Tech companies cheer for Senate proposal to increase immigration

Elvert Barnes / flickr

Comprehensive immigration reform is generally considered an issue that is very likely to come up in the 2013 Congressional session. Striking a deal that will satisfy all sides, though, will be a complex negotiation.

However, a small group of Senators from both parties aren't waiting on a grand bargain over immigration to move ahead with a particular slice of immigration reform that's important to the tech industry: increasing the number of highly skilled workers that are allowed to come to the US.

The Immigration Innovation Act of 2013 was introduced today in the Senate and is already sponsored by five senators from each party. The bill's particulars are laid out at the website of one of its sponsors, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT). The bill would: