Business leaders want visa system reform

Several state business leaders called for immigration reform to the U.S. visa system on Wednesday, saying the system is 'broken.”

'We can't ignore the economic impact the reform would have,” said John Stineman, the executive director of the Iowa Chamber Alliance, a group that represents the 16 largest Chambers of Commerce and economic development organizations throughout Iowa.

The business leaders recognized that comprehensive reform could be too divisive and instead said lawmakers should pick parts, such as H-1B visas, to find bipartisan compromise. These visas allow U.S. companies to temporarily hire foreign workers in specialty fields.

H-1B visas have received criticism, as some claim they strip U.S. citizens of job opportunities. But Debi Durham, the director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, said the state needs more highly skilled workers, and these visas would be a way to fill the growing gap as the baby boomers age out of the workforce.

Durham said the shortage of qualified workers would impede the state's future growth.

'Immigration reform just makes good business sense,” she said. 'The issue boils down to the need to grow our population. The need to fill these jobs is immediate,” she said.

Durham said once students who are attending universities on student visas graduate, they are forced out of the country and unable to seek jobs.

According to U.S. Citizens and Immigration services, the government can distribute 65,000 H-1B visas per year. Applications opened for fiscal 2015 on April 1 and by April 10, the service had received roughly 172,500 applications.

'It is vitally important for Congress and the administration to modernize our broken immigration system to reflect today's realities and address the current and future workforce needs of our economy,” said Jay Byers, CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, an economic development agency. 'To remain globally competitive, we need to be able to attract top talent from across the world to help fuel our future economic growth.”

Immigration reform has been a contentious issue in Washington, D.C. A comprehensive overhaul failed earlier this year when House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner told President Barack Obama the House would not vote on the reform.

This problem has become intensified in the recent weeks as thousands of immigrant children have crossed the border illegally, fleeing poverty and violence. The White House has asked Congress for more than $3.7 billion to address the issue.