Liberty's Blog

Difficulties Face Legal Aliens

There is lots of talk and press about illegal aliens, and the efforts and lack of effort to contain a widespread problem. There is very little discussion and press about the root causes of illegal border crossing. The truth is its very difficult to get a legal entry visa to work in the US, and more perminent green card has a five year waiting period. Some of these jobs are high skilled positions that employers can't find within our borders. The Financial Times expounds.
Scientists, engineers and other skilled professionals seeking emigration to the US could face waits of a decade or more before receiving the coveted “green card” that allows them to remain permanently in the country.

This month the annual quota even to apply for employment-based green cards was exhausted for highly skilled professionals from China and India, and for less-skilled workers from all other countries, according to the State Department. The wait to apply for a green card has now grown to more than five years in many cases.

The exhaustion of the annual green-card quota is the latest headache facing US companies trying to recruit scarce talent from abroad.

Visa restrictions imposed after the September 11 attacks had already made it much more difficult for students and researchers to enter the US. And in 2003 Congress allowed the annual quota of temporary H-1B visas for skilled workers to drop from 195,000 to 65,000.

It is no wondwer that illegal immigration on trhe rise when we make it more difficult to do it legally. While making it more difficult to come into this country won't encourage skilled Europeans to enter illegally, the Mexican laborer will be more apt to give it a try if he doesn't have a legal opportunity, and he sees border jumping as a way to improve life for him and his family.

A study released last month by the Pew Hispanic Center shows that legal immigration to the US has fallen 24 per cent since hitting a peak in 2000.

posted by Liberty @ 8:21 PM