I wrote my Senator JOHN CORNYN a few weeks agao and told him that I was laid off in 2003 while that company retained the H-1B visa workers and that I was against an increase. Here is what that jackass replied:
Dear Mr. XXX:
Thank you for contacting me about the Securing Knowledge Innovation and Leadership Act of 2006 (S. 2961). I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on this matter.
Innovation is crucial to our growing economy. By investing in science and technology, we encourage innovation, thus energizing our economy. Groundbreaking ideas generated by innovation pay great dividends and improve the lives of Americans.
As the Senate continues its immigration debate, it is important to recognize that any comprehensive approach to reform will address the need for America to remain competitive in a global economy. The United States currently does not produce enough engineers to encourage healthy levels of innovation. China graduates four times as many engineers as the U.S., and within a few years approximately 90 percent of all scientists and engineers in the world will be living and working in Asia. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that between 2002 and 2012 there will be 2 million job openings in the U.S. in the fields of computer science, mathematics, engineering and the physical sciences. For the time being, foreign students are filling the United States' unmet need in these critical areas. But our current immigration policy – not our economy – forces them to return home because the U.S. does not offer enough high-tech work visas for them to continue to work in the United States and to encourage the innovation vital to economic growth.
Sound policy starts with retaining the foreign students who are educated here in the United States. S. 2961 would retain U.S.-educated students and use a market-based approach to promote competitiveness. This bill exempts from the annual H-1B cap any professional who has earned an advanced degree from an accredited U.S. university. It also exempts from the annual green card cap any U.S.-educated worker with an advanced degree. The bill raises the H-1B (specialty occupation) cap and creates a flexible system that adjusts with the market, preserving unused visas for the following year and treating immigrant visas (i.e. green card) the same way.
I introduced S. 2961 on May 2, 2006, and it was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee—of which I am a member—for further consideration. I appreciate having the opportunity to represent the interests of Texans in the United States, and you may be certain that I will keep your views in mind as I discuss S. 2961 and other relevant legislation with my Senate colleagues. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.
Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator
517 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2934
Fax: (202) 228-2856
http://www.cornyn.senate.gov
This statement lept out at me. Am I supposed to be surprised that it's harder to find a job if one does not have a four-year degree?
Labor arbitrage bump
I hope the free trade nazis are happy.
Congress is not in session,
The Republican or Democrats can't do anything HOWEVER this comes out as bonus time for Christmas is happening.
I smell a little job insecurity spin in order to justify poor bonuses.
While it has its problems, this makes MUCH more sense than giving blanket amnesty to millions of invaders and criminals.
When the oldsters retire in 7-10 years; I'm going to be promoting myself!
The 90's were a bitch for defense engineers--I was laid off 4 times when projects were cancelled or contractors consolidated....
There were real shortages of engineers during the late 90s, which was when the program really ramped up big time. Problem is, since the Dot Com bust, it never was properly ramped down with the slight exception of a cooling off period after 9/11. In fairness, some companies are more by the book than others regarding pay - some H1Bs are paid the same as Permanent Residents and Citizens (i.e. at the companies who play fair) and some are paid lower via various schemes, some of which are probably technically illegal. Shame on the companies who engage in this latter behavior. I would be in favor of a general crack down on H1B rule violations and a vast reduction in the quota. I would also strongly favor a new rule which required a DoD like security clearance for the remaining H1Bs, given the risks that having those who may have conflicted loyalties able to mess with financial systems and access to critical technology pose. Any who failed the clearance would be booted from the country - that would be most interesting for the many PRC nationals here on H1Bs.
Duncan Hunter is the only candidate that would do something to correct this.