That giant sucking sound you hear isn’t low-income U.S. jobs migrating to other countries, but highly educated foreign nationals looking elsewhere because the U.S. doors are closed.
Ross Perot once thought the North American Free Trade Agreement was going to cost American jobs, which would head south to Latin America. It didn’t happen. But the current cap on H1-B visas that allow highly skilled foreign nationals to work in the U.S. in specialty occupations is.
Brain drains usually occur in nations where opportunities are few and the more educated citizens migrate to countries where they’re appreciated and rewarded for their skills and productivity.
The fact that other countries offered so few opportunities and the U.S. so many has been one of America’s strongest lures — and one of the engines behind U.S. economic growth.
H1-B visas are typically awarded to educated non-immigrant foreigners who are often experts in technology fields. Without these workers, the gears of technological advancement by American companies get creaky.
And it puts the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage, particularly in the high-tech field.
Washington recently released an additional 20,000 H1-B visas, over the 65,000 that are released each year. But 85,000 still won’t be enough; we need more.
Domestic companies can’t find enough qualified Americans to fill their needs. With five nations graduating more students with bachelor degrees in engineering than the U.S., there’s a shortage of homegrown skilled workers.
Washington should immediately return to the 195,000 limit that was used in 2001 through 2003 — and remain open to increasing that cap if it isn’t adequate.
There is a lot of public debate these days about the pluses and minuses of low-income immigrants coming to the U.S. to find work. But there should be no disagreement about the benefits of highly educated and skilled workers who will help keep America ahead.