Dive Summary:
- The U.S. Senate's immigration overhaul bill passed 68 to 32 Thursday, potentially giving foreign-born graduate students easier access to green cards, as well as allowing students brought to the U.S. illegally as children to receive federal student aid and petition for citizenship within five years of completing high school and either attending college or serving in the military.
- The leaders of 14 higher-education associations wrote a letter to the Senate Wednesday pushing for the bill's passage and saying that providing a path to citizenship for foreign students and the children of illegal immigrants, often referred to as "dreamers," is key to long-term economic growth.
- Despite being unlikely to pass in the House of Representatives, where most of the higher education provisions are considered uncontroversial, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 is still being praised as a win for higher ed.
From the article:
... "The real game changer in the bill for universities is in the green-card section, where advanced-degree graduates for STEM fields have green cards stapled to their diplomas," said Craig Lindwarm, assistant director for international issues and Congressional and governmental affairs at the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. ...