As the American economy hovers on the financial cliff that will rapidly descend into a full-blown recession, the need for Congress to act immediately to strengthen America’s competitiveness by letting American companies hire the best qualified highly skilled workers available.

That will require a change in our present immigration policy that severely limits the number of skilled workers who can be hired by American companies. The program, called the H-1B visa applications that allows American companies to hire the world’s top talent, is in a crisis. Last month, the United States stopped accepting H-1B visas for 2009, and the backlog far exceeds the anemic 65,000 worker quota currently allowed.

These restrictive and ill-conceived policies are driving the world’s top technology talent to companies overseas. That creates real pressure for American companies to move facilities, and jobs, offshore. It allows foreign competitors to cherry pick these highly skilled workers to prevent America from driving new innovation and technology. That means lost jobs and more pressure on a declining economy.

Congress is considering a number of bills right now that will break the backlog of H-1B visas; allow American companies to hire this top talent; will streamline the process for employees to establish citizenship to allow them permanent residency and keep them in America; and will fuel further innovation and technology advances that will expand our economy.

A strong economy is about new job creation; expansion of business operations; and using the best and brightest minds to drive American innovation and allow American companies to be competitive in global markets.

Sign the petition today to tell Congress to ACT NOW on fixing the H-1B visa problem.