In some sectors of the U.S. economy, the utilization of foreign-born labor has been driven partly by the rapidly expanding supply of immigrant workers. Just as goods and services cross national borders, worker migration is a natural part of an integrated global economy. The demand for foreign labor, however, goes beyond low-skilled workers. In the U.S. computer industry, there is a great need to recruit more engineers and scientists from abroad. The Information Technology Association of America estimates there are 350,000 high-tech vacancies in this country that could be filled by Ph.D.s from overseas.
Thousands are on the way.
If the bill had failed, the AEA says U.S. companies would have lost the opportunity to hire some of the best engineers and scientists in the world. The H-1B program is a way to hire the best and the brightest. The United States isn't the only country that admits large numbers of foreign workers. Canada also has a liberal immigration policy, and expects to admit 200,000 to 225,000 immigrants this year, about half of them skilled workers. Canada needs qualified workers, and we support family reunification.