Though it’s a political hot potato, the prospect of allowing more skilled foreign workers into the U.S. to fill vacant positions in the high-tech sector is gaining momentum.
The issue seemed dead as recently as December when a bid to attach an increased annual H-1B visa allocation to a federal budget bill was defeated in Congress. However in a Feb. 2 speech at the St. Paul, Minnesota, headquarters of 3M, President Bush breathed new life into visa reform, calling on Congress to expand the quota of H-1Bs, which are granted to bring in skilled workers on a temporary basis. Bush said it was “a mistake not to encourage more really bright folks who can fill the jobs that are having trouble being filled here in America.”
Over the years, H-1Bs have been used by assorted high-tech forms, including a number of visual effects and computer animation studios, that rely on foreign labor to help make up for what they claim is a shortage of highly qualified American artisans.
As chronicled in SHOOT, H-1B visas have ridden a numbers roller coaster. In fiscal year 1997-’98, the cap on such visas was 65,000. That was increased to 115,000 in ’98-’99, and then to 195,000 for fiscal years ’00-’01, ’01-’02 and ’02-’03. The Silicon Valley-centered tech boom in the late ’90s fueled a vigorous industry lobbying campaign, which led to legislation that upped the yearly H-B allotment to 115,000 and then to 195,000.
However, that latter legislation expired in ’03, causing the annual cap to revert to its current 65,000. Legislators didn’t act to save the higher allotment for several compelling reasons. For one, in light of concerns over terrorism, Congress has been standoffish about legislation regarding immigration. Additionally, bringing in foreign workers for U.S. employment, combined with the outsourcing of jobs to other countries, carries potentially negative political baggage for legislators.
Ever since it was reinstated in ’03-’04, the current annual cap of 65,000 H-1Bs has been filled each fiscal year in considerably less time than 12 months. In fact, during the ’04-’05 fiscal year, which began on Oct. 1, ’04, the allotment was virtually filled on day one when Citizenship and Immigration Services received 65,000 applications for H-1Bs.
Bush’s recent speech puts the H-1B issue back in play, with some conjecturing that Congress will again take up the matter. Yet many would say that Bush’s remarks during the State of the Union address were more relevant in terms of a long-term solution to the alleged shortage of homegrown talent. In his State of the Union speech, he called for ramping up math and science education in order to make the American workforce more competitive in the global market. Whether there will be enough federal and state funds to invest in improving education, however, remains to be seen.
Both supporters and opponents of a higher H-1B visa cap generally agree that the long-term solution to the American workforce shortfall is education at the grassroots elementary school level on up through high school and advanced training curriculum. This spans not only math and science but also arts education as much of the tech sector–including visual effects and animation–needs a talent base that’s savvy both technologically and in the creative arts.
Kamala Harris Receives Chairman’s Prize At NAACP Image Awards
Former Vice President Kamala Harris stepped on the NAACP Image Awards stage Saturday night with a sobering message, calling the civil rights organization a pillar of the Black community and urging people to stay resilient and hold onto their faith during the tenure of President Donald Trump.
"While we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the oval office nor by the wealthiest among us," Harris said after receiving the NAACP's Chairman's Award. "The American story will be written by you. Written by us. By we the people."
The 56th annual Image Awards was held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in the Los Angeles area.
Harris, defeated by Trump in last year's presidential election, was the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president. She had previously been a U.S. senator from California and the state's attorney general.
In her first major public appearance since leaving office, Harris did not reference her election loss or Trump's actions since entering the Oval Office, although Trump mocked her earlier in the day at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Harris spoke about eternal vigilance, the price of liberty, staying alert, seeking the truth and America's future.
"Some see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy and ask 'What do we do now?'" Harris said. "But we know exactly what to do, because we have done it before. And we will do it again. We use our power. We organize, mobilize. We educate. We advocate. Our power has never come from having an easy path."
Other winners of the Chairman's prize have included former... Read More