Posted on 01/20/2015 4:24:14 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
Offers amendment to increase H-1B visas to help improve, retain high-skilled labor force
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) today presented an amendment to the Gang of Eight immigration bill that would improve our nation’s legal immigration system by increasing high-skilled temporary worker visas, called H-1B visas, by 500 percent. The measure would effectively address the needs of our nation’s high-skilled workforce by helping meet the growing demand for workers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. It will also make block grants available to states to promote STEM education efforts and increase domestic STEM professionals. The committee voted against the amendment 4 to 14 with every Democrat voting against it on a party-line vote.
Legal immigration is a fundamental pillar of our nation's heritage, and I was pleased today to offer legislation that would have improved and expanded legal immigration by dramatically increasing the cap for high-tech temporary worker visas. This amendment would not only improve the current system, but would also encourage economic growth and create new jobs in America. There is currently a serious shortage of workers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, yet every year we send thousands of high-tech graduate students back to their home countries to start businesses and create jobs. This makes no sense. I’m disappointed in the committee’s vote to reject expanding high-tech immigration. Although the Gang of Eight's bill makes a modest step towards improving high-tech immigration, it does not go nearly far enough. There is no reason to arbitrarily cap high-tech visas at 110,000 when these jobs are going unfilled. We need economic growth here and now.”
Sen. Cruz’s amendment would:
Immediately increase the H-1B cap by 500 percent from 65,000 to 325,000.
• To truly fix our broken immigration system and take into account our nation’s economic needs, we must put more emphasis on increasing employment-based immigration. (EEE's comments in red - No mention of reducing the size, scope, and power of Fedzilla, which would unleash jobs on its own). There is a current shortage of qualified high-skilled workers in the U.S., with an estimated 230,000 advanced-degree STEM jobs going unfilled by 2018. Shortage caused by the feds sticking their grimy paws in the economy and picking winners and losers.
• Additionally, more H-1B workers mean more jobs for American workers – according to a study by the American Enterprise Institute, for every additional 100 H-1B workers, 183 jobs are created for U.S. citizens. How? What was this study based on and who funded it?
Help retain the high-skilled workers that are trained in the U.S. by allowing “dual intent.” What exactly is this?
• This would allow foreign students at U.S. colleges and universities to enter the U.S. on a temporary H-1B visa if they intend to get a Green Card once they complete their studies. This is Roman-style suicide for any nation
• Currently, about 300,000 students come to America annually to be educated, but are required to return home upon completing their education. Why can't they get edumacated in their own crapholes and improve their country's way of life?
Create block grants for states to promote STEM education in their public schools by raising H-1B fees. More borrowing and spending that we can't afford. I thought Cruz was a fiscal conservative?
• These block grants will encourage educating our children in these high demand fields, opening more doors of opportunity to future generations. According to the Joint Economic Committee, between 2010 and 2020, demand for STEM graduates is expected to grow by 17 percent, while employment for those graduates will increase only 14 percent, partly because American graduates are not available or qualified to fill these jobs.
• The block grant program would be funded by raising H-1B fees from $750 to $1,250 for businesses with fewer than 25 employees, and from $1,500 to $2,500 for those with 25 or more employees.
I don't have a problem with legal immigration, as long as we return to the quota system that was in place before 1965 and no gov't benefits are given to immigrants.
Cruz wants to increase legal immigration to unsustainable levels. We don't have the jobs, the money, and we have an administration that's totally hostile to free enterprise and hard-working Americans. How else are these "immigrants" that Cruz wants to help is going to make it here without the gubmint stepping in?
When your method includes “this should not even be discussed” you are telling me without a shadow of a doubt, you are a leftist.
And you’re posing on this site as a conservative.
Returning to some quota system has never been part of this. You’re just sticking in here as an excuse.
Is he in Washington who will have an impact on immigration like Cruz currently has?
When Walker declares and the race is underway and he makes his statements on illegal/legal immigration, I will weigh my evaluation of him.
You obviously have no idea how Kennedy's 1965 bill has destroyed America.
HAHA, I still recall the reaction here last year to House bills like this :
...lets see what the reactions are now.
It’s impossible to increase legal immigration to unsustainable levels.
That’s the whole point.
Legal immigration requires a long drawn out process. The numbers will be at least a hundred fold, probably a thousand fold less than the illegal immigrants.
You can’t ignore the numbers.
I don't support illegal immigration, and I oppose Cruz's attempt at legalizing tons of foreigners to compete with American workers and enrich his corporate donors.
You have a hidden agenda.
It's been happening since 1965.
Plus with Obama quietly giving asylum to thousands of Muslims and green cards to Latinos.
They are not assimilating as our ancestors did in the 1800s/early 1900s.
For every 100,000 illegal immigrants streaming across our border there would only be what, 100 legal immigrants in a process like this.
Think about it.
Why don’t you refute the FACT that Cruz supports unrestricted legal immigration and soft amnesty?
“Why is it that whenever a Freeper has a weak argument or is wrong, they fall back onto the fallacious Seniority argument as if that gives them instant credibility?”
Because they’re liars.
If Cruz supports “soft amnesty” then I say you support soft communism.
Blah blah blah because I won’t sing the song and tune of a so called conservative now coming from the shadows? If this were Reid saying the same things you’d be singing a different toon. You sir are a hypocrite. Hope the bed is cozy with what companies are doing to this nation and the uniparty. I won’t assume you haven’t worked for a large corporation but I do. In fact the largest financial firms in the country. What Cruz is doing should not even be up for a topic of discussion and I stand by that proudly. I’ll take an unemployed skilled IT professional over an import every day and twice on Sunday. So yes I will repeat Americans first and H1B off the table.
Sorry if that is so “liberal”
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