[raybbr]

From another thread:“Cross-border trade in services or cross-border supply of services means the supply of a service…by a national of a party in the territory of another party.” The agreement goes on to say that the U.S. must ensure that, “measures relating to qualification requirements and procedures, technical standards and licensing requirements do not constitute unnecessary barriers to trade in services,” and are “not in themselves a restriction on the supply of the service.”

This also means that licensing standards here in the U.S. that any foreigner deems "unnecessary barriers to trade in services" will be challenged in the court of international law.

This opens the door for all plumbers, electrician, HVAC, doctors, teachers, nurses, etc. that think that our licensing standards constitute a barrier to their finding a job will challenge them. And, probably win. Do you want a Guatemalan wiring your home? Or an Ecuadoran nurse taking care of you in ICU? Neither of which have passed any kind of testing of their knowledge here in the U.S.?<

Tancredo Blasts CAFTA’s Back Door Immigration Provisions

[_Jim]

This opens the door for all plumbers, electrician, HVAC, doctors, teachers, nurses, etc. that think that our licensing standards

I don't know that the local 'code inspector' is going to have the regulations he uses to accept or reject a contractors work 'rewritten' to fit some reduced standards or not; I kinda doubt it ...

I also doubt that the NEC (National Electrical Code) is going to "dumbed down" either. As to the schools, well, we would seem to 'be there' already (AND we've already got doctors from all over the world practicing medicine here)!

[ran15]

Often foreign professionals are just as qualified if not more so then American trained professionals. Just a protectionist attitude keeps them out.. same sort of French fear of the 'polish plumber'.

It sounds pretty smart at first, limiting supply in a profession to increase the compensation. And it does work if there is only one profession doing it. The problem is every profession does it, so the cost of everything dramatically rises. The net result is actually a decrease in the standard of living.