Sunday, March 11, 2007

Infinite Immigration?

From IBD's editorial "Brain Barrier,"

As Bill Gates implied last week, America has it all backward. Our country's doors are open to the low-skilled while we keep out the talent that's crucial to our competitiveness.

In the near term, there's a talent gap that can be filled only by relaxing restrictions on foreign computer scientists, software engineers and other highly trained workers who want jobs in the U.S. So Gates also called for an end to limits on the number of workers, now 65,000, admitted annually on H-1B visas.

Even a cap of 115,000 would leave U.S. technology industries short of talent. Gates told the senators that applications for H-1B visas hit the 65,000 limit just eight weeks into the current federal fiscal year (which started Oct. 1). He said demand would be even greater next year.

Further from Cox News Service, "Bill Gates told Congress that the U.S. should welcome an ''infinite'' number of high-skilled foreign workers to fill engineering, computer programming and other jobs that otherwise would go vacant."

Note: The H1-B visa limit was as high as 195,000, but was reduced to 65,000 after 9-11.

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