< back
DOUBTS ARISE OVER HIGH-TECH INDUSTRY CALLS FOR INCREASED GREEN CARDS
A few weeks ago we reported on a letter sent to Congress, signed by many leaders in high-tech fields, calling for an increase in the number of green cards issued to foreign employees each year.  While at first glance it would seem that this suggestion would be met with widespread approval from the pro-immigration community, many have pointed out that the plan proposed has some serious flaws, and may be no more than an effort to thwart the H-1B visa program. 
If enacted, the proposal would allow foreign workers to enter the US on a conditional green card rather than a temporary visa, most often an H-1B visa.  Workers would be allowed to engage in any activity allowed permanent residents, including changing jobs.  As appealing as the proposal is, many view it with suspicion because of one of its primary backers is the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE).  IEEE has a long history of opposition to the H-1B program, which has led many immigration advocates to wonder why IEEE would now support liberalized immigration.
IEEE has consistently maintained that the high-tech worker shortage is greatly exaggerated, and advocates increased training and education of US workers to fill any job vacancies that do exist.  The historical positions of the IEEE have led many to suspect that the true motive behind the letter is opposition to current legislation that would increase the H-1B cap.  The IEEE denies that it is anti-immigration.
Another area of concern for advocates, that has made them suspicious of the intent of the letter, is the proposal’s author, Paul Donnelly.  Donnelly recently organized a group called the Immigration Reform Coalition, but may be better known to those who follow immigration for his position in the US Commission for Immigration Reform, which did much of the work leading to the passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act in 1996.  Donnelly has also been associated with anti-immigration groups such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform and the Center for Immigration Studies. 
Those who have questioned the motives of Donnelly and the IEEE have generally not questioned the motives of others who signed the letter.  And regardless of the ultimate goals of those behind the letter, the proposal is likely to go nowhere.  According to a staffer on the House Immigration Subcommittee, “no one is taking this (the letter) very seriously."