"An estimated 150,000 Chinese students are at U.S. universities; many are destined for jobs at high-tech U.S. firms or national research facilities."
Two of these "students" were caught spying by the FBI at my company. They were transferring technical info to the Commies in China by internet. They were hired right out of a U.S. college and put to work in a secure area designing high tech electronics.
RE: They were hired right out of a U.S. college and put to work in a secure area designing high tech electronics.
There are huge gaps in the entire end-to-end process for hiring an H1B. Other than the (totally separate) Export Control Approval Process (for individuals) there are no country specific, risk based caveats. An H1B from Canada is handled just like an H1B from Communist Red China. At a minimum, especially for any national security or major national technical means based work, a security clearance investigation (funded by the EMPLOYER not the taxpayer) should be mandatory. Whereas for some middle of the road work or work at companies who are not defense contractors in the strictest sense, a security clearance may not be required for a Citizen, I argue that for H1Bs and maybe even Permanent Residents, one should be required. Perhaps this needs to be an Amendment to the Patriot Act.