"Companies in the technology sector, the healthcare sector, food processing industry, transportation industry, and agricultural industries can't fill jobs with qualified Americans, so they are resorting to looking elsewhere much of the time," says Bob Meltzer, CEO of VISANOW. "But when it comes to hiring foreign nationals, all U.S. companies hiring them are having difficulties because of things like the H-1B caps, H-2B caps, etc.," he explains.
The federal immigration system presents challenges for U.S. employers wishing to hire foreign nationals. In 2005, an immigration reform bill was created by a bipartisan team of Senator Edward Kennedy and Senator John McCain, notes Meltzer. After lengthy discussion and additional amendments being attached to the bill in 2007, the bill died on the Senate floor.
No significant immigration reform bills have surfaced since in either the House of Representatives or in the Senate. In addition, two presidential terms have passed when no far-reaching immigration reform measures have been presented within that branch of the federal government, says Meltzer.
In addition to border security concerns, immigration reform addresses a number of critical issues, such as a lack of available visa categories for employers including H-1B and H-2B visas and increased employee verification enforcement. These challenges are not going away and require a long-term resolution.
Where the 2008 presidential candidates stand on the immigration issue is a bit murky. Meltzer notes that Senator McCain speaks a bit about U.S. border problems, and Senator Barack Obama mentions that immigrants in this country should be here legally. However, neither candidate seems to be addressing the hard issues, he states.
The overriding concern is this, says Meltzer; how do we fill American jobs with qualified workers when there are not enough viable alternatives within our current immigration system to hire the number of foreign nationals that are needed?
What Would Candidates Say?
Here are questions shared by VISANOW (www.visanow.com), a company that uses technology to simplify the immigration process for companies and foreign employees, which should be asked of the presidential candidates prior to the upcoming fall election.
- Will you increase the H-1B cap so that employers can hire tech workers who are in low supply and high demand in the U.S.?
- How are you going to support U.S. employers with a seasonal workforce?
- How is today's existing legal system going to handle the potential influx of immigration applications for the processing of roughly 12 million foreign nationals that are working illegally in the U.S.?
- What can employers expect in regards to post-legislation enforcement to avoid a possible workforce disruption or penalties for noncompliance?
For additional information, visit www.visanow.com and click on "Resources" for access to U.S. immigration information and links to other helpful websites.