Senate to Address Immigration Next Week, Ready-or-Not
Wednesday March 22, 2006
Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) has embraced the concept of immigration forgiveness (amnesty) articulated by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA): when illegal immigrants meet specific criteria (such as returning home first) and pay fines and back taxes, they should have the opportunity to obtain a green card and pursue the road to citizenship. Specter has only one more legislative day to fashion consensus: Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) plans to move debate to the floor the week of 27 March.
Frist is proposing to raise the employment-based visa quota and deal with enforcment, not amnesty. High-tech firms are pushing for H1B quota increases. Last week, Bill Gates told David Broder that "high-skills immigration issue is by far the No. 1 thing" for the computer/electronics sector:
Frist is proposing to raise the employment-based visa quota and deal with enforcment, not amnesty. High-tech firms are pushing for H1B quota increases. Last week, Bill Gates told David Broder that "high-skills immigration issue is by far the No. 1 thing" for the computer/electronics sector:
Since autumn 2003, Congress has limited the number of people admitted annually on H1B visas to 65,000. To qualify, a person must have at least a bachelor's degree and specialized knowledge and a job offer from an American employer. The visa is generally good for six years, with the possibility of applying for extensions.
So great is the demand for such skills in the high-tech world that in August 2005, the last of the visas available for fiscal 2006 were issued. That means a 14-month shutdown of the program, until October of this year.
The draft bill that Specter is shepherding through his committee would expand the annual H1B limit from 65,000 to 115,000, a move supported by President Bush. The House appears reluctant to address expansion when many Americans are calling for better border patrol, seeing no difference between illegals crossing the border and foreign high-tech workers coveted by the high-tech industry.
Another sign the current system is broken: a backlog of 3 million visa applications.
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Comments
Actually, not to nitpick, but the system is working just fine. The visa backlog was about 5.5 million at its peak back in 2003.
And the reason the H-1b visas are in such demand is that most big corporations are too cheap to hire Americans. A typical scenario in fact is an American getting fired and being forced to train his H-1b replacement.
If India can throw out 10 million Bangladeshis, and Malaysia a couple million Indonesians, we can throw out the illegal Mexicans. Yes, and their so-called “U.S. citizen” children too.
Illegal vs Skilled legals. Same thing?
You bet thats how its treated.
For all those who say companies get H1b for cheap labor are none else but whining souls who don’t have the skills in the first place to compete. Yes admit! it and go to take certifications rather than complainig.
Ofcourse throw out H1bs because:
1. They are honest hardworking skilled high tech workers.
2. Help generate billi$ns for US economy.
2. They pay there dues/taxes while they are stuck with the same employer waiting for 6-10 years for there GC.
It seems common sense to shutdown/throw we legal skilled workers. Oh btw i forgot common sense is not quite common here.
Well said Vikram! Most of the people working in high-tech industries are foreigners, mainly because these companies do not find equally competent US citizens to do these jobs. If they limit or completely eliminate the H1-B program, it would only boost outsourcing. So, the tax money that the US Govt makes right now from the H1B workers, they lose it all. How does it help preserve jobs for the Americans and boost the economy?