Immigration
The U.S. technology industry has been the engine of growth for the U.S. economy as a whole. Its success has depended on the industry’s ability to continue its rapid technological advancement, to continue to come up with “the next big thing.” The U.S. must remain the global center of innovation and the world’s IQ magnet. Many of the highly skilled foreign nationals that companies wish to hire are already here doing research at U.S. universities. If these highly qualified people, who have been trained and educated at our own universities, cannot be hired by U.S. companies they would have no choice but to return to their home countries and put their skills to use there. In effect, U.S. universities would be training our nation’s competition. A targeted visa policy that allows U.S. companies to hire the highly skilled foreign nationals they need, will be an incentive for companies to locate and expand their projects domestically, rather than moving jobs overseas.
In a global economy, the competition for talent is also global. If innovation is to lead the U.S. out of this economic crisis and to a new economic model, we need to utilize the research & development skills of those who are willing to put their skills to use here.
