Legal, Skilled Immigrants Are Languishing in Backlogs

I'm a high-skilled, legal immigrant in the United States, and my permanent residency application is pending because of backlogs in the current immigration system. A combination of factors has led to the current backlogs. Some of these factors are periodic legalization of undocumented workers, insufficient resources, procedural inefficiencies, insufficient visa number availability and poor understanding of the legal immigration problem by members of Congress.

The current immigration debate is primarily focused on illegal immigration reform. It's crucial that the contributions of legal immigrants to the U.S. economy be appreciated. High-skilled, legal immigrants are an essential source of certain skills and training lacking in the American workforce. These immigrants' high productivity and quality of work help to keep America competitive. Although, they don't pay taxes at higher rates, they end up paying more when the fees and other costs of maintaining legal status are included.

Furthermore, while contributing to social security on each paycheck, these legal immigrants are not entitled to social security and Medicare benefits unless they've worked for a certain number of years in the United States. They help curb outsourcing by providing foreign talent locally. An average legal immigrant integrates easily into the American social fiber, is law abiding and favorable towards charitable giving and social participation.

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