WASHINGTON (27 September 2006) — Legislation pending before Congress "would admit foreign computing and engineering (C&E) workers in numbers much greater than historical trends or casual assumptions about future employment levels" according to a recent study from Georgetown University, commissioned by IEEE-USA.

The August report from Georgetown's Institute for the Study of International Migration concluded that the estimated number of new high-tech visas available under the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006" (S.2611) over the next 10 years could be 1.88 million. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the number of new C&E workers needed by our economy over the decade is 1.25 million.

Thus, Congress was considering authorizing enough high-skill visas to fill every C&E job created in the United States over the next decade and still have 630,000 visas left over.

"The report calls into question Congress' approach to high-skill immigration reform" IEEE-USA President Ralph W. Wyndrum Jr. said. "Its analysis provides needed context to the immigration numbers being discussed on Capitol Hill."

To view the report, go to: http://www12.georgetown.edu/sfs/isim/Publications/LindsayPubs/Lowell,%20C&E%20S2611%20projections%208-31-06.pdf.

IEEE-USA advances the public good and promotes the careers and public policy interests of more than 220,000 engineers, scientists and allied professionals who are U.S. members of the IEEE. IEEE-USA is part of the IEEE, the world's largest technical professional society with 360,000 members in 150 countries. For more information, go to www.ieeeusa.org.