Google and Amazon urge Biden administration to alter 'aging out' immigration policies

Akiko Fujita

Major tech companies are urging the Department of Homeland Security to reconsider “aging out” immigration policies that prevent children of documented immigrants to remain in the U.S. beyond the age of 21.

In a letter addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, 17 signatories including Google (GOOG), IBM (IBM), and Amazon (AMZN) called on the administration to extend the legal status of family members of H-1B Visa workers. The letter stated that the current policy “harms families and prevents our companies from attracting and retaining critical talent in the U.S.”

More than 200,000 children are currently in the U.S. legally, protected under their parents’ visa, but they “age out” of that legal status once they turn 21 years old and must apply for a green card individually to remain in the U.S.

“We urge the administration to establish more robust aging out policies so that the children of long-term visa holders can continue as beneficiaries of their parents’ pending green card applications even after they turn 21,” the letter reads. “Policymakers should take steps to preserve the ability of children to remain in the U.S. and work while waiting in the green card backlog.”