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Tech Visas For Immigrant Students Can Solve Industry Problems, Claims Congresswoman Lofgren

A P Kamath in Washington

Asserting that it makes no sense to go on complaining about the shortage of skilled foreign workers in the computer and hi-tech industries while many foreign nationals graduating from American universities go home for lack of sponsors, a member of the House of Representatives wants Washington to adopt a new visa.

Called T or Tech visa, it will allow a foreign graduate to stay in America for five years, and will have no annual cap as in the case of H-IB visas, says Representative Zoe Lofgren (Democrat-California).

Lofgren introduced the bill, HR 2687, Bringing Resources from Academia for the Industry of our Nation Act (BRAIN Act), on Thursday. The high-tech worker shortage is being sharply felt in Lofgren's home district of Silicon Valley.

Washington insiders feel her bill may not be voted this year, but she is determined to push it. It has found strong support from many top Silicon Valley conglomerates, including Intel. Jennifer Eisen, manager of government affairs for Intel, called the Lofgren proposal "very promising" because it offers a "creative solution" to what seems to be a perennial problem.

If passed, the bill will offer T visas that will enable international students completing US degrees in computer science, engineering, mathematics and science to work for American companies if they are paid more than $60,000 per year. Under the H-1B visa, foreign workers are allowed to work in America for three years, with the possibility of renewal for three more years.

Normally, only students with master's degrees get one-year's "practical" or training visas. But Lofgren wants T visas to be offered to top-scoring students with bachelor's degrees.

The bill is likely to run into opposition from American labour unions who are opposing some top Republicans who want to increase the H-1B visa caps. Senator Phil Gramm, a fiscal conservative from Texas, says he wants the visas increased to 200,000 annually for the next three years.

The current limit is 115,000 per year. The quota was nearly doubled from the usual 65,000 caps, and the present numbers are expected to go back to the original cap after two years. The Immigration and Naturalisation Service reached the cap in mid-June, and the hi-tech industry started yet another campaign to increase the number of H-1B visas.

Gramm introduced his bill this week. An identical bill was introduced by David Dreier, another Republican, who is also the chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee.

Texas Governor George W Bush, a presidential candidate, has also assured his support for the increase in H-1B visas.

"It has never made sense to me that after allowing foreign students to study at our fine American universities we force some of the best and brightest minds in the world to leave America and compete against us," Lofgren said.

There is no indication if Lofgren's efforts, or those of Gramm or Dreier, will succeed.

The White House and labour groups oppose the move because they feel the jobs should go to American workers.

Perhaps to appease the opponents of her proposal, Lofgren has suggested that the firms that use T visas pay a $1,000 fee for each visa, to be used by the federal government to enhance the standard of mathematics and science in American schools and universities.

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