The Obama administration is implementing a number of administrative reforms that will make it easier for highly-skilled and highly-educated immigrants to work and study in the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have announced initiatives that will extend the training period for immigrant students who want to stay in the country after their college graduation.

The government is also making it easier for spouses of immigrants with advanced degrees to stay in the country. The Obama administration's "Entrepreneurs in Residence" initiative us drawing on the expertise of American business professionals to help find ways to attract more immigrants here, especially those skilled in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics).

U.S. business leaders of all description, from Silicon Valley internet entrepreneurs to Florida tourism executives to New York bankers, have complained for years about restrictive immigration policy that inhibits the recruitment of foreign talent that could bolster the nation's economy. With Congress stalled on comprehensive reform legislation, the administration is turning to administrative initiatives to bring some change.

Two studies released this year help to disprove many popularly held beliefs about immigrant communities and the effect of immigration on the U.S. job market.

In the May edition of Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science a study of state immigration laws such as those in Arizona and Alabama found that, while they often do drive illegal immigrants elsewhere, they do not make communities safer.

Researchers found that the harsh laws damage cooperation between law enforcement agencies and immigrants which makes neighborhoods less safe.

Also this month, the Partnership for a New American Economy, a bipartisan group of U.S. mayors, released a report that showed immigrants with degrees actually increase job opportunities for U.S. citizens.

The findings dispel the notion that bringing in immigrant workers takes jobs away from Americans. The report says that even at the bottom end of the labor spectrum, immigrant workers are net job creators.

For example, researchers found that every immigrant farm worker hired winds up creating about three American jobs.

State legislators' frenzy to write immigration laws seems to be cooling off, at least for the moment.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the number of immigration bills introduced across the country has fallen off dramatically so far this year.

During 2011, more than 1,500 immigration bills were proposed, the NCSL said. But this year only 865 were introduced in 45 state legislatures during the first quarter, a 44% decrease.

The number of immigration laws signed and enacted also has declined, according to the NCSL. As of April 1, 27 states had enacted 24 laws and passed 74 resolutions dealing with immigration matters. This is a 30% drop over last year.

"This issue has not dropped off of the radar screen in state legislatures," said State Sen. John Watkins, R-Va., in a NCSL news release. "Some states are waiting to see how the Supreme Court rules on immigration issues before moving ahead with their own policy debates."

The Obama administration has challenged Arizona's immigration law in the U.S. Supreme Court, and the justices are expected to rule on that landmark case within the next two months. Apparently some state lawmakers have the good sense to wait for the ruling before deciding their next move.

The U.S. State Department gave Juan Carlos Oviedo a pardon this week that cleared the way for a new immigration visa and his return Major League Baseball in the United States.

The Dominican Republic relief pitcher played for the Miami Marlins under the name Leo Nunez until his true identity was revealed last year. Oviedo admitted giving false information to U.S. immigration officials, and the government could have denied his return to the United States permanently.

Oviedo got another chance because he admitted the deception and also because of a clean record while living here. Major League Baseball, however, will impose an eight-week suspension on the 30-year-old right-hander upon his return.

The Nunez-Oviedo case is familiar. Dominican players have been a particular problem for immigration and baseball officials in recent years because of unreliable birth records and the frequent use of false identities. Players often take the names of younger people to make themselves more attractive to baseball scouts.