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Editorial Support
Click here for editorial quotes on the importance of reforming the visa system for highly educated professionals.
“It’s difficult to argue with legislation that would: … Keep U.S. business competitive. H.R. 5882 would see to it that employment-based immigrant visas are not lost to bureaucratic delays. Contemplated legislation would eliminate “per country” limits on foreign workers and allow some 12,000 noncitizen advanced-degree graduates of U.S. colleges to get green cards. That would help American companies starved for high-tech workers.” June 5, 2008
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“The truth is, America will be a feebler place without a continuing and adequate flow of foreign-born brainpower. America's loss of foreign-born experts translates directly into gains for China, India and other rapidly developing competitors. While the presidential candidates are stepping gingerly around the immigration debate, the ongoing brain drain of the best and brightest foreigners should give them, and the nation, pause.” June 4, 2008
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“The result [of the H-1B lottery] is that hundreds of thousands of highly qualified people – entrepreneurs who want to start companies, doctors who want to save lives, scientists who want to explore the frontiers of knowledge – are kept waiting on the spin of a roulette wheel and then, more often than not, denied the chance to work in the United States. This is a policy of national self-sabotage.” April 10, 2008
“It would be preferable for Congress to take overall action on immigration or address some of these issues unrelated to the controversy over illegal immigrants. While we’re waiting, administratively extending the time on foreign student work visas seems like a much-needed positive step for the U.S. economy.” April 4, 2008
“High-tech businesses, such as Microsoft, have asked for an increase in the visas. Out of desperation, Microsoft finally opened a campus in Vancouver, B.C. (Canada’s immigration system is more flexible.) The H-1Bs are currently capped at 65,000 and doled out by lottery. Last year, 123,480 applications were filed in two days. An interview with the CEO and founder of one such company on National Public Radio indicated there aren’t enough skilled workers in the
U.S. to fill jobs that pay $80,000 to $100,000 a year.” April 2, 2008
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“Staying on the leading edge in science, technology and medical research is imperative for the United States, and the H-1B visas are an important tool for reaching that goal. Congress should approve [Rep. Lamar Smith’s (R-TX)] legislation as soon as possible so more visas can be issued this year and next year. American high-tech companies need this relief, and it is vital for the nation that they remain competitive without having to move their operations elsewhere.” April 1, 2008
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“Congress must expand and overhaul the H-1B visa program, which is vital to Silicon Valley .... H-1B visas must better serve American companies and workers. Until Congress acts, the system will continue to fail on both counts.” March 31, 2008
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“ … [A] new survey by the Partnership for New York City has revealed that we are losing jobs because of the senseless visa restrictions and other restraints on international employment. … Keeping these highly paid jobs – and the slots they generate for additional workers – is crucial to the futures of New York and America. The U.S. should stop barring entry to people who can keep America on the cutting edge in everything from finance to computers to medicine.” March 30, 2008
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“… [L]awmakers would be foolish to wait to lift the H-1B cap, especially during the current economic slump. It makes no sense to limit a source of highly skilled labor that would help the U.S. economy grow.” March 29, 2008
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“Because lawmakers lack the political will to keep the world’s talent in America, companies are following it overseas, setting up shop in Canada, India and Eastern Europe where the skills they need are plentiful. As a result, investment and jobs are being shipped abroad.” March 26, 2008
“H-1B visas are reserved for the world’s best and brightest, and barring their entry is economic self-sabotage. The cap keeps out doctors, engineers and other specialists – people who save lives and often create jobs for others in America. One need only look at the national origins of founders of companies such as Google and Sun Microsystems to realize that foreign talent has helped keep the U.S. economy on the cutting edge.” March 25, 2008
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“What’s needed is obvious. The H-1B program should be both expanded and overhauled … Beyond the H-1B program, more permanent visas need to be steered to highly skilled people.” March 25, 2008
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“Reform of the visa system was part of the comprehensive immigration bill that failed to pass Congress last year. Since an overall bill isn’t likely, if at all, until after a new president and Congress are seated next year, lawmakers and the Bush administration should act to address what Gates calls an ‘already grave situation.’ This would be a good step toward helping America better compete in a global economy that, like it or not, is here to stay.” March 23, 2008
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“… [W]e'd love to see someone in D.C. give a little consideration to the H-1B visa problem. Raising the cap substantially would be a good start, and would be hailed by companies that now see too many talented and eager workers wind up overseas.” March 23, 2008
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“The bill [The Innovation Employment Act] addresses huge disconnects between the need for highly-skilled workers, the numbers of qualified people within the U.S. labor pool, and the current system for allowing technically-trained foreign workers to be legally employed. … The U.S. is not producing enough highly-skilled workers. The economy suffers from this deficit and from fears that keep foreign workers out.” March 22, 2008
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“The preponderance of evidence continues to show that businesses are having difficulty filling skilled positions in the U.S. By blocking their access to foreign talent, Congress isn’t protecting U.S. jobs but is providing incentives to outsource. If lawmakers can’t bring themselves to eliminate the H-1B visa cap, they might at least raise it to a level that doesn't handicap U.S. companies.” March 19, 2008
“… [T]here is another group of immigrants who are highly sought by U.S. high-tech firms and by such firms in other countries. We should be making it easier, not more difficult, for these immigrants to come to the United States. They bring brain power, high-level education and needed skills to the industries that are leading the high-tech industry.” March 17, 2008
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“Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates made a strong business case for immigration reform before members of Congress, who should be laser-focused on steering the U.S. economy through a downturn. … [O]ne California congressman, obviously clueless about Microsoft’s generous salaries and benefits, suggested its problems would be solved if the company paid more. Other critics raise the specter of American-trained foreign workers going home only to compete with American companies. Those shortsighted arguments ignore the cost of lost commercial opportunity when a computer-engineering job goes unfilled, plus the four to five jobs needed to support it.” March 14, 2008
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“Opening the door to technical professionals is key to keeping the United States competitive with fast-rising economies such as China and India. In many areas of math, science and engineering, at least half of the post-graduate degrees at U.S. universities are earned by foreign nationals. It makes no sense for the United States to educate foreign scientists and engineers and then send them home to compete against American tech companies.” January 3, 2008
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“Meanwhile, the United States limits the number of educated workers who are allowed into the country each year. This self-imposed shortage on highly educated foreigners hurts America’s competitiveness on the global stage. When U.S. companies cannot find the workers they need, they are stifled. In turn, the U.S. economy is affected.” December 3, 2007
“Economic protectionists oppose lifting the visa cap to meet demand. But it makes little sense for our universities to be educating these talented foreign students, only to send them packing after graduation. … Closing the door to foreign professionals puts U.S. companies at a competitive disadvantage and pushes jobs out of the country. Worse, it does so at a time when other nations are rolling out the welcome mat.” November 30, 2007
“The government should do all it can to pull the cork out of the H-1B bottleneck. That should include deep-sixing a plan recently introduced in Congress to increase the fee companies pay on their employees working under those visas. Instead of making the process more burdensome, this country should do what it can to increase the number of bright and highly skilled people in the work force.” November 27, 2007
“While we prefer to see immigration issues addressed under a comprehensive bill, specific legislation targeting H1-B visas, or “green cards,” may be among the exceptions. … Congress needs to start picking off a few less contentious issues pertaining to immigration, and the H1-B visa for legal workers might be a good place to begin.” November 21, 2007
“Last month, the EU introduced a new “blue card,” which acts as a temporary work visa for educated professionals. The message it sends is clear. While the U.S. dollar is shrinking in value and American leaders clearly don't want foreigners on their shores, the European Union is laying a giant welcome mat for people who can help its surging economies. … Some people worry that foreign professionals will drive down the wages of American workers with the same skills. They don't understand how companies need the freedom to attract the best and brightest workers in order to keep up in a competitive world.” November 17, 2007
“The United States long has benefited from foreigners coming here to better themselves. If we're on the receiving end of a “brain drain,” and if the new workers can be absorbed into our labor force without disadvantaging our citizens or dragging down wages, why shouldn’t we streamline the process of accommodating the newcomers?” November 14, 2007
“Sometimes we get lucky, too. After these students come here and pay the full ride for their educations, some decide to stay in the United States. They provide this country with a steady source of highly trained scholars and workers in fields that demand skilled workers. These are productive, wealth- and job-creating students for whom the American taxpayer paid not a single cent for elementary, high-school and, in most cases, college education. It’s like recruiting the best basketball prospects from other states to play at North Carolina colleges.” November 14, 2007
“Fortunately, the solution to this problem is simple: the H-1B cap must be raised. … Today, competition for highly skilled workers is truly global. If it wishes to stay competitive, the United States cannot afford to continue its backward policies. The government should increase the quotas as soon as possible in order to avoid losing another generation of some of the world’s most talented workers.” November 14, 2007
“Mr. Grassley’s justifications notwithstanding, the reality is that these skilled foreign nationals help U.S. companies compete globally and keep jobs and innovation inside the U.S. This is especially important when other countries are opening their doors to this human capital. … If Congress can't see its way to fix our broken immigration system, the least it can do is not drive more jobs offshore.” November 2, 2007
Congress has been far too stingy with H-1B work visas for skilled foreign nationals, many of whom are educated in the U.S. only to be sent away after graduation to work for our overseas competitors. The H-1B visa cap has been set at 65,000 since 2004, when it took 10 months to exhaust it. This year the cap was reached on the first day applications were accepted. Lawmakers should eliminate the cap, or at least let market forces influence its size.” October 18, 2007
“It is imperative that U.S. companies be able to attract the brightest minds in the world. But this year’s annual cap of 65,000 temporary visas was gobbled up in two days. A good place to start, as we’ve noted before, would be to double the number of H-1B visas.” September 20, 2007
“Every year, … 1 million skilled workers must compete for 120,000 green cards. They might have had little choice in the past, but many of these workers now have attractive alternatives. Some are already giving up on the United States, taking their talents back to their newly dynamic home economies, such as India and China. … We want these workers. They strengthen us. As more employers and local leaders warn about the consequences of losing them, Congress needs to change the quotas now freezing them out.” September 16, 2007
“On Sept. 14, Washington will see the first rally by highly skilled immigrants, the engineers and Ph.D.’s who play by the rules and still get the visa runaround. … They’re immigrants: smart, industrious self-starters, like your grandparents. … Fix legal immigration first, [former Connecticut congressman Bruce Morrison] says – get those backlogs down, get a steady supply of nurses, engineers and M.B.A.’s flowing … … Maybe then, he says, you will establish the trust you need to tackle the problem of the 12 million undocumented.” September 9, 2007
“On Sept. 14, Washington will see the first rally by highly skilled immigrants, the engineers and Ph.D.’s who play by the rules and still get the visa runaround. … They’re immigrants: smart, industrious self-starters, like your grandparents. … Fix legal immigration first, [former Connecticut congressman Bruce Morrison] says – get those backlogs down, get a steady supply of nurses, engineers and M.B.A.’s flowing … … Maybe then, he says, you will establish the trust you need to tackle the problem of the 12 million undocumented.” September 9, 2007
“The number of H-1B visas is capped by federal law, and the organization Compete America says that the entire complement of 65,000 visas available in the current fiscal year was exhausted in the first 24 hours they were available. … The American educational system drew the best minds on the planet to U.S. shores for bachelor and advanced degrees …. Without jobs, those people return to their home countries and go into competition with the United States. … At stake is the global competitive position of the United States .… [A]djusting the H1-B visa policy is a solution.” August 24, 2007
“Congress must also allow more skilled immigrants to fill jobs in high-demand fields like technology and nursing. … Some reforms just can’t wait for a new president and a new Congress to try again.” July 17, 2007
“Congress should increase U.S. immigration quotas, which have not changed for years despite economic growth and labor shortages.” July 13, 2007
“Business is good in Canada, thanks to the failed efforts of the U.S. Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration bill. … Consider: Software giant Microsoft is going to open an office in Canada. A key factor in the move is the frustration level of company officials, upset that the shortage of H-1B visas for high-tech workers is forcing them to do business elsewhere. … That’s what happens when you take a hard-line approach. You exclude everybody, even the best and the brightest the world has to offer.” July 11, 2007
“A comprehensive fix to U.S. immigration policy is overdue, but failing that, Congress should at least adopt a more sensible approach to H-1B visas.” July 10, 2007
“The U.S. government caps the number of [H-1B] visas at 65,000 annually, which is nowhere near the number that could be used to great benefit by American companies. … Working to bring more bright minds to this country should be a priority in Congress.” July 10, 2007
“Massachusetts would benefit if the country expanded its H-1B visa program …. … [T]he United States isn’t producing enough engineers and scientists to meet the needs of high-tech industries, so there’s ample room to welcome more of the world’s skilled workers. … Even if it’s with small steps, Congress still has to pursue reform.” July 7, 2007
“ … [I]n a competitive world where emerging nations are becoming serious threats to the U.S. high-tech dominance, companies need more freedom to attract the best and brightest. … [T]he biggest fear should be that Congress would put too many limits on immigration, which has been the secret to the nation’s continued prosperity.” June 26, 2007
“[L]awmakers should adopt an amendment sponsored by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and John Cornyn, R-Texas …. The provision, which is supported by the tech industry, would create an extra category of 140,000 employer-sponsored visas per year. It also would expand the number of H-1B visas for workers with advanced degrees.” June 4, 2007
“Immigration policies should acknowledge that the U.S. is not producing enough home-grown computer scientists, mathematicians and engineers to fill our labor needs. Last year, U.S. universities awarded more than half of their master’s degrees and 71% of their Ph.D.s in electrical engineering to foreign nationals. It’s foolhardy to educate these individuals and then effectively expel them so that they can put their human capital to work for U.S. competitors. There’s no shortage of countries that would be thrilled to benefit from a U.S. brain drain.” May 30, 2007
“If the United States doesn't get the smart people, some other country will. We’re in a competition with high global stakes.” May 27, 2007
“The tens of thousands of H-1B rejects will constitute some of the world’s best and brightest, and America is foolish to block them from the U.S. economy. … If they want America’s hightech industries to stay innovative, members of Congress should address the labor problem vis-avis visas – and preferably before the class of 2007 heads home.” May 4, 2007
“Highly skilled individuals should be welcomed into the workforce, especially ones we have educated and trained. When foreign workers with high skills want to work here, let them.” May 2, 2007
“[A] major increase in the number of H-1B visas must be part of the immigration discussion. Tucson high-tech companies and those around the United States no longer see other U.S. companies as their competition. They are competing in a global market, and to do that, they must compete for the best available employees.” April 24, 2007
“Visa caps for those workers must be raised across the board, with priority status for the highestskilled, such as students who complete graduate school here and want to work for U.S. companies.” April 15, 2007
“There is agreement that the nation needs to move forward aggressively to attract the best and the brightest from abroad. The House bill would increase the cap on H-1B visas for skilled workers to 115,000 from 65,000 per year. This still isn't enough – but it is better.” April 15, 2007
“Congress and the White House need to get back to work on comprehensive immigration reform that addresses the H-1B problem and other issues before other nations detract from the American medal count.” April 11, 2007
“What’s ultimately at risk is America’s continued leadership, dominance or in some cases the survival of information businesses. … We must admit enough skilled foreign workers to fill the void.” April 11, 2007
“What’s ultimately at risk is America’s continued leadership, dominance or in some cases the survival of information businesses. … We must admit enough skilled foreign workers to fill the void.” April 11, 2007
“While politicians haggle over immigration reform, the U.S. economy’s demand for workers foreign and domestic continues to grow. On Monday U.S. officials began accepting applications for the 85,000 available H-1b visas – the kind that go to foreign professionals – for the fiscal year starting in October. By Tuesday, the quota had been filled, making this the third straight year that the cap was reached before the fiscal year had even begun.” April 4, 2007
“If America wants to continue to lead the world in innovation, and thus maintain the prosperity that comes with success, that foreign talent must be made available. … The H1B visa law needs to be revised. Congress must recognize reality.” March 25, 2007
“The law’s unrealistically low allowances for legal immigration, both temporary and longer term, must change to meet the demand from this country itself. … Even with needed strengthening of U.S. higher education, there will still be a shortage of students preparing for math, science and tech careers. Recruiting workers from abroad is anything but new.” March 13, 2007
“America’s knowledge-based economy is increasingly dependent on the best and brightest immigrants, who account for a quarter of the nation’s doctorates and a third of its engineering professors. Foreign-born entrepreneurs were among the founders of Sun Microsystems Inc., Intel Corp., Google Inc. and other leading firms. To educate the next generation of them in America, only to export them to foreign universities and corporations, is foolish in the extreme.” March 12, 2007
“Unless and until U.S. schools are turning out the kind of workforce this nation’s corporations need to grow, there is no reason NOT to lift the current limit on H-1B visas and thousands of reasons to do so.” March 11, 2007
“[T]housands of talented, foreign-born engineers and other scientists graduate from U.S. colleges every year with less and less chance of finding a place in the U.S. economy. … This benefits no one except the countries that gain the knowledge, innovation and productivity of the people who eventually give up on the United States.” March 11, 2007
“Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates went to Washington on Wednesday to issue a warning: America is falling behind the rest of the world in technology, innovation and competitiveness. … At other times in our history – during World War II and after the Russians launched Sputnik, for example – America has been energized to innovate. We need to find that energy again.” March 9, 2007
“But the numbers of temporary visas available to U.S. employers don’t come close to matching their needs. The demand for H-1B visas in Silicon Valley, for example, has been so high that the annual quota of 65,000 is typically exhausted even before the fiscal year begins.” October 1, 2006
“The H-1B visas have fallen victim to the congressional disaster over illegal immigration.”
September 19, 2006
“Immigrants are America’s wealth. They have revitalized entire cities in this nation. They bring skills, a strong work ethic and family values that this country needs.” August 14, 2006
“United States needs foreign talent to stay competitive because American students, for the most part, aren’t interested in engineering and science careers. … Our nation will be stronger and more competitive if Congress can agree on changes that allow all segments of the immigrant community to contribute to our nation's economy.” August 11, 2006
“The U.S. has long been a magnet for the world's top talent. But in an increasingly global economy, U.S. employers unable to attract the necessary human capital will lose to their competitors abroad.” August 2, 2006
“High-skilled immigrants have long played a key role in the country’s technological prowess. But that magnetism is being threatened by inadequate visa policies and this year’s volatile immigration debate.” July 24, 2006
“Countries from Ireland to India and from Croatia to China have been investing in their own futures and minting millions of educated workers who want to eat America’s lunch. And if we don’t remain a step ahead of these new competitors, they will.” July 13, 2006
“Raising the H1-B quota serves the national interest and is the unimaginably – for this Congress – pragmatic thing to do.” July 10, 2006
“Right now, we’re not developing enough scientists and engineers with the right skills to fill the needs of American corporations. … Every foreigner who earns an advanced degree in science or engineering in America and is offered a job here should be able to get a green card.” June 24, 2006
“The situation is so clearly perilous to the American economy that Congress seems likely to do something about it …. Ultimately, the United States should move towards a regime in which any person offered a legitimate job by an American employer is allowed to take it up.” May 6, 2006
“At least two Senate bills would permit more specialized foreign workers to come to the United States and more foreign students, educated in U.S. colleges, to remain here. … The purpose is to fill vacancies on U.S. payrolls and to enable U.S. companies to continue their technical work without moving overseas to hire technical staffs.” April 18, 2006
“Lawmakers need to address legal immigration as well, specifically the H-1B visa and the employment based green card programs. Deficiencies in both systems are hurting American competitiveness.” April 2, 2006
“The cap should be lifted on H-1B visas, basically for high-tech workers, and foreign students who come here and do well in select fields – math, science, engineering – should be encouraged to stay.” March 30, 2006
“It’s clear from the emerging focus on higher education and high-level research in other countries that competition for brainpower is fierce. The United States need not be left behind if our representatives will welcome the very kind of immigrants we ought to be embracing – the highly educated seeking legitimate work and a place to foster their extraordinary abilities.” March 29, 2006
“The increase in the number of visas for skilled tech workers, part of a broader immigration bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, is an important step to boost America’s and Silicon Valley's competitiveness. … Talented immigrants had a hand in founding Intel, Sun Microsystems, Yahoo, Google, eBay and other valley icons. These provisions would keep America’s door open for the world’s best innovators and entrepreneurs.” March 29, 2006
“[T]he U.S. labor market has also long been a magnet for highly skilled and educated foreigners, many of whom attend school in America at some time in their lives. In a world where these brains have more options than ever in Asia and Europe, we drive them away at our economi
peril.” March 27, 2006
“[C]ompanies are begging for native and immigrant workers. Investor’s Business Daily reports a brain drain from the U.S. to Canada, as our neighbor to the north hires immigrant scientists and engineers who cannot get visas from American companies. The least we can do is restore the higher visa limit, and possibly increase it.” March 25, 2006
“Others wish to come to America to seek a better life. ... [T]hey are the foreign professionals – from engineers to mathematicians to computer programmers – who hope to get one of the precious few H-1B visas.” March 15, 2006
“Given the starkness of the economic threat facing the United States, the president’s [research and education] initiative is welcome and overdue. But there is a big step he also could take that would produce dramatic results much more quickly: launching an all-out push to attract brilliant foreign scientists, engineers and mathematicians to the United States and to encourage top foreign students who are studying here to stay here after graduation.” February 2, 2006
“It’s no secret many of our most talented scientists, engineers and software programmers comehere from other countries. But because the H-1B program is limited to 65,000 visas a year, theprogram is often closed in the first few months of the year.” January 15, 2006
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