Technology Industry Pushes for Immigration Reform
Dec 11, 2012
Houston, TX (Law Firm Newswire) December 10, 2012 – President Obama’s reelection has sparked new hope for the tech community.
Top software developers are waiting in foreign counties, startup CEOs say, and it is hoped the White House administration will prioritize immigration reform.
“The immigration system, as it currently stands, is not helping high-tech startups in the U.S,” agrees Houston immigration attorney Annie Banerjee.
There are numerous startup heads, from New York to San Jose, who have stated that they cannot find and retain enough good engineers due to a shortage of visas and green cards for temporary workers to the U.S. They have joined the call for immigration reform, allowing for legislation to get more highly-skilled immigrants into the U.S. While the issue of immigration reform was not explored in President Obama’s first term, he stated during the campaign that it would be more of a priority going forward. In Obama’s acceptance speech, he stated that fixing the immigration system was a major policy issue he planned to address.
President Obama will have to work with a split Congress, but while Democrats maintained control of the Senate, the Republicans still have control of the House. Meanwhile, the need to expand visas for foreigners with high-level skills has been an issue for both Democrats and Republicans. The STEM Jobs Act, designed to grant additional visas for people with math and science degrees, had the backing of the U.S. tech community, but did not pass.
Critics of the push for additional visas have stated that they believe the push would only bring in too many foreign-born employees, who will depress the wage level overall, and make it hard for native-born employees in the U.S. to land high-tech jobs.
President Obama submitted a letter to NY Tech Meetup in October 2012, stating that he planned to recruit thousands of STEM-focused educators and push for training of high-tech employees over the next ten years. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the tech industry helped Obama raise more than $7 million for his recent bid for reelection.
Annie Banerjee is a Houston immigration lawyer specializing in helping people become United States citizens. The law offices assist in visas and other legal immigration requirements as well. To learn more, visit http://www.visatous.com.
Law Offices of Annie Banerjee
131 Brooks Street, Suite #300
Sugar Land, Texas 77478
Phone: (281) 242-9139
