Thread by @USVisaLawyer

"Oh, Canada! How Outdated U.S. Immigration Policies Push Top Talent to Other Countries."

I will be live tweeting this hearing from @HouseJudiciary Subcommittee on Immigration & Citizenship.

I submitted a written statement for the record.

@McEnteeLawGroup

@HouseJudiciary @McEnteeLawGroup Chair @RepZoeLofgren opens the hearing. Points out that last overhaul of the system was in the 1990s. We are stuck in a time wrap.

Uses analogy of using a map to navigate while other countries use apps, software etc.

Contrasted to the Canadian system that is built to attract top talent.

Is it any wonder that these skilled workers are moving to Canada?

We cannot rely on domestic talent alone. We welcome talented individuals who want to become Americans like us!

Talks about the high percentage of STEM Master and PhD students who are international students. It makes no sense for them to be educated here and then have to leave the US.

#internationalstudents

@RepZoeLofgren recognizes @RepMcClintock who starts immediately talking about the crisis at the Southern border and uses the "i" word to talk about immigrants at the border.

#nohumanbeingisillegal

@RepMcClintock keeps using the i word. Claims that the market is flooded with low wage labor.

Mentions abuse from H-1B, L-1 & OPT and claims they pay far below market.

@RepMcClintock Claims there are a lot recent US citizen STEM graduates who cannot get an entry-level job.

Would love to see the data that corroborates that.

@RepMcClintock @RepJerryNadler Talks about last time changes made to immigration system was before we had cell phones.

Outlines how hard it is for skilled workers to pursue the American Dream. They are turning to other countries like Canada.

Canada views immigration as an economic driver.

@RepMcClintock @RepJerryNadler Canada's #startupvisa program was inspired by a US bill that never became law!

@RepMcClintock @RepJerryNadler Witnesses are:

Stuart Anderson @NFAPResearch
@Jengrundyyoung @TechCouncils
@RonHira @HowardU
@sudipsparikh @aaas

judiciary.house.gov/calendar/event…

Stuart Anderson @NFAPResearch up first.

Talented students are picking Canada over America. Lots of data to back this up.

Canada has a global skills strategy and can approve ppl in this program for 2 weeks.

308K #H1bvisas filed this year for only 65K reg + 20K Master's.

@NFAPResearch 1.2M open jobs in America in computer-related occupations!

Canada's program from graduating international students is a lot more generous than that in the US.

Canada views immigration as essential for economic growth.

The limit in the US is too low per Stuart Anderson.

Stuart mentions all the immigrants involved in the #COVID vaccines - researchers, scientists at @moderna_tx and @pfizer!

He ends by thanking the immigrants who helped save American lives by developing the vaccine.

@Jengrundyyoung @TechCouncils up next. Talks about key vacancies that are inhibiting growth for these US-based companies.

Core software engineers are in very short supply.

Impossible to overstate the value of them.

@Jengrundyyoung @TechCouncils International students are forced out of the economy by the US immigration system.

Canada has taken a pragmatic and balanced approach - they understand the importance of talent.

Global talent stream. Can hire highly skilled foreign talent very quickly.

@Jengrundyyoung @TechCouncils Jennifer talks about the paper-based US immigration system.

Mentions the #startupvisa process in Canada.

@Jengrundyyoung @TechCouncils Jennifer talks about friends who moved to Canada b/c the path to staying in the US was long and impossible.

US has turned away millions of highly skilled and often US-educated workers.

"This is not an immigration problem, this is a workforce problem."

@Jengrundyyoung @TechCouncils @sudipsparikh @aaas up next.

Opens with his family-based immigration story and his parents' belief in the US.

@Jengrundyyoung @TechCouncils @sudipsparikh @aaas Worried that immigration by scientists and engineers is so tough.

"Of the Nobel Prizes in chemistry, medicine, and physics awarded to Americans since 2000, 38% were awarded to immigrants to the US."

Canada & the United Kingdom & other nations are investing in that key ingredient, human capital.

We have to rise to this global competition.

1. Need to do everything we can to develop home-grown talent.
2. Need to attract best talent from around the world.

Final witness is @RonHira from @HowardU.

Defect is that it has become dominated by a rising number of temporary guest worker programs.

Should set high standard for admission and also have a fast track to permanent residency.

Per @RonHira Claims most guest workers have "ordinary" skills that are available here in the US.

@RonHira @RonHira now talks about OPT & says that OPT and OPT STEM extension is an "entitlement program".

WOW!

Would love his thoughts on my @USATODAY Oped on the benefits of international students & OPT.

usatoday.com/story/opinion/…

@RepJerryNadler ask Stuart Anderson about Canada & foreign students post-graduation.

They have an easy path, post graduate, and after about a year, they can apply for permanent residency.

@RepJerryNadler Stuart Anderson rightly points out that the OPT program was widely misrepresented & studies shows that there is no evidence that it harms US workers at all.

Couldn't agree more.

@RepJerryNadler @sudipsparikh @aaas - science & technology - we need the best talent from all around the world.

@RepJerryNadler @RepJerryNadler asks @Jengrundyyoung
@TechCouncils about her statement that

"This is not an immigration problem, this is a workforce problem."

👆👆👆👆

The focus of this hearing is about skilled worker, top talent, startup immigration & how outdated the US immigration system is.

Not sure why GOP members keep talking about the Southern border.

@RepLouCorrea - this hearing reminds us that America is a land of immigrants.

Talks about it being a workforce problem. Asks if we have a need for workers in this country?

@Jengrundyyoung @TechCouncils talks about the huge need for software engineers.

Now talking about foreign doctors and nurses. We need more doctors, nurses, research & development.

@RepLouCorrea tells us that his wife is a doctor.

Albert Einstein - could he immigrate to the US today?

Food for thought.

@RepLouCorrea @RepLouCorrea asks @RonHira if he would support a $15/hour minimum wage!

And asks if Trump hired foreign workers?!

Brilliant. 👋

@RepTiffany says we are incentivizing people not to work by enhanced unemployment & then we want to bring in foreign workers.

Seems like the words & data from Stuart Anderson @NFAPResearch, @Jengrundyyoung
& @sudipsparikh were not fully heard.

And.... southern border again!

@JacksonLeeTX18 talks about needing to have a fair & humane immigration system.

Recalls the Filipinos community, Irish begging for relief, the Polish over the years.

@JacksonLeeTX18 Rep Jackson Lee asks "What kind of job generators can scientists be?"

@sudipsparikh @aaas - we are at a crossroads for science and technology. There are thousands of examples of technologies that are created by diverse teams.

Stuart Anderson -> talks about his time working under Bush and now how over-subscribed the H-1B system is and how backlogged the green card are.

Stuart Anderson -> Over half of billion dollar startup companies had at least an immigrant founder.

@RepZoeLofgren talks about the @Stanford grad who has been waiting for 9 years to get green card & is giving up on the US & moving to Canada.

@RepZoeLofgren how do we best serve the US? That's what we need to think about when looking at employment based immigration system. Our current system drives the problems we are concerned about.

@RepZoeLofgren Per Chair Lofgren "All of the things we are concerned about can be fixed by Congress."

Asks for examples about how current system stifles scientific growth.

@sudipsparikh @aaas immediately talks about artificial intelligence & huge gap in the US talent

@RepZoeLofgren @sudipsparikh @aaas Final question for Stuart Anderson -> #startupvisa.

My baby!

Stuart says it would be a great addition to the immigration system.

@RepZoeLofgren @sudipsparikh @aaas Per Stuart Anderson, 1 - 3 MILLION more jobs would be created with a #startupvisa!!!!

Mentions @stripe & @Zoom. Their success was despite the current system.

My written statement was officially entered into the record of this hearing!!!

@McEnteeLawGroup

Hearing Adjourned!