H-1B Visa Foes Join To Pressure Congress On Green Card Reforms

[OhioChick]

Source: Information Week

The IEEE and Semiconductor Industry Association both hope to create exemptions for foreign professionals with advanced STEM degrees.
October 11, 2007 05:25 PM


Two large tech industry organizations that don't see eye to eye on H-1B visa issues have joined together to urge Congress to put immigration reform back on their legislative radar screen.

In a letter sent Thursday to the chairmen and ranking members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate committees on judiciary and immigration and citizenship matters, the IEEE- USA and Semiconductor Industry Assoc. (SIA) urged Congress for immigration reform this year that address several key issues, especially employment-based visas, or green cards.

While the IEEE-USA as long opposed Congressional proposals to raise the cap on H-1B visas -- the visa most frequently used to bring foreign tech workers temporarily into the U.S -- the SIA has lobbied to raise that annual cap, which is currently set at 85,000, including 20,000 visas for foreign students who graduate from U.S. universities with degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM fields.

Raising the cap on H-1B visas -- along with many other assorted proposals, including H-1B anti-abuse, anti-fraud provisions, and changes in green-card processes and policies, were all part of controversial and comprehensive immigration reform legislation that Congress had been considering earlier this year.


Read more: http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202401655

[varun]

1. please read further

So they do support bringing more foreign labor here - but permanently. Not on a temporary basis.


from the same sourse http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202401655 :

"...However, in the letter to Congress signed by the presidents of the SIA and IEEE-USA, both groups highlighted the need for raising the cap on employment based, permanent residency visas, or green cards, for foreign technology workers -- and creating exemptions for foreign professionals with advanced STEM degrees.

Other reforms urged in the letter by both groups include creating a new foreign student visa category to allow U.S. STEM bachelor's or higher degree holders who have a job offer to transition directly from student visas to green cards; extending post curricular optional practical training for foreign students from 12 months to 24 months to allow them to go more easily from temporary to permanent resident status.

Also, the letter urges exempting the spouse and children of certain employment-based professionals from the employment-based immigrant visa cap...."

[w4rma]

2. I support citizenship, not "permanent residents" who have no voting power. (nt)

[cascadiance]

3. Damn right! We want people working to support families HERE, not elsewhere!

People working here should become citizens and they and their families work hard for their future in OUR country. Having them coming here to build their nest egg to live in their older country at a fraction of the costs we have here has us supporting all of the other economies in the rest of the world at the expense of our middle class and its jobs. We simply CANNOT do it, as nice as it might sound. We're better off working as a strong middle class from this country to help organized labor that is strong argue for organized labor in these other countries to help them get a better deal within their own country to build a middle class THERE!

[trogdor]

5. You need to be a "permanent resident" for so many years...

...before you can apply for citizenship. You come here on a legal visa, get a green card, live here for several years, and THEN you apply for citizenship. That's how it works.

[varun]

6. for an average legal immigrant

who comes here on a work visa (H-1B) visa, it can take upto 6 years (average 3 years) to become a permanent resident.

After that, it takes another 5 years (average) to become a citizen.

And of course thousands of dollars in legal fees.

[progressivebydesign]

4. Reminds me of the hypocrite Bill Gates...

He goes around whining that America's schools aren't producing intelligent or trainable citizens to work in his corporation, yet he continually supports and pushes for importing workers from other countries, while thousands and thousands of fully qualified tech workers are available HERE. They don't want American workers.. workers who are used to having a life. They want to import workers who are willing to rent a room in an apartment near the job, work obscene hours, and never ask for anything.

The process of importing workers while qualified tech workers sit idle in America, only perpetuates the cycle that creates these so-called inferior students, by destabilizing their home environment.

But oh yeah.. let's keep importing workers from other countries, and outsourcing work there, and let's even send patients to have surgery in other countries, too. Add some lead-laden toys, tainted foods, and planet-choking pollution from newly industrialized giants overseas, and we have the new America: Families losing jobs and homes, schools operating on shoestring budgets, no health care, and the only jobs available being in health care and service.