President George Bush has publicly pledged his support for a decision by the Senate to offer an additional 50,000 H1B visas for foreigners to work in the USA next year.
Making his weekly radio address at the weekend, the Texan said that the measures settled by senators last week formed a fundamental first step in initiating a comprehensive immigration reform.
“It has a long way to go before it can provide meaningful reform,” the president admitted, but he went on to expound the benefits of an agreement that will not only allow many more so-called ‘aliens’ to live and work in the USA, but also afford them clearer rights.
“[The agreement] will improve security at our borders, give employers new tools to verify the employment status of workers and hold businesses to account for those they hire,” he said.
As the ongoing debate surrounding the implementation of the bill continued - particularly centring on family support for migrants to the USA - president Bush outlined the type of candidate who would benefit from the expansion of the H1B programme.
Those with “the skills, education and English proficiency that will help America compete in a global economy” will have excellent opportunities to work in the USA, he announced.
Contributed by J.Bevan
He talked about it, but it was not delivered. Haha, “Those with “the skills, education and English proficiency that will help America compete in a global economy” will have excellent opportunities to work in the USA”… Sorry, but this is just nice words; reality is much different. After 6 years of getting a PhD, plus a post-doc, both at prestigious universities (both are among top 3 in this country (USA) in my field), in computer science working on technology to improve surgery, and after lots of hard work, and obeying ALL immigration regulations (there are numerous), I will be subjected to an H1-B Visa lottery in April 2008. It is humiliating, uncertain, risky, unfair, and if I lose, it means I’ll have to leave the country. I am not the kind of a talent that you want to lose. My prediction: the regular 65,000 quota for 2009 will be gone on April 1, 2008, and there will be roughly 150,000 applicants, so a 1:3 lottery. The separate quota of 20,000 H1B visas for advanced degree holders will also get filled up on April 1, 2008, with about 30,000-40,000 applicants, so WE WILL HAVE A LOTTERY (about 1:2) ALSO FOR ADVANCED DEGREE HOLDERS FROM U.S. UNIVERSITIES. When will the U.S. Government and Congress wake up? It’s no laughing matter: there must be MANY foreigners with advanced knowledge in my situation. It is bad already as is, and every year U.S. competitivness just sinks some more.