‘Talent shortage is a big obstacle to economic growth’

U.S. Senator Thomas Tillis said on Wednesday all international students who complete an advanced degree in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in the country should be given permanent residency in America. The Republican from North Carolina was supported by his Senate colleague from the State, Richard Burr, while speaking at an event organised by the U.S.-India Friendship Council (USIFC) and the U.S India Business Council (USIBC).

The proposal for ‘staple green card’ for STEM graduates has been around for a while, but in the context of President Donald Trump’s move to make immigration increasingly ‘merit-based’, it has gained new traction. “There have been bipartisan bills introduced in the past on this... The time for this idea has come,” USIFC president Swadesh Chatterjee said. There are 1,32,888 Indian students in the U.S., second only to the Chinese. About 80% of them are STEM students.

“Anyone who completes an advanced degree in areas that we need talent in, whether they are from India or China... their diplomas must come with a green card. We will create American jobs when we do this right. The single biggest obstacle to American economy is the shortage of STEM talent. This gap has slowed down the biggest innovative nation in the history of mankind. For the U.S. to continue to be the leader of research and innovation, we need more talent,” Mr. Tillis said, adding that he would work with other lawmakers to push for this.

He said, like all other lawmakers, he wanted Americans to get the first opportunity, but there weren’t enough of them to take up such jobs.

“It is a myth that Indian workers are paid less. Till such time that the U.S. produces a continuous supply of home-grown talent, I want U.S. visa programmes that support people from abroad come into the country,” the Senator said.

These senators and several other lawmakers present at the event said America needs more skilled workers and India was in a position to supply these skills. Ted Yoho, Representative from Texas, said India-U.S. ties were beneficial to both countries and U.S. immigration laws must account for this. “I have several people in my district who have been successful but are unable to get a permanent residency. They tell me they would no longer invest in the country and that is bad for America.”

Indian American representative from Silicon Valley Ro Khanna said he supported immigration of the “best and the brightest” to America, but all proposals would have to be considered from the perspective of how they affect the American workers and middle class. “H-IB programme has been misused, and measures must be taken to stop that,” he said.

H-1 B window

Meanwhile, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it would start accepting applications for H-1B visas on April 3. The base application fee for this year has been raised to $460 from $325 and petitioners no longer have 14 days to correct a dishonoured payment.

“If any fee payments are not honoured by the bank or financial institution, the USCIS will reject the entire H-1B petition without the option for the petitioner to correct it,” the agency said in a statement.

In a rule that applies mostly to Indian companies, there is an additional $4,000 fee for each H-1B petition. It is also unclear whether the USICS has any plan to replace the existing system of lottery to select the 85,000 beneficiaries from at least three times more applicants.