February 26, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Clinton, McCain and Obama on H-1B visas
With the deadline for H-1B visa applications fast approaching -- April 1, 2008 for 2009 work permits -- you would think one of the three major presidential candidates would be talking about this issue.
And, frankly with 19 debates for the Democrats and almost as many for the Republicans, I don’t recall one question from one reporter asking any of these presidential candidates where they stand on the H-1B visa cap and whether or not they want to see it increased, decreased or remain the same.
You will also be hard pressed to find any statements pro or con on any of the three candidates official Web sites on the issue of H-1B. In fact a search found no comments whatsoever despite the fact that all three have links to "issues" and where they stand.
So, with the help of Kim Berry, president of the Programmers Guild, I came up with the following:
A YouTube moment with Hillary Clinton plus two sites, an interview between Barack Obama and TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington, and an eWeek news story by Roy Mark that quotes McCain.
When you do read the full statements in context you will see that the premise of all three is based on the belief that there is a skills shortage in the United States.
None talk about the H-1B visa being used as a tactic to hire workers at wages lower than the prevailing market. Rather they imply once the skills shortage of American workers is closed then they would review the H-1B program.
I strongly suggest you go to the sites to get the full import of what they said lest I be accused of taking their words out of context.
So, without further ado, and as a public service, here are the candidates statements on H-1B visas.
Hillary Clinton
"I also want to reaffirm my commitment to the H-1B visa program and to increase the current cap. Foreign skilled workers contribute greatly to our technological development. That is well understood in Silicon Valley."
John McCain
"I will continue to support H-1B visas, but, I’m telling you, the American peoples priority is, either rightly or wrongly, and we live in a democracy, is that we secure the borders first."
Barack Obama
"We can do better than that and go a long way toward meeting industry’s need for skilled workers with Americans. Until we have achieved that, I will support a temporary increase in the H-1B visa program as a stopgap measure until we can reform our immigration system comprehensively."
Posted by Ephraim Schwartz on February 26, 2008 08:00 AM
November 21, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Report refutes claims of dire need for more H-1B visas.
Last Friday, November 16th, in an address at the National Society of Black Engineers Region VI conference Bill Gates perpetuated the belief that the United States is not graduating enough science and engineering majors and that that the overall performance of high school students in science and math is declining.
Typically, these two myths are used as an excuse to promote the need for more H-1B visas.
High tech industry leaders have dismissed as not true any suggestion that the real reason for wanting an increase is in order to hire cheap labor.
Now a new study, Into the Eye of the Storm: Assessing the Evidence on Science and Engineering Education, Quality, and Workforce Demand, by Lindsay Lowell, Georgetown University and Hal Salzman, The Urban Institute refutes those claims.
The Urban Institute describes itself as a "nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research and educational organization that examines the social, economic, and governance problems facing the nation."
The 51 page report, issued last October, is available here.
The report confronts two major issues, that of a labor shortage and a decline in educational excellence in science and math of U.S. students.
According to the report available data indicates increases "in absolute numbers of secondary school graduates and increases in their math and science performance level."
The report compares performance not only with national test results over a number of years but with test results of student performance from other countries as well.
For example, the study found that in 1982 high school graduates earned 2.6 math credits and 2.2 science credits. By 1998 the average was 3.5 for math and 3.2 for science credits.
In addition, the percentage of 13-year-olds taking algebra increased by 38 percent over that time period.
Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress [NAEP] shows steady improvement in both math and science test scores.
In another part of the report, the authors cites studies that looked at six international tests administered by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement and the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Devlopment.
The aggregate data concluded:
"U.S. students have generally performed above average in comparisons with students in other industrialized nations."
As far as a shortage in computer science graduates to fill available jobs in the States the study concludes that "the education system produces qualified graduates far in excess of demand."
Finally the reports concludes that, "assessing the claims of labor market shortages is crucial. Purported labor market shortages for scientists and engineers are anectdotal and also not supported by the available evidence."
But this doesn't seem to stop the steady drumbeat from high tech executives who keep saying over and over again that there is a shortage both in qualified computer science graduates now and in the pipeline in our schools to meet future needs.
Read the report. I found it both provocative and enlightening.
Posted by Ephraim Schwartz on November 21, 2007 10:03 AM
June 12, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Bush, Kennedy aren't giving up on immigration legislation
For those who didn't believe me when I said the immigration bill wasn't dead, despite headlines to the contrary in all the major papers, well, today's headlines are quite different.
See "Bush and Kennedy talk compromise over Senate Immigration bill."
Here's an excerpt from that story filed to Axcess News.
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) said, "Like the president, many of us are very determined to get the job done and get it done now." Kennedy is one the lead Democrats trying to push through immigration reform and may be key in negotiating compromise in order to win over enough Senate votes to pass the measure."
Anytime you see President Bush and Senator Kennedy practically hugging each other you know something is afoot.
Most of the focus of today's news is on reaching a compromise on the Z Visa, which would give those with illegal immigrant status a second chance at becoming a U.S. citizen.
However, while there is still lots of heat around this issue, if a compromise is reached over that, you can bet the H-1B visa increase will sail through as part of the bill with little opposition.
Stay tuned.
Posted by Ephraim Schwartz on June 12, 2007 02:05 PM
June 05, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Schwarzenegger calls on Feds for more H-1Bs
In a letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called on Congress to issue more H-1B visas.
For more details on the current immigration bill in Congress see Immigration reform's high tech impact.
Schwarzenegger saved all of his concerns for employers and none for employees. I've highlighted the pertinent parts but here is the letter in full.
June 4, 2007The Honorable Harry Reid The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader Minority Leader
United States Senate United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
Dear Majority Leader Reid and Senator McConnell,I appreciate the efforts by President Bush and a bipartisan working group of Senators to successfully develop comprehensive immigration reform that strengthens our borders and reforms a system that is so clearly broken. As this debate continues, I would like to raise some urgent concerns for California, especially the needs of innovation-based industries that are the backbone of our economic competitiveness.
California's world-class higher education system and many of our leading industries benefit from foreign-born talent. The demand for skilled professionals with training in math, science and engineering far exceeds the supply of young people in the U.S. education system currently pursuing degrees in these areas. Improving the math and science education pipeline is one of our top priorities, but it will be years before we see the results of our efforts. The U.S. Department of Labor has projected that between 2004 and 2014 there will be nearly one million new jobs in math and computer sciences - the fastest growing professional sector in our economy. These highly-skilled workers are needed today to fill these jobs.
California's knowledge-based businesses are the most innovative in the world and have fueled much of our nation's economic growth over the past decades. From the birth of the personal computer, to today's mobile technologies, these sectors have changed how we all live. To remain globally competitive, these industries must have the skilled workers they need and be able to draw from a pool of foreign talent. Although I support the bill's effort to increase temporary H-1B visas it is critical that the annual level be based on the actual workforce needs of these sectors and not an arbitrary cap. The current caps of 65,000 for skilled professionals and 20,000 for holders of advanced degrees have proven to be far less than what is needed. Future levels for these visas must be based on the demands of the market or this policy will strangle these important industries, forcing them overseas. The H-1B program must also be enforced in a way that does not impose unnecessary, costly administrative burdens on law-abiding U.S. businesses. I am concerned that the current bill may make the H-1B program harder to administer, especially for smaller businesses, such as technology start-ups, and force these companies to consider moving critical functions, including product development, to facilities offshore.
My greatest concern, though, is with the proposal for a new points-based "green card" system designed to encourage the immigration of workers with training and skills in key areas. Replacing the current employer-based system, where companies can identify the specific skills needed and sponsor qualified immigrants, with an untested system run by the government threatens the very foundation of the program and must be amended. I strongly urge the Senate to retain an employment-based application process and consider authorizing a smaller points-based pilot program prior to any wider implementation.
I applaud your efforts to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform that secures our nation's borders while attempting to meet the unique demands of a vibrant and changing world economy. I urge you to carefully consider the critical issues that affect the burgeoning innovation economy in California, as this legislation moves forward. Thank you for your consideration of this request and for your willingness to take on this complex and challenging issue.
Sincerely,
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Posted by Ephraim Schwartz on June 5, 2007 05:05 PM
December 11, 2006 | Comments: (0)
SKIL Bill on H-1B visa increase tabled until next year
It looks like Senator Cornyn and co-sponsors in the Senate were unable to bring Senate Bill 2691 to a vote last Friday as I reported last week.
However, with a strong lobbying effort from many high tech firms this is probably only a temporary pause in the action. Washington insiders continue to predict its passage.
You can track which high tech companies are paying what lobbyist firms, how much they are paying them and what subjects they are paying them to lobby for by going to this Federal Government link.
Click on Access the US Lobby Report Images for All Years and you will be given search criteria. If you hold the CRTL key down you can search on multiple criteria.
Once in the report see Item 16 for Lobbying Issues.
Please post in comments on any interesting discoveries.
Posted by Ephraim Schwartz on December 11, 2006 10:59 AM
December 08, 2006 | Comments: (0)
It looks like Senator John Cornyn, Republican, Texas, is still trying to push through the SKIL [Securing Knowledge Innovation and Leadership] bill, as of late Friday, December 8th.
Pro H-1B visa law firm Siskind, Susser, Bland, immigration law specialists, posted notice on Friday that "a strong push is still being made to address green card shortages for nurses," and "too few H-1B numbers…"
At the same time opponents are trying to rally the troops to stop any last ditch effort at getting it brought to the floor of the Senate tonight.
A blog at Web site, Common Sense Junction, is telling its readers that Microsoft lobbyists are behind the big push to get this through the Senate before the Senate adjourns.
According to the post, "Late last night it was rumored that [Senator] Frist was considering bringing it to the floor today in spite of the holds."
It seems Senate colleagues of Frist tried to put a hold on it coming to the floor.
At another site opposed to increasing the numbers of H-1B visa applicants allowed in the country, a blogger calling herself Cowgirl, from Texas, had this to say.
"A swarm of Mircorsoft loggyists, surely reeking of musty giant wads of campaign contributions--buzzed and stung their way through Senate offices Wednesday, demanding that they and others of their ilk be given hundreds of thousands more foreign workers next year."
If passed the SKIL bill will double the number of H-1B visas next year and then increase that by 20 percent each succeeding year if the quota for the preceding year is filled.
Posted by Ephraim Schwartz on December 8, 2006 12:48 PM
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