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I was reading a story posted by eWeek which lists the top 25 companies that applied for and received approvals for H-1B visas in 2009. The list includes the names of companies that you might expect to see, including Microsoft (#2 with 1,318 H-1B visas); Intel (ranked 3rd with 723) and Cisco (#12 with 308). Other companies on the list include Rite Aid, Goldman Sachs and Bloomberg. Wipro ranked first with 1,964 H-1B visa holders).
The story got me to thinking about a topic that’s been written about on countless occasions but is nonetheless worth re-examining: the correlation between U.S. innovation and immigration.
There’s no shortage of impassioned editorials, blogs and other commentary published by observers who have weighed in on both sides of the immigration debate. Organizations that want to impose tighter immigration restrictions or otherwise ban immigration such as NumbersUSA cite congestion, overcrowded schools and ‘increasing restrictions’ placed on the individual liberties of Americans as just some of the reasons why a crackdown on existing immigration policies are needed.
I’m on the other side of the fence, figuratively speaking. I’m with those who believe that immigrants help drive new innovation in the U.S. through fresh ideas and new perspectives, often fueled by a strong work ethic.
Consider your own workplace. Anyone who has worked for years at the same organization where turnover is low would probably agree that a certain degree of institutionalization occurs. “This is the way we’ve always done things” is a common mantra, whether verbalized or not. Such cultures become stale, they’re starved for new ideas and new approaches.
Now apply the same logic to an entire society. It’s a scary concept.
Anyone who has ever worked in IT will tell you that it’s a discipline that mixes science with creativity. Some of the brightest minds in high-tech have come from outside the U.S. Google co-founder Sergey Brin was born in Russia. Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang is originally from Taiwan. Former Intel chairman and CEO Andy Grove hails from Hungary.
There’s no doubt that the U.S. became considerably more insular following the 9/11 attacks. But we shouldn’t shut our borders to the world’s best and brightest. If more stringent screening requirements for immigrants or visa holders are needed for security purposes, fine. But let’s not shut our doors to the rest of the world. Since when is the Statue of Liberty an icon only for native Americans?
There are companies that abuse the H-1B system in order to obtain lower-cost IT workers to do QA and other work that really can’t be classified as unique or hard-to-find skills. There’s certainly room for improvement over how the H-1B system is operated and governed. According to a recent story by Computerworld’s Patrick Thibodeau, a former colleague of mine who has followed the H-1B issue closely for many years, 90 members of the U.S. House of Representatives are co-sponsoring a bill that would make dramatic changes to the H-1B visa program. The bill would reportedly impose restrictions on H-1B use and push for tougher enforcement.
According to the Computerworld story, the proposed bill would create a new, independent federal agency, to be called the Commission on Immigration and Labor Markets, which would establish "employment-based immigration policies that promote economic growth and competitiveness while minimizing job displacement, wage depression and unauthorized employment."
Without question, it’s grossly unfair if the H-1B system is abused and puts higher-paid U.S. technicians out of work. U.S. employers who abuse the system in these ways should be prosecuted. Changes are obviously needed. But sealing America from the rest of the world isn’t the answer. If anything, it’s a prescription for failure.
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