Posted on 03/14/2006 8:24:36 PM PST by nickcarraway
US Congress is likely to take up a giant immigration bill this month, which recommends nearly doubling the number of H-1B skilled-worker temporary visas to 115,000.
The measures include not just increasing the number of visas but also add an option of raising the cap 20 per cent more each year.
If passed, the provisions buried in the Senate's giant immigration bill, would open the country's doors to highly skilled immigrants for science, math, technology and engineering jobs.
The provisions were sought by Silicon Valley tech companies and enjoy significant bipartisan support amid concern that the United States might lose its lead in technology.
They would broaden avenues to legal immigration for foreign tech workers and would put those with advanced degrees on an automatic path to permanent residence should they want it, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
H-1B visas were highly controversial in the Bay Area when their numbers reached a peak of 195,000 in 2003.
The new skilled immigration measures are part of a controversial 300-page bill by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa, now being rewritten by the committee with the goal of reaching the Senate floor by the end of the month.
Other provisions include a new F-4 visa category for students pursuing advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
These students would be granted permanent residence if they find a job in their field and pay a $1,000 fee toward scholarships and training of US workers.
Congress had increased the visas during the late 1990s dot-com boom, when Silicon Valley complained of tech-worker shortages, although native-born engineers complained that their wages were undermined by cheap labour from India and China.
With the tech crash and the revelation that some of the September 11, 2001, hijackers had entered the country on student visas, the political climate for foreign workers darkened, and Congress quietly allowed the number of H-1B visas to plummet back to 65,000 a year.
The cap was reached in August -- in effect turning off the tap of the visas for 14 months. A special exemption of 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees was reached in January.
"We're in a bad crunch right now," said Laura Reiff, head of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition, a business umbrella group backing more immigration. "We are totally jammed on immigrant visas, the green card category, and totally jammed on H-1B visas. You can't bring in tech workers right now."
The provisions for highly skilled workers enjoy support in both parties in the Senate and in the Bush administration after a raft of high-profile studies have warned that the United States is not producing enough math and science students and is in danger of losing its global edge in innovation to India and China.
However, opponents of broadening immigration for skilled workers said doing so would defeat efforts to get more Americans interested in science, math, engineering and other technological fields.
Bush' visit to India will not even make a dent. Indian immigrants from what I read are solidly Democratic by a 2-1 margin, Chinese immigrants are Democratic by a 60-40 margin, and it is not just because they are non white. Culturally, Indians and Chinese, and in fact, the bulk of 3rd world immigrants view govrenmnet and social responsibility in a different manner, and even the ones who have a high income are more receptive towrds Socialism. The only set of skilled immigrants that I know of who vote GOP on a consistent basis are Russian immigrants.
I didn't know giants wanted to immigrate to America?
Wouldn't they be ideal for the NFL and NBA?
Yeah, sure, we're near full employment economy and PhD's can't find any work. B.S.
You certainly are not good at math if you confuse the overall employment rate with an industry-specific one.
Does this survey:
http://www.ams.org/notices/200507/survey.pdf
support your assertion that "US DOESN'T GRADUATE ENOUGH MATH AND SCIENCE STUDENTS"?
Did you want to set up a government program guaranteeing everyone with a PhD continuous employment at the salary of their choosing?
Frankly, in comparison to my parents, I'm embarassed about how lazy I am.
I'm just telling you what I see with my eyes and what I see is that immigrants work the hardest and each generation gets lazier after that.
Tell me you do not see the same thing.
Does this survey:
http://www.ams.org/notices/200507/survey.pdf
support your assertion that "US DOESN'T GRADUATE ENOUGH MATH AND SCIENCE STUDENTS"?
You did not answer my question.
your post 84 is totally unrelated to the H1b which is mostly high tech indians and east asians. your comment 84 is more relevant to bush's guest worker program and the immigration at the mexican border.
"Now, using the Smith / Ricardo paradigms of Free Trade and Comparative Advantage, in what areas of trade do each of those countries have a Comparative Advantage relative to the others, as of today."
None, capital and technology is mobile today! It is absolute advantage that business's seek!
JohnnyZ,
Read my post. I said having their pay capped BY 100k plus new workers, not AT $100k.
Or possibly, I don't care.
No, I'll stick with yes.
Sorry, you are incoherent.
I'm glad you made this comment and it is one of the best that is against immigration. I personally want less immigration from mexico. I think this will hurt the economy. I am for more intelligent immigration though and I like this h1b program.
Let's hold a pity party!
We do need to get rid of the lawyers, but Denny Hastert used to be a teacher. Further, a lot of the grocery clerks will have names like chin, habib, or jose.
Of course GWB's legacy was indispensible in his election, but if you read the thread, the discussion was about him feeling entitled like the kennedys, and gore, and he did not feel entitled.
OK, I see what you are saying.
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