Edward Alden discusses how the United States' opaque system of visa checks undermines its ability to attract and retain skilled immigrants.

Edward Alden and James Ziglar argue that fixing the U.S. immigration system requires reforming the laws on legal immigration rather than just the enforcement components. A realistic, flexible visa program that matched available workers to open jobs would reduce pressure on limited enforcement resources.

As the United States works to rebound from the economic downturn and improve global competitiveness, the debate over immigration reform intensifies. Six experts weigh in on how to reform the U.S. immigration system to improve economic performance.

Germany's recent debate regarding immigration is missing an important reality.

Some GOP lawmakers have proposed legislation to eliminate birthright citizenship, but legal expert Margaret Stock says these proposals would create vast logistical and social problems and are unlikely to succeed.

J.W. Marriott Jr. shares his views on how the U.S. economy and global leadership can rebound; the prospects for growth in China, India, and Brazil; the need for immigration reform to maintain U.S. global competitiveness; and his own experiences and lessons learned from building a global hotel and property management company.

This session was part of the Corporate Program's CEO Speaker Series.

J.W. Marriott Jr. shares his views on how the U.S. economy and global leadership can rebound; the prospects for growth in China, India, and Brazil; the need for immigration reform to maintain U.S. global competitiveness; and his own experiences and lessons learned from building a global hotel and property management company.

This session was part of the Corporate Program's CEO Speaker Series.

In advance of the Global Forum on Migration and Development in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, join Assistant Secretary of State Eric Schwartz for a discussion of U.S. policy on international migration and the foreign policy aspects of the domestic immigration debate.

In this New York Times article, Tyler Cowen, a George Mason University economics professor, explains how immigrants have potential to catalyze U.S. economic growth.

Politico reporter Simmi Aujla discusses what a Republican House Judiciary Committee could mean for immigration reform.

These teaching notes, by CFR Senior Fellow Jagdish N. Bhagwati, feature discussion questions and additional projects for educators to supplement the book Skilled Immigration Today: Prospects, Problems and Policies. In this book, Professor Bhagwati and coauthor Gordon Hanson examine the causes and consequences of the international migration of skilled workers with a particular emphasis on the policy challenges confronting the governments in sending and receiving countries.

Jagdish Bhagwati and Arvind Panagariya write that the provision raising visa fees on H1(b) and L-1 temporary work visas violates the WTO's non-discrimination rules.

Roberto Suro writes that the goals of Arizona's immigration bill are twofold. First, the bill seeks to challenge the legal precedents that have allowed the federal government to have nearly total control over immigration issues, and second the bill's authors wanted nationwide attention for their solution.

The federal judge's decision to block the toughest measures in Arizona's new immigration law properly puts the focus back on Washington, where a political deal is needed, says CFR's Edward Alden.

FOX News' James Farrell lists the blocked sections of the Arizona's immigration law and possible reasons for their being striken or held.

Edward Alden writes that skilled workers, frustrated by the tight U.S. quotas on work visas and the long waits for permanent residency, are being lured by other countries that have overhauled their immigration laws and promise a smoother transition to a new life.

Four religious leaders weigh in on the importance of reform and the role of the religious community in the continuing, heated debate on immigration.

Featuring teaching notes by Edward Alden, director of this CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on U.S. Immigration Policy, this academic module includes additional resources to supplement the teaching of the text in the classroom. This report warns that the failure to reform dysfunctional immigration laws and procedures threatens to harm the U.S. economy, complicate diplomacy, and weaken national security. It argues that maintaining America's political and economic leadership depends on attracting talented and hard-working immigrants and on securing the country's borders in a smart, effective, and humane way.