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New Executive Order Makes H-1B Visas Harder to Get
In an executive order to be signed on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, the President aims to make it more difficult for companies to hire foreign technology workers in an attempt to keep those jobs for American workers.
Expectations from the industry, however, suggest that this will badly damage the American technology sector. According to Robert Atkinson of the Information Technology Innovation Foundation:
“The effect would end up being exactly the opposite of what Trump wants,” he said. “Companies would go offshore, like Microsoft did with Vancouver, Canada,” to seek talent.
H1-B visas are the surest path to bring the most talented technology minds from around the world to America to bolster the country's technology sector. The program itself has many flaws that should be addressed through Congress, but the "problem" the president hopes to address is counter-productive and will damage America's technology sector. Limits to the H1-B visa have already been a major advantage to the Vancouver economy, and other cities around the globe as well. Allowing major technology firms to easily recruit elite international talent (many of whom are already graduating from American universities) will allow them to remain in the United States and increase the wealth and success of their local economies.
ACTION: When speaking up about immigration reform, high-skill labor needs to be a major consideration. Reach out to your House and Senate representatives to encourage immigration reform to consider not only the rights and status of low-skill and physical laborers in the country, but also pathways that allow the brightest and most talented individuals from around the globe to contribute to the American economy.