House votes to end country limits for skilled workers seeking green cards

[alp227]

Source: AP

The House voted Tuesday to end per-country caps on worker-based immigration visas, a move that should benefit skilled Indian and Chinese residents seeking to stay in the United States and the high-tech companies who hire them.

The legislation, which passed 389-15, was a rare example of bipartisan accord on immigration, an issue that largely has been avoided during the current session of Congress because of the political sensitivities involved.

The measure would eliminate the current law that says employment-based visas to any one country can’t exceed 7 percent of the total number of such visas given out. Instead, permanent residence visas or green cards would be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The bill, said its sponsor, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, “does encourage high-skilled immigrants who were educated in the U.S. to stay and help build our economy rather than using the skills they learned here to aid our competitor nations.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-government/house-bill-ends-country-limits-for-skilled-workers-seeking-visas/2011/11/29/gIQA7BQ99N_story.html

---

Well, Congress seems committed to giving jobs away to legal immigrants! Visa quotas should be tied to the unemployment rate.

Roll Call 860: most of the NAY votes were Republicans, including Dan Burton (IN), Duncan Hunter (San Diego County, CA), Steve King (IA), and Thaddeus McCotter (MI, a presidential candidate). The two Democrats who voted nay were Mike McIntyre (NC-7) and Larry Kissell (NC-8). Ron Paul didn't vote on this.

[OhioChick]

1. "a move that should benefit skilled Indian and Chinese residents"

:wtf:

With Microsoft and Google being on board with this speaks volumes.

What a joke...with unemployment as high as it is!

[treestar]

4. It equalizes them

Since before, they were actually held back more than other countries

See this:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_5572.html

So it would actually end a form of discrimination against them (along with Mexico, Philippines and the other countries with "too many" immigrants).

What does it matter where an immigrant is from? Is it better that a Turk steal your job rather than an Indian?

Either way your job gets stolen.

[ChromeFoundry]

7. So it's always better to discriminate against the citizens?

FUCK THAT!

There are too many highly skilled people unemployed right now.
Once again, this is how the rich get richer.
Wage suppression yields bigger bonuses for C-levels and short-term profits for the investment class. Period.

The 99% are fed up. These peaceful protests are not going to stay peaceful too much longer.

[aquart]

10. Putting you on ignore for that blinding, animated icon.

[ChromeFoundry]

11. That is certainly your right.

:hi:

Just an FYI - Most browsers allow you to turn off animated images.

[Psephos]

21. You can turn avatars and sigs off in your DU prefs.

I did that in my own prefs. Makes for a much smoother, less-distracting forum browsing experience.

[treestar]

17. This has nothing to do with it

If you look at the link, there are more qualified immigrants than there are spaces for them. Legal immigrants.

If you want that system changed, that's a different question.

But a foreigner is a foreigner, why does it matter which foreign country they come from? Only to racists does that matter (too many Chinese so lets put this limit on them and hopefully some more of those immigrants will at least be white - not much danger of the UK reaching the limit for a country).

[ChromeFoundry]

20. That's funny! I never even brought up race.

:shrug:
but, nice try at calling me a racist...the stereotype you continually place on everyone that disagrees with your fantasies.
If you actually read the rules, you see that that is not tolerated here.

How many qualified citizens are out of a job now that additional immigration will only perpetuate?

Oh, that's right...you don't believe there is any wage gap - Oh, employers would never fudge the prevailing wage (ROFLMAO).


...moving along now to converse with others that actually desire to get this country back on track, with a government that works for the people rather than lining the pockets of those which are already full.

[Fool Count]

19. What does it matter? The immigrants from China and India

(and also from other "high immigration" countries) are much more willing to accept lower salaries to come to the US than
their European and South American colleagues. That's why business interests lobbied so hard to remove the country caps.
If it didn't matter, there would be no need to change anything, would it? Obviously, it mattered enough to someone to get
it done in such an expedient and bi-partisan way. And, trust me, it ain't "discrimination" that they were so concerned about.

[ihavenobias]

13. But we don't have enough skilled workers!

;)

[femrap]

15. My headache

just keeps getting worse today.

:banghead:

[ChromeFoundry]

2. "high-skilled" can mean a lot of different things...

This better be limited to Masters degrees and higher in Science and Math - Only... And in areas that offer National certifications for competency (note: IT does not, most engineering does).

Potato picking and call center phone operator is hardly a high-skilled trade.

Time will prove that this will just be another raw deal for the US worker.

[OhioChick]

3. "Congressman Jim Moran said that this bill is very important for the tech sector to grow and expand"

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/nri/visa-and-immigration/us-house-votes-to-end-country-caps-for-work-visas-india-to-benefit/articleshow/10935616.cms?curpg=1

[ChromeFoundry]

5. And the USA circles the drain...

Jim Moran and his insider trading will surely profit from this deal.

[TruthBeTold65]

6. When did Congress become a clown school...

...seriously...it is going to HELP American jobs? These clowns are so completely disconnected from the people it is scary. I think it is time for a "flip-the-congress-person" campaign where we just dump all incumbents. It really cannot be any worse than what is being spewed out of there right now.

[pampango]

8. Looks like the whole Progressive Caucus (including Kucinich and Frank) voted for this.

It's not an increase in immigration, just the removal of the country-by-country restrictions that existed previously.

Of the 13 republicans (compared to only 2 Democrats) that voted against it, 5 are members of the House tea party caucus (a disproportionately high percentage).

[TexasProgresive]

9. So this would include

those highly skilled people who work in concrete, ceramic tile, landscaping and child rearing? No, I didn't think so.

[Texano78704]

12. Alabama and Georgia ...

... have a sudden, immediate need for people who can pick vegetables. Other than that, we should be investing in educating US citizens to meet the needs of US businesses.

I don't have a problem with granting visas to people with extraordinary skills, but don't conflate that with merely being educated.

[robinlynne]

14. great.

[blueclown]

16. I thought DU was for immigration, not against it.

I guess not. Or is that just illegal immigrants?

I just don't understand the uproar over this. I understand that there is a scarcity of jobs in America, but by all accounts, these people are uniquely qualified.

Is there any evidence that this type of immigration undercuts American wages?

[pampango]

18. Most are for legal immigration - at least in contrast to illegal immigration - but

as much as most Americans profess pride in the country's immigrant history, current legal immigrants are often viewed as competition for jobs rather than as assets to the country.

This has almost always been the case. Immigrants from past generations are viewed favorably as building blocks of the diverse, multicultural country we have today. But contemporaneous immigrants have almost always been the subjects of hostility.

[fasttense]

22. In the middle of the 2nd RepubliCON Great Depression

our genius congress decides to allow in more immigrants to take the few remaining jobs we have here in the US.

I know Bill Gates was pushing for this so he wouldn't have to pay his software engineers so much.

That's our Congress - destroying America one job at a time.