MARK ZUCKERBERG IS RIGHT: Here's Why We Do Need To Fix The System For Letting High Tech Workers Into America

For years, America has been the center of scientific and technological innovation for the entire species.

When things are discovered, built, or innovated, it's done in America.

That status could be at risk, in large part due to the fact that the country is training outstandingly qualified people before promptly throwing them out for the rest of the world to scoop up.

At the moment, a group of tech firms are trying to get Congress to fix that.

FWD.us — an advocacy group that is the brainchild of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and has the backing of several major players in tech — is advocating for comprehensive immigration reform, and particularly for reforming H-1B visas — temporary permits that allow high-skilled immigrants to work with a company for five years while applying for residency or a green card.

One thing FWD.us and tech firms involved in advocacy say is that there aren't enough Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors to fill demand.

That part isn't necessarily true. The issue isn't the shortage per se. The issue is the inefficiency and arbitrariness of the current system of high-tech visas.

We've assembled a series of charts to explain why this is so.