Obama’s immigration order gives tech community some – but not all – of what it wants

[proverbialwisdom]

Source: Washington Post

By Nancy Scola
November 20 at 6:04 PM

The high-tech industry will have at least two things to be happy about in President Obama's speech outlining executive actions he'll take on immigration. The president plans to grant the tech industry some, but not nearly all, of what it has been after in the immigration debate.

The first is aimed at increasing the opportunity for foreign students and recent graduates from U.S. schools to work in high-tech jobs in the United States. And the second is aimed at making it easier for foreign-born entrepreneurs to set up shop in the United States.

According to the White House, Obama will direct the Department of Homeland Security to help students in the so-called STEM fields -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- by proposing, per a White House fact sheet released Thursday night, to "expand and extend" the controversial Optional Practical Training program that now allows foreign-born STEM students and recent graduates remain in the United States for up to 29 months. The exact details of that expansion will be worked out by the Department of Homeland Security as it goes through a rulemaking process.

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But Obama will not address one of the tech industry's top policy priorities: increasing the number of H1-B visas available for high-skilled workers. Employers must apply for those visas, which allow foreign-born workers to stay in the country for up to six years. But the program is capped at 65,000 workers, which the tech industry would like to see raised. The cap is set by Congress.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/11/20/obamas-immigration-order-will-give-tech-community-some-but-not-all-of-what-it-wants/

[TM99]

1. Tech community my ass!

This isn't about the men and women working in the tech and STEM sectors. This is a win for the damned corporations in the tech sector.

They get to use cheaper foreign workers for up to 29 months thereby squeezing new graduates and seasoned veterans out of jobs and pay.

I am no longer surprised nor disappointed in Obama's love for all things corporate.

[A Little Weird]

3. +1

I started to post something but realized you said everything I wanted to say.

[OhioChick]

9. Agreed and well said n/t

[santroy79]

2. I call BS !

There are plenty of Americans that can do these jobs but these companies have to pay a high wage.

This is one of the few areas kids can come out of Tech or college and get a good paying job.

Once the flood gate opens it will lower the pay for these high tech jobs and Americans will be taking these jobs just over min. wage just to have a job.

Whatever happen to protectionism ? Such BS I hope the Republicans block him. ( yea I said it)

[djean111]

4. Tech community? TECH CORPORATIONS. But maybe that is the tech community - to him.

The visa increase will be coming later. Hillary is for that, too.

[CrispyQ]

5. The company my husband used to work for outsourced two entire departments.

And as usual, the guys had to train their replacements. How fucking insulting that is, to have to train your foreign replacements in order to get your severance pay.

[hoosierlib]

6. I'm glad other people realize the truth....

This is the only reason I am happy the Senate bill did not get voted on in the HOR. Any incease in visa quotas will only further hurt American workers...

[on point]

7. The whole tech worker shortage meme is a fraud. There is none.

There are thousands of unemployed tech workers in this country. This about corporations trying to get cheap labor

In fact, one reason US college kids have stopped STEM education is there is no future in it as their jobs will be outsourced at the drop of a hat.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

8. F-1 students in OPT

Due to the restrictions on OPT and the H-1B cap, most of these highly educated young people end up leaving the U.S. and going to other countries, helping other countries by starting businesses, etc.

Wouldn't it be better to ensure these people who have been educated in the U.S. remain in the U.S. so that they can produce for the U.S. as opposed to its competitors?

I really don't get the Janus positions sometimes - it's great to extend work authorization to people who did not go through the legal means (whether by choice or not), but it's horrible to extend work authorization to people who did go through the legal means and who even paid lots of money to do so, as F-1 students are charged exhorbitant tuition rates that end up in the pockets of U.S. schools.

Many U.S. start-ups were founded in part or solely by such foreign students. Many of the advancements that occur in the U.S. are made by foreign students and researchers on a variety of visas.

Over 50% of all students in U.S. graduate schools are foreign nationals - should we just toss them out? And another point: it's not just IT that benefits from foreign nationals. There are many industries where the ability to speak fluently in many languages or deal with international matters that require in-country expertise are prized assets that are hard to find among U.S. workers.

It's very difficult for me - an immigrant and one who works in immigration law - to even post about these topics on DU where one would suppose people are able to understand that nothing is ever black or white, because in actuality there's been obstinate resistance to opinions and facts that clash with perceptions.

We criticize our opponents for being shallow and only believe what Fox or Rush or Sean tell them, and yet some on DU do exactly the same.

Anyway, I work in this field and I've gone through the travails myself - just my 2 euros.

[TM99]

10. You have a vested interest.

Our politicians and corporations have made it a black & white issue for us. Thousands of American STEM graduates are being underpaid, losing jobs, having a hard time finding employment, or being told in their 40's and 50's to train a foreign replacement for their jobs before they in turn are fired.

This isn't about the color of some one's skin or where they come from so can the Fox or Rush bullshit.

This is about an economic reality that is hitting a large segment of the American population.

Naturally those who come here for an education are welcome to do so. No, I do not want to see them all taking jobs here. No country would.

No, it would not be better. Competition would actually be better for the industry.

Very few meaningful tech start-ups are run by foreign immigrants. The top ones like Microsoft, Apple, Google, Sun, Oracle, Facebook, etc were founded and are still run predominantly by Americans.

These Americans have outsourced tech support to India and other countries now for a decade. They collude illegally to depress wages in the industry. They claim there are not enough trained and qualified Americans do to the jobs (when there most certainly are) and push for more H1B visa's and now this extension of the OPT program. They hire these temporary workers for less pay and offer the hope and promise of the American Dream. They are being used to keep labor costs low and profit margins high.

And when they have sucked that population dry, and they start demanding, as have American STEM workers, for jobs, better pay, etc., then these same tech giants will just find another way to screw us all over.

Just because these students pay high rates for university education, it should not be a guarantee of jobs here. Hell, Americans right now are paying outrageously high tuition rates. We have excessive amounts of student loans to boot.

This is not a shallow response. But one based on the actual economic realities and behaviors of the corporatists in the American political system as it stands today.

[santroy79]

11. I agree 100%

nice post!