This is the VOA Special English Education Report , from voaspecialenglish.com | http Congress is studying how to change immigration policies in an effort to get more foreign students to stay and work in the United States. Many foreign students come for advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math. But many are unable to get a visa to live and work here after they graduate. In two thousand nine, foreign students earned up to two-thirds of the physics and engineering doctorates awarded by American colleges and universities.Xiao Qin from Beijing is studying for a PhD in computer science at Georgetown University in Washington. He says, “Obviously, we prefer to stay here for several years, but if we cannot get any valid visa we have to leave.”So far no agreement has been reached on how to stop this so-called reverse brain drain. The loss of highly skilled workers usually involves developing countries losing them to wealthier ones. Critics say American immigration policies are too restrictive. Representative Zoe Lofgren is a Democrat who represents parts of Silicon Valley in California. She spoke at a recent congressional hearing: “While we once asked the brightest minds in the world to come and make their homes here, we now turn them away. Having educated and trained the world’s best students in our universities, we no longer welcome them to enrich this nation.”Some companies, including Texas Instruments, say it can take ten years for their foreign workers to …
