An arbitrary cap on high-skilled immigration is hurting job creation in the United States, according to a new study from the libertarian Niskanen Center.

Immigration critics typically argue that businesses use H-1B visas to replace American workers with cheaper immigrants. This study, written by immigration policy analyst David Bier, challenges that argument. “The data show that over the last decade, as businesses have requested more H-1Bs, they also expanded jobs for Americans,” Bier writes. “For every one percent increase in unemployment for workers with computer and tech expertise, who represent two-thirds of all H-1Bs, it takes an additional three months to reach the visa cap. In other words, companies use H-1Bs to grow, not to downsize.”