Last Chance For The Immigration IT Train?
Apr 20, 2013
Miami, FL (Law Firm Newswire) April 19, 2013 – High skilled immigration shortages are a real issue for information technology companies.
“Field workers are not the only issue facing America when it comes to the current immigration system, the one that has been broken for so long no one remembers what ‘normal’ is any longer. The basic issue with the information technology (IT) sector is a skill gap. They need more qualified people and thanks to immigration laws, can’t get enough of them,” outlined Larry S. Rifkin, a Miami immigration lawyer and managing partner at Rifkin & Fox-Isicoff, with law offices in Miami, Florida and Orlando, Florida.
It is time something gave, and the IT industry is gearing up for an all out push this year to make some headway on the things that bug them the most. “Some history is relevant here,” added Rikfin. “In 2007, which was the last attempt at a major revamping of the immigration system, the bill that came out of the Senate was put together without any input from the IT sector. The issue was the suggestion to up the number of temporary visas was cancelled out by a move to phase out the worker visa program after a five year run. This lead balloon stalled.”
Since 2007, realizing the error of their ways, the politicians have figured out that any further attempts to fix the system ‘must’ include high skilled immigration. While the IT sector is happy that someone finally ‘gets’ it, they are not so sure anything will be done about it during their natural lifetime. Immigration reform is still the hot topic of the year, even with gun control and the economy striving to push it off the public radar.
Faced with a year of waiting to see if something happens, or actively starting a social media campaign, industry gurus are opting to put fingers to keyboards and lobby like there was no tomorrow. They suspect there is no time like the present to make their point-of-view known. They have optimism that things will be different in 2013 because now, the public at large finally understand what the skills-gap issue really means. There just is not enough talent in the U.S. to fill technology gaps and employers need to turn to foreign born candidates to fill key roles within the sector.
“The skills gap issue argument is the same as the argument that illegal immigrants working the fields are taking jobs from Americans. Americans are not working the fields, and there are not enough IT skilled workers within our borders to fill industry demand. So bringing in foreign workers is not taking jobs from Americans. And that is the reality of the world we now live in,” added Rifkin. The times are changing. As a nation, we must change as well to keep in step with the rest of the world, and technology.
To learn more or to contact an Orlando immigration attorney or Miami immigration attorney, visit http://www.rifkinfox.com.
Rifkin & Fox-Isicoff, P.A.
1110 Brickell Avenue
Suite 210
Miami, Florida 33131
Toll Free: (866) 681-0202
