United States Must Fix Antiquated Green Card Policy
That's not simply my opinion, but the title of a recent Dallas Morning News editorial. If we don't make major changes to our immigration laws soon we will fall behind (some would say further behind) the rest of the industrialized world in technical research and engineering. Here is the editorial:
When it comes to U.S. exports, big-ticket items like cars and aircraft come to mind. But America's No. 1 export is actually the tiny semiconductor. It's what creates thousands of jobs here and helps make Texas the top exporting state in the country.
Other nations are doing their best to take over our lead. They're trying to lure away the scholars, scientists and engineers whose research and innovation give America its competitive edge. A large percentage of these experts are foreign citizens who must endure the painstakingly slow process of obtaining permits to study and work here.
To eliminate any confusion, we're talking about legal immigrants, who are doing everything by the book – not the millions of illegal immigrants dominating the agenda in Washington. Highly skilled foreigners should be at the front of the line for the coveted "green card" that grants them permanent residency and work rights. But only 140,000 qualify because of annual limits Congress set in 1990.
Some highly skilled immigrants have had to wait up to 10 years to get their green cards. During that wait, they cannot move or be promoted. Their families live in limbo. More and more, countries in Europe and Asia are capitalizing on their frustrations and luring them away with offers of high pay and minimal visa hassles.
America's antiquated green card policy is driving one of our most precious assets – scientific and technological expertise – into the welcoming hands of our competitors. That's insanity.
Three bills with bipartisan sponsorship are awaiting a vote this fall in Congress to expand quotas or exempt foreign-born employees with advanced science or technology degrees from the employment-based green card limit. It's important that these measures pass without being drowned in the debate over illegal immigration.
CompeteAmerica, a 130-member alliance of employers, universities and trade associations, backs this legislation. One member of the alliance, Dallas-based Texas Instruments, employs more than 12,000 people in Texas – 800 of whom are foreigners in various stages of the green card waiting process.
TI staffing director Heidi Nagel says innovations by a single one of those employees can add millions of dollars to company revenue. That creates a multiplier effect, which can ripple positively through our economy. But if that foreign employee leaves, the positive effects move with him to another country.
The way America can maintain its edge is to retain, not drive away, its brightest talent. If Congress continues stalling, we might as well replace semiconductors with jobs on the list of our major exports.
55 percent
The portion of engineering master's degrees awarded by major Texas universities that went to foreign citizens
75 percent
The portion of engineering Ph.D.s that went to foreign citizens from those same universities
30 percent
The increase in skilled foreign talent being sought by Australia next year
30 to 90 days
The waiting time planned by the European Union for skilled immigrants to obtain a new "blue card" work permit
10 years
The waiting time some skilled immigrants must wait in the United States for a green card
SOURCES: American Association of Engineering Societies, CompeteAmerica
Very useful information available at this site.
http://www.green-card-by-marriage-interview.com
I think your decision is right. This green card policy is the great thing. Some precautions should be taken to avoid outsiders.
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Paul Cooper
http://www.shepelskylaw.com