Securing a green card or work-related visa can be extremely challenging, especially in the competitive immigration market. Countless immigrants come to the United States on a student visa, seeking a superior education for their specific field. Still, many people claim that there is a severe shortage when it comes to employment-based green cards.

While most of buzz around Obama's immigration reform is focused on how it effects illegal immigrants, there is potentially great benefits coming to those who are seeking these hard to come by green cards and work-based visas. The process could not only become easier under these new changes, but more efficient as well. This would allow these highly educated graduates to actually contribute to the economy in a positive way, rather than be trapped and subsequently abused by employers.

Could immigration reform and shorter wait periods improve the economy?

As an example of the green card shortage, the high-tech industry has a growing need for talent―talent that is readily available, but not as accessible due to immigration issues. Universities and institutes that have invested in foreign individuals are greatly frustrated with how the immigration system works, sending home many of the well-trained people who they prepared to support the industry in America. Many believe that with the baby-boomer generation reaching retirement age, there will be an even greater need for replacement professionals who are prepared to take on new workloads.

The specific per-country quotas are often the source of severe backlog with green cards, specifically for countries such as India and China. If an applicant doesn't have more than a bachelor's degree, they could find themselves waiting for more than 10 years for approval. Unfortunately, despite Obama's positive reform in many areas of immigration law, the administration claims they have no control over quotas, leaving many businesses feeling underwhelmed by the changes.

What type of change is really needed?

There is no denying the numbers: international students make up a significant portion of graduates with advanced degrees in much needed areas, such as technology, engineering, and science. With an increase of green cards, these talents could be lost. While foreign workers can still obtain limited work-related visas, this makes them tied to one job, which opens the door for mistreatment and employer abuse. Without opening up the cap on green cards, these highly sought after professionals may find more desirable work in their native lands, leaving the U.S. with a gaping hole in these specific industries.

At the end of the day, without true change to the caps, Obama's limited reform may only serve to extend the amount of time workers are trapped in the cycle of "cheap labor" and backlogged green card applications. With so much change on the table, however, there is great opportunity for Congress to respond and provide the technological sector the firepower it needs to boost the country's economy.