Obama calls for inclusive reform of immigration system

US President Barack Obama said that it is time for a comprehensive and sensible reform to fix the country's broken immigration system in order to attract "the best and the brightest" the world has to offer.

At a naturalisation ceremony for a group of new US citizens at the White House, Obama said "immigration makes us a stronger. It keeps us vibrant. It keeps us hungry. It keeps us prosperous. It is part of what makes this such a dynamic country. And if we want to keep attracting the best and the brightest that the world has to offer, then we need to do a better job of welcoming them".

"We've known for years that our immigration system is broken, that we're not doing enough to harness the talent and ingenuity of all those who want to work hard and find a place here in America. And after avoiding the problem for years, the time has come to fix it once and for all. The time has come for a comprehensive, sensible immigration reform," Obama said.

Obama pointed out that of late there has been bipartisan effort towards this.

The US President said that real reform means continuing to strengthen the border security and holding employers accountable.

"We know that real reform requires modernising the legal immigration system so that our citizens don't have to wait years before their loved ones are able to join them in America, and so that we're attracting the highly skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that are going to help create good paying jobs and grow our economy," Obama said.