Two Democratic senators have introduced legislation in the New Jersey Senate to allow students whose parents or guardians hold H-1B visas to qualify for in-state tuition rates at public institutions.
H-1B visas are commonly granted to foreign workers who are employed by U.S. employers in specialized fields such as in IT, finance, accounting, architecture, engineering, mathematics, science, medicine.
Introduced by Senators Vin Gopal and Teresa Ruiz, the S2555 bill has been endorsed by the Senate Higher Education Committee, and has been referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
“These students live in New Jersey and graduate from high school in New Jersey, but because of the specific kind of job their parent holds, they’re forced to pay extreme tuition costs. That doesn’t make any sense, and goes against our commitment to keep our students in our state throughout their studies,” Senator Gopal said in a press statement.
Thank you, NJ State Senator @vingopal for introducing NJ S2555 bill concerning in-state tuition for skilled immigrants & sending a letter to @CoryBooker @SenBooker @SenatorMenendez to cosponsor #S281 to support Skilled Immigrants stuck in decades of Green Card backlog.#Equality pic.twitter.com/VapvLMHKMW
— Green Card Reforms (@GcReforms) October 8, 2018
“This bill gives these students the opportunity to receive an affordable higher education in New Jersey, which allows them to stay close to family and the communities they know while strengthening their ability to find work in-state after graduating,” Gopal added.
If the bill is passed, to qualify, students without lawful immigration status would have had to attend a high school in New Jersey for three or more years; graduate from a high school or receive the equivalent of a high school diploma, and file an affidavit stating that an application to legalize the immigration status has been initiated.
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