bad article collection
bad article collection
Date: Friday, July 25, 2008 3:14 AM
<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1894 -- 7/25/2008 >>>>>
So many bad articles about outsourcing and H-1B are published it's not easy to
choose the worst ones. Article #5 may be the most insulting, but it's probably
not the worst. Article #8 is so stupid it's actually sort of funny.
Article 1:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.visas02may02,0,412835.story
Long wait for scarce visas
Shibu Jose has placed ad after ad in area newspapers and on Web sites seeking
tech-savvy workers for his Ellicott City software consulting company. But the
resumes he receives are thin. Too often, applicants lack fluency in the
complex software-speak he needs to keep his business competitive. For Jose,
the H-1B debate is a question of simple business competition. Without the
visas, his company cannot thrive, he said.
Article 2:
http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=48091
EDS says offshoring great for profitability, promises to continue "If you can
find high-quality talent at a third of the price, it's not too hard to see why
you'd do this," says EDS chairman Ron Rittenmeyer.
Article 3:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/22/mccain_resumes_talk_of_compreh.html
McCain Resumes Talk of Comprehesive Immigration Reform Surrounded by high-tech
entrepreneurs, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said this morning he would expand
visas for immigrants at the same time he would propose legislation cracking
down on illegal immigration.
Article 4:
http://www.reporternews.com/news/2008/may/31/immigrants-not-taking-our-jobs/
Immigrants not taking our jobs
Misconception: Immigrants are taking American jobs.
So, why don't immigrants take American jobs?
Article 5:
http://newsok.com/failing-grade-u.s.-losing-its-science-edge/article/3272131/?tm=1216494317
Failing grade: U.S. losing its science edge The Oklahoman Editorial A few
years ago, Intel Corp. chief Craig Barrett began speaking with clear urgency
about how the United States needs to do a much better job of preparing
students for careers in math and science. Barrett said his company would do
just fine if it never hired another American because the talent pool elsewhere
in the world was plentiful. Turns out, that's even more true today.
Article 6:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6929dcf8-2d9a-11dd-b92a-000077b07658.html
America cannot afford to drive away talent Once again, the arbitrary cap on H-
1B visas, part of our strident national debate over immigration policy, has
played a cruel joke on US competitiveness by needlessly penalising some of our
highest-growth industries. Paralysis on immigration policy has created a
classic lose-lose situation for our economy. Tens of thousands of talented
graduates from all over the world have been "capped out" of the opportunity to
work in the US, while American employers are denied access to legions of
bright and motivated candidates for employment. It would be difficult to
imagine a less rational system.
Article 7:
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/07/valuable_h1b_wo.html;jsessionid=O05RV0YPY1XFAQSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2JVN?print=true
Valuable H-1B Workers Alberta-Bound As Congress Fiddles Lawmakers in the
Canadian province of Alberta are cashing in on the United States' failure to
enact a rational immigration policy for skilled workers
-- they're recruiting H-1B visa holders whose permits are about to expire.
Here's what Congress should do to right this ridiculous situation. H-1B
workers who have been employed productively in the U.S. for six consecutive
years, and who have broken no laws, should be eligible to become permanent
residents.
Article 8:
http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/07/talent_blueprint_project_promo.html
Talent Blueprint Project promotes bringing in foreign-born business talent
Benarjie exemplifies more of what Northeast Ohio needs -- foreign-born
business talent to seed its struggling economy and fill job shortages, says an
influential band of Clevelanders. The group of civic leaders and pro-
immigration stalwarts seek cash and support for its "Talent Blueprint
Project," a multipronged strategy to attract more foreign students, workers
and entrepreneurs. ... Santo wants to establish an "H1B City" to lure these
workers from tech hot spots like Silicon Valley in California, the Research
Triangle in North Carolina and Austin, Texas.
1. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.visas02may02,0,412835.story
Long wait for scarce visas
High-tech American employers, foreign workers in suspense
By Kelly Brewington
Sun reporter
May 2, 2008
Shibu Jose has placed ad after ad in area newspapers and on Web sites seeking
tech-savvy workers for his Ellicott City software consulting company.
But the resumes he receives are thin. Too often, applicants lack fluency in
the complex software-speak he needs to keep his business competitive.
So, like tens of thousands of employers nationwide, he seeks foreign talent
through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' visa program for highly
skilled professionals. And like his fellow employers, he waits.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service makes 65,000 such visas available
each April. That's about half the allocation of five years ago, and for each
of the past five years demand for the program, H-1B, has vastly outstripped
supply.
This year, USCIS received 163,000 applications during the five days that began
April 1. The visa allocation is for the start of the fiscal year in October.
Because the agency has been inundated with requests, it will decide who
receives the visas through a lottery, notifying applicants by June 2.
The random computer selection process leaves employers and workers in
professional limbo, anxious to learn whether they will make the cut.
Immigrant advocates and technology firms are clamoring for the government to
raise its cap on such visas, saying American companies must import talent to
stay competitive globally. Microsoft's Bill Gates, testifying before Congress
last month, urged lawmakers to raise the visa limit.
But critics argue that the program displaces U.S.-born workers and keeps wages
low. They maintain that technology companies have started to rely on
foreigners, creating a disincentive for American students to study math and
engineering to pursue high-tech professions.
For Jose, the H-1B debate is a question of simple business competition.
Without the visas, his company cannot thrive, he said.
With 15 years of software engineering experience under his belt working for
such giants as IBM and Lockheed Martin, Jose decided in 2006 to start his
firm, Saxon Infotech Inc.
Seven of Jose's staff of 12 are from India or Sri Lanka, hired through the H-
1B program. Jose said he has little choice but to cast a global net to find
the brightest candidates in such a highly specialized field.
"The problem with this industry is that there are tons of computer languages;
you cannot master everything," he said. "So companies are looking for
particular experience. And the question becomes, 'Where do I find these
people?' This is the toughest part."
Although he has had luck with the visa program in the past, he said he worries
that the program has become so swamped with requests that winning the lottery
might be nearly impossible.
"If I am relying on this rate to grow my business, I might have better luck
playing the Maryland Lottery," he said.
Employers and their would-be workers spend thousands of dollars in application
and attorney fees hoping to improve their chances.
Towson immigration attorney Sheela Murthy receives frantic phone calls from
clients about this time every year. Many are students who have completed
master's degrees in this country, worried that if their visa application is
denied, they will be forced to return to their home countries.
"Some will call and e-mail daily. They so are nervous; this is their whole
life," said Murthy, an India native who represents clients nationwide. "I was
once a foreign student myself, and I completely relate to them. Many have sunk
their whole savings into this process."
Worse still, said Murthy, is the option of a $1,000 fee that USCIS offers for
"premium processing," allowing an applicant to bypass the lottery and learn
the result of his or her application within 15 days.
Murthy and other immigrant advocates have called the option unfair, allowing
those who can afford it to "pay their way to the front of the line." Murthy
said some of her clients who forgo the pricier alternative have waited as long
as six months for an answer.
"I call it a legal bribe for incompetent service," Murthy said of the
expedited option. "Unless you pay the extra money, you could be waiting
forever. So people feel they have no choice. All it is doing is throwing money
into this black hole of the Department of Homeland Security."
Chris Rhatigan, a USCIS spokeswoman, defended the expedited option as
streamlined service. Applicants bypass the regular channels, sending forms to
a separate address and communicating to agency workers about their application
status through a separate phone number and e-mail address.
"It's improving our services to our customers, and it also accommodates the
needs of the businesses," she said. "We strive to provide fast service.
With the premium response, they know sooner."
Other critics say the problem with the program is more basic - too few visas
allowed.
The immigration agency's cap was 65,000 for years, until 1999, when Congress
increased it to 115,000. Reacting to the 1990s technology boom, the government
increased the cap again, to 195,000 in 2001, 2002 and 2003, then reduced it to
65,000 in 2004, where it remains.
In addition, the agency sets aside 20,000 visas a year for immigrants with
master's degrees or higher from U.S. universities.
"It's troubling because our economy now is much more dynamic, much more
diverse and much more highly skilled than during the tech boom of the 1990s,"
said Robert Hoffman, vice president of government and public affairs at Oracle
and co-chairman of Compete America, which pushes for higher visa caps. "Back
in the early 1990s, there wasn't a Google, an eBay or an Amazon.com. We are
operating under a 1990s immigration system, and that's absurd."
But groups favoring limited immigration argue that technology companies have
begun to see outsourcing as their only means to grow, displacing American
workers in the process.
"The program basically operates to supply U.S. employers with cheap workers,
and the beneficiaries are these multinational corporations," said Bob Dane, a
spokesman for Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR.
"U.S. residents have become a last resort, and frankly it's hard to say if the
number is even too high."
Although federal law states that employers must pay their H-1B workers the
prevailing wage or risk fines and expulsion from the program, Dane argues that
the regulations are loosely enforced.
There is little agreement on this issue; some studies show H-1B workers
decrease wages while others reveal the opposite.
Still, Hoffman notes that employers, who file the applications on behalf of a
worker, must prove they intend to hire in such specialized occupations as
lawyers, physicians, college professors, engineers and computer programmers.
Many employers must also show they have tried to hire U.S.-born workers for
the jobs, seeking foreigners only as a last resort.
Workers must have at least a bachelor's degree to be eligible for the three-
year visa, which can be renewed once.
Many view the visa as a steppingstone to becoming a legal permanent resident.
Employers may sponsor these employees to apply for a green card, which for
many is a step toward citizenship.
But Hoffman maintains that the green-card process is also arduous, fraught
with paperwork, legal fees and waits that can last several years.
2. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=48091
EDS says offshoring great for profitability, promises to continue Ron
Rittenmeyer, EDS chairman
"If you can find high-quality talent at a third of the price, it's not too
hard to see why you'd do this," says EDS chairman Ron Rittenmeyer.
4/23/2008 7:51:00 AM
by Brian Jackson
Electronic Data Systems (EDS) Inc. says its outsourcing strategy is saving
it big bucks and announced plans to continue with it through 2008.
The off-shore labour continues to be cheap, and talent available overseas
is now at least on par with North America's, company executives note.
Its off-shoring strategy served the Plano, Texas-based technology services
company well in 2007.
It landed the number 19 spot on Fortune 500's list of 20 most profitable
tech companies by cutting costs. Its revenue grew four per cent, and
profits increased 52 per cent to $716 million for the year.
With EDS set to release its first-quarter numbers, company brass indicate
that the outsourcing trend is only going to grow.
Where $19 billion was spent in 2007, more than $20 billion will be spent
this year, according to EDS chairman Ron Rittenmeyer.
"It's not just a passing fancy," he told ITBusiness.ca. "It is a pretty
major change that is going to continue. If you can find high quality talent
at a third of the price, it's not too hard to see why you'd do this."
That sentiment was echoed across EDS executives gathered at the site of
their title-sponsored PGA tournament, the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.
With 43 per cent of their employees now in off-shore locations, the driving
factors behind their out-sourcing practice are North America's rising costs
and shallow talent pools compared to other global markets.
"There's phenomenal amounts of IT talent, it may just not be in our
country," says Charlie Feld, vice president of application services. "When
I talk about the talent shortage, I focus specifically on the Americas and
the U.S."
The American education system doesn't encourage students to pursue math and
science the same way other countries do, Feld adds.
Kids are losing interest in those skills at a young age despite their eager
adoption of technology because they don't make the connection between math
skills and the electronics they've whole-heartedly embraced.
"We don't teach it in a way that is exciting to these kids," he says. "They
picture the drudgery of writing code instead of the excitement of creating
things."
In Canada, the rising dollar has changed the bottom-line equation.
While it used to be cheaper for EDS to operate help-desks and other
services north of the border, that is quickly changing, says Stewart Hair,
managing director of datacenter services.
EDS calls their strategy of housing data in one place and operating it from
another a "best-floor, best-shore" approach, he adds.
With thousands of client IT departments around the world in 50 different
countries and 500 locations, the company is flexible to respond to rising
costs or talent shortages by putting resources elsewhere.
"We're very agnostic about specifically where we operate," says
Rittenmeyer, also the company's president and chief operating officer.
"It depends on what the job is, what the skill level is, what we have in
specific locations, and we watch increasing land costs, increasing building
costs, the stability of the country and the government. You have to balance
all of that."
Their practices won accolades in 2007. The Black Book of Outsourcing pegged
them at the top of their "Top 50 Best Managed Global Outsourcing Vendors"
list.
They were also recognised by Cambridge, Mass.-based analyst firm Forrester
Research as a leader in global IT infrastructure outsourcing.
Perhaps it is no surprise then that their biggest client and former owner,
General Motors (GM), is also described as an "aggressive globalization
customer" by Jeff Kelly, executive vice president for EDS North America.
With the car manufacturer facing recent challenges in Ontario related to
the higher Canadian dollar, it is an example of how cost savings can be
achieved by moving work off-shore.
"We're very much a part of GM and any pain that they're suffering," Kelly
says. GM is an example of having half employees local and half off-shore,
with cost savings pursued by moving work to established EDS areas like
Argentina and China.
"Don't assume that because it is a Canadian customer, our delivery system
is not based in Brazil," he adds.
While the savings to the bottom line remain an incentive, EDS executives
predict those will level out to be on par with North American costs over
the next decade.
As education and the IT skills on offer continue to develop in off-shore
locations, the company will maintain operations there because of the
quality of the employees, not because of their lower wages.
For right now, it's the best of both worlds, according to Rittenmeyer.
"If it costs me $20 an hour to have someone here and $4 an hour to have
someone in China, and the education is pretty close, and the quality level
is the same or better, I'm going to pass along a lot of that savings [to
the client] and my margin is going to be the same," he explains.
Growth areas for off-shoring this year include established EDS markets of
India, China, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Malaysia, the chairman
adds.
3. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/22/mccain_resumes_talk_of_compreh.html
Posted at 4:23 PM ET on May 22, 2008
McCain Resumes Talk of Comprehesive Immigration Reform
By Juliet Eilperin
UNION CITY, Calif. -- Surrounded by high-tech entrepreneurs, Sen. John
McCain (R-Ariz.) said this morning he would expand visas for immigrants at
the same time he would propose legislation cracking down on illegal
immigration.
The declaration -- which came as several Silicon Valley CEOs complained
about the need for highly skilled employees -- marked a slight shift from
what McCain had said while campaigning to secure his party's nomination.
During the GOP primary McCain -- whose support for bipartisan immigration
reform proved to be a liability within his own party -- said he would clamp
down on illegal aliens before doing any other immigration reform.
"I believe we have to secure our borders. But we must enact comprehensive
immigration reform, and we must make it a top priority," McCain told the
chief executives of several high-tech companies. "We must make the best of
this problem, and we must attract the best and brightest minds to this
nation."
Shellye Archambeau, CEO of the software company MetricStream, told McCain
she was worried about the decline in H1B visas, which go to highly skilled
workers, as well as the fact that foreign students earning graduate degrees
here are leaving the United States in increasing numbers.
"We should give them a diploma and staple a visa right at the same time, so
they can stay," she said, prompting applause from the audience "The key
point here is immigration has fueled the growth and innovation of this
country since its founding."
McCain expressed sympathy for the entrepreneurs' plight, asking them about
the problems they are facing in hiring skilled foreign workers. Conrad
Burke, president of Innovalight, a solar energy company, quipped he had
become an expert in U.S. immigration law over the past two years as he
searched for qualified workers.
"It is difficult getting visas, there are caps," Burke said, who emigrated
from Ireland to America a decade ago. "Certainly we need some help."
Vivek Ranadive, who came from India to the U.S. for college and graduate
school and stayed to start a high-tech company, said his own experience
testifies to the importance of welcoming talented immigrants. Innovation is
still occurring more frequently in America than in India and other nations,
Ranadive argued.
"The innovation that is going on is going on in my back yard," he said "It
will go on forever, as long as we continue to accept smart people."
McCain -- who has not talked about immigration as frequently since securing
the GOP nomination, in part because audience members are not raising the
issue as often as they did during town hall meetings during the GOP
primaries -- also took personal responsibility for Congress's failure to
enact immigration reform last year.
"The failure of the federal government -- and it was my failure, too -- has
had a lot of consequences associated with it," he said today.
4. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.reporternews.com/news/2008/may/31/immigrants-not-taking-our-jobs/
Immigrants not taking our jobs
Misconception: Immigrants are taking American jobs.
Just to clarify, this is not addressing employers who hire someone who they
know is not authorized to work in the first place.
A great deal could be written about this topic, so I will focus on one of
the more popular types of temporary work visas, the H-1B. Temporary work
visas come in all letters of the alphabet. Some allow for an application
for residency after a certain number of years and others do not. Under an
H-1B, one can usually work for up to six years and then an application for
permanent residency is often an option. After five years as a permanent
resident, one can apply for citizenship.
So, why don't immigrants take American jobs? Well, consider the following:
Under an H-1B visa, an American employer, large or small, can sponsor a
foreign worker. Depending on the type of job, that employee must have a
minimum of a bachelor's degree or have several years of qualifying
experience. Many times the employee has a master's degree or higher.
Doctors, engineers, educators, researchers and other professionals
typically use an H-1B visa.
The sponsorship process is costly and very lengthy. First, the employer
usually finds a foreign worker that they want to employ. Second, to sponsor
an employee, the employer must prove to the Department of Labor that they
will pay the employee more than the typical wage for that specific job in
that area or more than the actual wage for their other employees. Third,
and importantly, they must certify that they are not hiring anyone as a
replacement for an American worker, such as someone on strike. Fourth,
after approval from the Department of Labor to hire a foreign worker, the
employer must post the labor condition agreement from the Department of
Labor at the job site or present it to the union, if one exists. Finally,
if there are no objections, the employer can then attempt to sponsor the
employee.
Wait! It does not stop there!
Congress currently only allows 65,000 H-1B visas per year and it is first
come, first served. In fact, the first day an employer can apply for an
H-1B visa each year is April 1 with the employee not being able to start
until six months later. The past five years, the annual cap was reached on
April 1. In fact, this year there were over 160,000 applications filed on
that day for the 65,000 slots. If approved, these employees cannot start
working until Aug. 1. Since so many applications are received, they are put
into a lottery and "winners" are chosen. The losing employers get the
message "try again next year."
This is just one of the many types of employment-based visas available and
each type has differing requirements. However, the H-1B example paints a
pretty clear picture that under our current immigration system, it is not
easy for a company to legally hire a foreign worker.
The process is complicated, difficult, and costly and happens only when
there are no workers in the United States to fill the post. The economic
impetus to "steal" jobs from Americans just does not exist.
Michelle Richart is an attorney with Badmus Immigration Law Firm, with
offices in Abilene. You can contact Michelle at MRichart@badmuslaw.com.
5. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://newsok.com/failing-grade-u.s.-losing-its-science-edge/article/3272131/?tm=1216494317
Sun July 20, 2008
Failing grade: U.S. losing its science edge
The Oklahoman Editorial
A few years ago, Intel Corp. chief Craig Barrett began speaking with clear
urgency about how the United States needs to do a much better job of
preparing students for careers in math and science. Barrett said his
company would do just fine if it never hired another American because the
talent pool elsewhere in the world was plentiful. Turns out, that's even
more true today.
Also last week, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported that an American
school is no longer the top producer of students who eventually obtain
doctorate degrees at American institutions. Two Chinese universities
leapfrogged the University of California at Berkley.
Those two schools and one in South Korea also bested American schools when
ranking how many students earning bachelor's degrees received their
doctorates in natural science or engineering at American schools.
Clearly, we can't just afford to grow our own science and math
professionals. As one official pointed out, it takes at least 17 years --
from kindergarten through college -- to produce an engineer. And that
doesn't include advanced degrees.
It's of some comfort that so many of the world's best and brightest
students still flock to the United States for higher education. But even
then, the competition is growing stiffer. Other countries took advantage of
immigration difficulties that followed the 9/11 attacks to lure gifted
students wanting education abroad.
The business group study also pointed out the need for comprehensive
immigration reform, particularly as it pertains to the H-1B visas that
allow well-educated and highly talented professionals from other countries
to work here. The cap of 65,000 applications allowed for this fiscal year
was met on the first day of filing.
America's CEOs aren't just crying wolf about the need for more scientists,
researchers, engineers and the like. They live the talent gap every day.
Policy-makers can't fix the entire problem. But they should tackle the ones
they can. Better pay for quality math and science teachers is needed. So,
too, are improvements to encourage more foreign students and professionals
to come here.
It's difficult to imagine a world in which America isn't the technology and
education leader. But it's becoming more a reality with each passing day.
6. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6929dcf8-2d9a-11dd-b92a-000077b07658.html
America cannot afford to drive away talent
By Bob Greifeld
Published: May 29 2008 18:16 | Last updated: May 29 2008 18:16
On April 1, the US Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services began
accepting applications for the coveted 65,000 H-1B visas that allow foreign
students with a bachelor s degree to work in the US, in their area of
speciality, for up to six years. The programme includes an additional
20,000 visas for foreign students with advanced degrees from US schools.
Both quotas were quickly oversubscribed as 163,000 applications poured in
-- a 32 per cent increase over last year. The USCIS closed the application
process after five days and chose the lucky 85,000 applicants through a
computer-generated lottery on April 14.
Once again, the arbitrary cap on H-1B visas, part of our strident national
debate over immigration policy, has played a cruel joke on US
competitiveness by needlessly penalising some of our highest-growth
industries. Paralysis on immigration policy has created a classic lose-lose
situation for our economy. Tens of thousands of talented graduates from all
over the world have been "capped out" of the opportunity to work in the US,
while American employers are denied access to legions of bright and
motivated candidates for employment. It would be difficult to imagine a
less rational system.
It is to be hoped that this latest H-1B fiasco will embolden policymakers
in Washington to lower the rhetoric and produce some results in the
divisive, long-running and emotional debate over immigration policy that so
frequently seems to miss the point.
From our offices at Nasdaq I can look out over New York harbour and be
inspired by the Statue of Liberty that welcomed my grandparents to this
country. It has stood for almost five generations as a beacon of hope and
opportunity, not just for the tired and oppressed, but for those anxious to
participate in a free-market economy. These individuals, and the part they
play in the social contract, have become casualties of our failure to find
the consensus required to resolve the problem of immigration policy.
Last year s attempt to work out a comprehensive solution acceptable to
all parties was quickly wrecked on the rocks of a misplaced debate over
amnesty, leaving urgent competitive issues, such as reform of the H-1B visa
programme, stuck in legislative limbo at a time when our economy could
greatly benefit from all the highly trained help we can recruit.
In a competitive global economy, policy paralysis on urgent issues is no
longer an option. The world is not going to stand still and wait for the US
to come to its senses. If we cannot tackle a daunting task such as
comprehensive immigration reform, let us at least break it into key
components and make progress where we can. Addressing the H-1B visa
programme would be a good place to start.
After all, it is a tribute to the US that so many of the world s
smartest, most motivated young people choose to study here. They work hard,
succeed and when they receive their advanced degrees in engineering,
science or mathematics, they become among the most highly prized recruits
in business and academia. Yet our visa policies compel half of them to
leave the county and seek employment elsewhere.
At the same time, the European Union is considering a "blue card" programme
designed to attract highly educated workers with a quickly attainable and
renewable two-year visa. We have all seen recent press accounts of how
countries such as China and India are offering significant incentives to
lure their graduates back home.
Many US companies rely on researchers, inventors, scientists, engineers and
academics who are foreign-born but US-trained. Proponents of limiting H-1B
visas to 65,000 a year maintain that, without arbitrary limits,
foreign-born graduates would take jobs from Americans. The fact is that the
demand for individuals with advanced degrees in growth industries such as
technology often exceeds the supply. It also overlooks the fact that, over
the past 15-plus years, foreign nationals have started 25 per cent of US
venture capital-backed companies.
After an extended period of political trench warfare, the US has an
opportunity to refocus the debate on immigration and make progress where we
can. Specifically, we need a new approach to H-1B visas, one that would
bring together public and private sectors to negotiate a market-based
solution suited to today s economic conditions. We can no longer afford
policies that drive away the talented young leaders we need to keep the US
at the heart of the 21st-century economy.
The writer is chief executive of Nasdaq OMX
7. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/07/valuable_h1b_wo.html;jsessionid=O05RV0YPY1XFAQSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2JVN?print=true
Valuable H-1B Workers Alberta-Bound As Congress Fiddles
Posted by Paul McDougall, Jul 23, 2008 11:42 AM
Lawmakers in the Canadian province of Alberta are cashing in on the United
States' failure to enact a rational immigration policy for skilled workers
-- they're recruiting H-1B visa holders whose permits are about to expire.
Alberta over the past few years has enjoyed one of the highest economic
growth rates in the Western world, thanks mostly to soaring energy prices
that have made it enormously profitable to extract oil from the province's
mucky tar sands.
Northern Alberta is seeing its own version of the California gold rush or
the Alaska oil boom. Thousands of workers from across Canada and around the
world are flocking, wide-eyed, to the tiny, northern town of Fort McMurray
to sign up for six-figure jobs at the nearby oil sands.
The influx is such that studio apartments in the spartan, frontier outpost
are now renting at Manhattan prices.
Despite this, estimates show that Alberta will need tens of thousands of
more workers -- skilled and unskilled -- in the coming years to keep things
humming. In one week alone in 2006, $38 billion in new Alberta oil sands
investments were announced by international petro-giants like Royal Dutch
Shell.
Faced with a labor shortage, Alberta officials are looking to the United
States -- where each year thousands of foreign technologists are forced to
leave after using up the allotted six years on their H-1B visas. Under an
Alberta pilot program, U.S. H-1B holders are now eligible for immediate,
permanent residency in the province and, by extension, the rest of Canada.
To qualify, the visa holders must work in a profession in which Alberta
foresees a labor crunch. The list includes computer and information systems
engineers and managers.
"Alberta has the strongest and fastest growing economy in Canada, giving
you the security and stability you've been searching for," reads a
government Web site targeted toward U.S. H-1B workers. "The air is clean,
the sky is blue, and the people are as friendly as you've heard," the site
boasts.
Contrast that with the message that the U.S., facing its own shortage of
tech workers according to no less an authority than Bill Gates, implicitly
sends to H-1B workers: "Thanks for the six years; now get out!"
That's because U.S. immigration rules offer no direct path from skilled,
temporary worker status to permanent resident. An H-1B visa is good for
three years, and can be renewed only once. And putting in six years on an
H-1B offers no automatic route to a green card.
For many, it's back to Bangalore or elsewhere after more than half a decade
gaining experience amid the computer industry's best and brightest in
Silicon Valley. The upshot: Experienced IT pros with world-class training
and education are leaving the country in droves at the very time when the
U.S. needs more of them to remain globally competitive.
Meanwhile, Congress, including lawmakers from both sides of the aisle,
tosses around so-called immigration "reform" packages that would give
clemency to tens of thousands of lawbreakers who entered or stayed here
illegally -- many of whom are violent felons, while countless others are
completely bereft of skills or even basic familiarity with English -- while
doing nothing to help talented professionals remain in the country.
Is it any wonder that Microsoft recently opened new offices not in
Washington state, but an hour north of the border in Vancouver?
Here's what Congress should do to right this ridiculous situation. H-1B
workers who have been employed productively in the U.S. for six consecutive
years, and who have broken no laws, should be eligible to become permanent
residents. Period.
Otherwise, U.S. tech giants like Microsoft, IBM, and HP, unable to retain
the talent they need, will continue to send more work up north or overseas.
And other countries will be more than happy to welcome immigrant workers
trained at American expense. "You'll never have to worry about your visa
expiring again," says Alberta's Web site.
The United States, meanwhile, in effect becomes a net exporter of IT pros,
scientists and engineers -- and a net importer of busboys.
Alberta bound, anyone?
8. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/07/talent_blueprint_project_promo.html
Talent Blueprint Project promotes bringing in foreign-born business talent
Posted by podonnel July 07, 2008 14:39PM
Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerAttracting business owners like Asis
Banerjie, who started Ovation Polymers in Medina, is the goal of group of
civic leaders promoting a Talent Blueprint using immigration as an economic
development tool.
Asis Benarjie is a foreign-born dynamo, molding his entrepreneurial dream a
short, dusty ride from the Medina County fairgrounds.
Inside his polymer factory, the balding, diminutive boss runs his fingers
through mounds of hot, pelletized resins.
They dance endlessly from a line of German, American and Indian equipment.
Benarjie says he traveled from his native India for this -- to build a
business and lift others with him.
In 2004, Benarjie employed 10 people. Now, 40 workers fill three shifts at
Ovation Polymers.
America, despite its economic turmoil, is still a "country that offers
tremendous opportunity," he says.
Benarjie exemplifies more of what Northeast Ohio needs -- foreign-born
business talent to seed its struggling economy and fill job shortages, says
an influential band of Clevelanders.
The group of civic leaders and pro-immigration stalwarts seek cash and
support for its "Talent Blueprint Project," a multipronged strategy to
attract more foreign students, workers and entrepreneurs.
Immigrant entrepreneurs
by the numbers
1 in 4
Ratio of all new technology and engineering companies with a foreign-born
founder, in the decade ending in 2005
1 in 7
Ratio for Ohio, according to a Duke University study
450,000
Number of employees at engineering and technology firms started by
foreign-born entrepreneurs in 2005
$52 billion
Total sales at those same companies in 2005
Their bait -- the potential for foreigners to gain worker visas and
permanent residency more easily.
Blueprint advocates say the region can use all the talent and capital it
can get, no matter the source.
Foreigners often start businesses
But foreign talent, in particular, has a propensity to start new business,
research shows.
Entrepreneurs from overseas "are an economic engine," says Norman Tien,
dean of the School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University.
"Their energy fuels innovation that is the key to much of our success in
the U.S.," says Tien, who estimates students from Asia and India fill half
of the 600 slots in his master's and doctoral programs.
A landmark study illustrates the point, advocates say.
For the decade ending in 2005, immigrant entrepreneurs founded one of every
four new companies in technology and engineering nationwide, researchers at
Duke University found. In Ohio, the ratio was only one of every seven.
Yet efforts to boost the region's fortunes in foreign talent face
challenges.
There are legitimate concerns that attracting skilled foreign workers comes
at the expense of locals who need jobs, particularly in technology-related
fields.
And the area is not as friendly to foreigners as it could be, some
Blueprint advocates say.
"The general feeling I pick up on is, 'Don't bring the foreigners in
because they'll take the jobs here,' " said Ken Kovach, head of the
International Community Council, which represents 120 nationalities in the
region.
But rust belt competitors are already moving to attract immigrant
investment, under a unique visa program.
Milwaukee and Pittsburgh are among two dozen cities drawing tens of
millions of dollars through immigrant investment centers.
The program, run by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, holds the
promise of permanent-resident visas -- green cards -- to foreigners who
invest in businesses that create at least 10 jobs.
The Cleveland Council on World Affairs, led by Mark Santo, is pushing for
an investment center here. For distressed areas like Cleveland, the
immigrant investment could start at $500,000.
U.S. Sen. George Voinovich likes the idea. In late May, Voinovich urged a
federal official who oversees the program to meet with Santo. The council
hopes to apply for the program by the fall and expects a yearlong review by
the immigration service.
Marketing the region to entrepreneurs
Click here to see the full-size chart.
In a related effort, Santo wants to market the region to hotbeds of
skilled, entrepreneurial foreigners who hold three-year work visas, known
as H1B visas.
Santo wants to establish an "H1B City" to lure these workers from tech hot
spots like Silicon Valley in California, the Research Triangle in North
Carolina and Austin, Texas.
Many of them have growing wealth, thanks to stock options in companies like
Google and Sun Microsystems, Santo says.
The region could offer free business-incubator space and play up its array
of universities and low cost of living.
Santo plans to talk with Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic about the concept this
month. Akron already invests in a foreign-business incubator.
Northeast Ohio sorely needs the international mindset and job-creating
tendencies of foreign talent, Santo says.
"This region has not yet come to grips with what it means to be a global
city," Santo says. "We need to be more open, diverse and agile."
Other Blueprint strategies include:
Lifting the cap on H1B visas for skilled foreign workers in distressed
areas like Cleveland.
Blueprint advocates, led by immigration lawyer Richard Herman, have joined
critics nationwide of a program that caps visas for skilled, foreign
workers at 65,000 a year. Congress lowered the cap from 195,000 in 2003 due
in part to concerns that foreign workers were displacing Americans.
Locally, scores of companies, including Progressive Insurance and National
City, have applied for hundreds of the visas in recent years.
The visas are highly sought. Demand in April was more than double the
number of visas available. They are awarded by lottery.
Herman is pushing a strategy that would allow Cleveland and other
economically distressed regions to gain cap relief.
"High Skill Immigration Zones" would attract skilled foreigners to fill job
shortages, such as those in the region's technology sectors.
With the gathering of more foreign talent, high-tech companies "would come
here in a second," Herman said.
Expanding the visa quota would make it easier for foreign workers like
Zeyneb Aseri, 28.
The native of Istanbul, Turkey, said she was relieved this spring when her
employer, Swagelok Co., snagged one of the 65,000 worker visas.
It will allow Aseri to ply her skills in supply-chain management for up to
six years.
Aseri agrees foreign workers should not displace Americans. But if there
are shortages of workers for certain jobs, skilled foreigners should have a
shot, she said.
Herman is still drumming up support for his proposal. But it's likely to
draw criticism from groups like the Programmers Guild, representing
technology workers, and the AFL-CIO. They say skilled-worker visas are too
often abused by companies seeking cheap foreign labor.
Allowing more H1B visas means fewer jobs for college graduates trying to
enter the technology work force, said Kim Berry of Sacramento, Calif.,
president of the Programmers Guild.
"It shows an unwillingess of employers to hire someone and spend a month or
two training them," Berry said. "H1Bs are cheaper."
Establish a welcome center. To boost its image among visiting foreigners
and immigrants, the region needs a one-stop shop for them to visit -- both
a place and a Web site, Blueprint proponents say. Pittsburgh and
Philadelphia have them, they note.
The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians (www.welcomingcenter.org) is
full of helpful information, from where immigrant populations have settled
in Philadelphia to gaining a driver's license.
"Major international cities have thriving welcome centers," Herman said.
The region must present a friendlier face to foreigners, says Kovach, head
of the International Community Council.
He's frustrated that Cleveland City Hall isn't doing simple things to
welcome foreigners, as detailed in a task force report to City Council last
summer. For example, welcome signs in foreign languages and foreign flags
should be highly visible at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Kovach
said.
The home page on the city's Web site needs a foreign presence, too, Kovach
says.
"We need to create more symbols that would pique international interest,"
Kovach says.
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said the airport's director is working on
using Hopkins' digital signs to flash welcomes in foreign languages.
Foreign flags fly periodically over City Hall, and a number of them hang in
his office, Jackson noted.
A welcome center is a good idea, Jackson said, and he would listen to a
proposal. But he emphasized that the city's first obligation is to lift the
prosperity of its residents.
As for attracting skilled foreign talent, any effort "that helps to grow
our economy is a positive for Cleveland," the mayor said.
"I will not be against it," Jackson said. "However, as we move ahead, I'm
always interested in the self-help mode, in taking care of our own."
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