our state; but because of arbitrary per-country caps, their legal status is constantly in jeopardy. The Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act fixes that by – without increasing the number of employment-based visas – creating a more merit-based system that levels the playing field for high-skilled immigrants.”
Senator Cramer worked closely with his colleagues to ensure this legislation includes safeguards against fraud and abuse in the visa system. The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent tonight as Senator Cramer presided over the chamber.
“Immigration is often a contentious issue, but we should not delay progress where there is bipartisan consensus,” Senator Cramer added. “I am grateful to my colleagues for working with me to pass this legislation in a collaborative fashion.”
After leading this legislation during his time in the House, Senator Cramer continued working to pass this bill when he joined the Senate. In February of 2019, he brought Debjyoti Dwivedy (“DD”), a North Dakota State University alumnus and Vice President of Immigration Voice, a group which advocates for this bill, as his guest to the State of the Union.
“As Congress debates the many aspects of our broken immigration system, Debjyoti offers expertise and experiences that reflect North Dakota priorities and values,” Senator Cramer said at the time. “It is my hope we can finally pass a version of the Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act this Congress.”
“Being invited as his guest to the State of the Union was a great honor,” DD wrote after the event. “To me, this demonstrates his appreciation for the important role immigrants play to North Dakota. His ardent support for the Fairness for Immigrants Act is found in both his conservative principles and his commitment to the people of North Dakota.”
While Senator Cramer worked behind the scenes to earn lawmakers’ support, he publicly campaigned for this bill through op-eds, television appearances, and meetings with advocates of the bill:
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