Washington,
D.C. — TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation
economy CEOs and senior executives, today urged the Trump Administration to preserve
the International Entrepreneur Rule,
a policy that encourages foreign-born entrepreneurs with promising startups to grow
their businesses in the U.S.

The rule was set to go into effect on
July 17, 2017, but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) delayed the effective
date to March 14, 2018. Although a legal
challenge to DHS’ authority to delay the rule was successful, the department is
expected to officially rescind it this year.

“Our nation should continue encouraging entrepreneurs from
around the world to start companies and grow jobs in the United States,” TechNet President & CEO
Linda Moore wrote in a letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) Director Lee Francis Cissna. “As part of achieving this goal, the administration should
allow the International Entrepreneur Rule
to take full effect this year and work with Congress and the business community
on other ways to modernize our nation’s legal immigration system to ensure the
U.S. remains at the forefront of the innovation economy and that American
workers have every opportunity to contribute and share in this prosperity.”

A
PDF of the letter is available here,
and the full text of the letter is below.

January
18, 2018

The
Honorable Lee Francis Cissna
Director
U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services
20
Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington,
D.C. 20529

Re: International Entrepreneur Rule

Dear Director Cissna:

TechNet
is the national, bipartisan network of innovation economy CEOs and senior
executives. Our diverse membership includes
dynamic startups and the most iconic companies on the planet and represents
three million employees and countless customers in the fields of information
technology, e-commerce, the sharing and gig economies, advanced energy,
cybersecurity, venture capital, and finance.

On behalf
of our 77 member companies, I write to reiterate our support for the International Entrepreneur Rule and urge
the administration to preserve it as an important driver of investment,
economic growth, and job creation in the United States.

As you
know, the International Entrepreneur Rule
is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulation designed to encourage
high-impact entrepreneurs to stay in the U.S. for a limited period of time to
grow their companies if they meet certain merit-based standards. The rule was set to go into effect on July
17, 2017, but DHS delayed its effective date to March 14, 2018, and issued a
proposal to rescind the rule altogether.
Last month, a federal judge ruled that this delay was unlawful and
ordered its immediate implementation.
According to the Office of Management and Budget, a policy to officially rescind
of the International Entrepreneur Rule
has been “pending review” since November 17, 2017.

The International Entrepreneur Rule is in
line with one of America’s longstanding keys to economic success — the
welcoming of immigrant entrepreneurs and innovators to this country and
allowing their talents to benefit our economy and workers. One recent study showed that immigrant
entrepreneurs “have started more than half (44 of 87) of America’s startup
companies that are valued at $1 billion or more.” Immigrant founders have created an average of
approximately 760 jobs per company in the United States. Immigrants and their children have started
more than 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies, employing more than 10 million
people. Those are jobs fueled by a
diversity of talent that creates more employment opportunities for Americans here
on U.S. soil. Rescinding the International Entrepreneur Rule would be
a step backward for America’s economy, as one study estimates that the International
Entrepreneur Rule could create between 135,240 and 308,460 jobs over ten
years.

At
TechNet, we represent many iconic American companies that have been founded or
led by immigrants or their children. All
of our companies have benefitted by having high-skilled immigrants innovating
alongside native-born Americans to create life-changing technologies, millions
of jobs, and trillions of dollars worth of economic activity.

Our
nation should continue encouraging entrepreneurs from around the world to start
companies and grow jobs in the United States.
As part of achieving this goal, the administration should allow the International Entrepreneur Rule to take
full effect this year and work with Congress and the business community on
other ways to modernize our nation’s legal immigration system to ensure the
U.S. remains at the forefront of the innovation economy and that American
workers have every opportunity to contribute and share in this prosperity.

In
addition to the International
Entrepreneur Rule, we understand the Trump Administration is reevaluating
the future of other immigration policies, including the H-4 visa program for
spouses of high-skilled workers, the H-1B visa program, the STEM OPT extension,
and the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
program on March 5, among others. We are
concerned that disruptions to these programs could create a perfect storm of
economic uncertainty that leads to the loss of talented workers, even more
unfilled jobs across the tech sector, stifled innovation, missed investment
opportunities, and significant economic costs.
We stand ready to work with you to ensure future changes to our nation’s
immigration policies result in positive outcomes for the U.S. economy and
American workers.

Thank you
for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Linda
Moore
President
& CEO

CC: The
Honorable Kirstjen M. Nielsen, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security
The
Honorable Elaine C. Duke, Deputy Secretary, Department of Homeland Security