|
|
|
ONLINE FEATURES
Book Reviews
BW Video
Columnists
Interactive Gallery
Newsletters
Past Covers
Philanthropy
Podcasts
Special Reports
BLOGS
Auto Beat
Bangalore Tigers
Blogspotting
Brand New Day
Byte of the Apple
Economics Unbound
Eye on Asia
Fine On Media
Green Biz
Hot Property
Investing Insights
Management IQ
NEXT: Innovation
NussbaumOnDesign
Tech Beat
Working Parents
TECHNOLOGY
J.D. Power Ratings
Product Reviews
Tech Stats
Wildstrom: Tech Maven
AUTOS
Home Page
Auto Reviews
Classic Cars
Car Care & Safety
Hybrids
INNOVATION
& DESIGN Home Page Architecture Brand Equity Auto Design Game Room SMALLBIZ Smart Answers Success Stories Today's Tip INVESTING Investing: Europe Annual Reports BW 50 S&P Picks & Pans Stock Screeners Free S&P Stock Report SCOREBOARDS Hot Growth 100 Mutual Funds Info Tech 100 S&P 500 B-SCHOOLS Undergrad Programs MBA Blogs MBA Profiles MBA Rankings Who's Hiring Grads |  |
MAY 1, 2006
Give Me Your Diligent, Your Smart All anyone wants to talk about in Washington is illegal aliens. But lost in the debate is the equally vital issue of how to attract the people America really needs: high-skilled immigrants. From Albert Einstein to Google Inc.'s (GOOG ) Sergey Brin, immigrants have helped drive U.S. innovation. Problem is, well-intentioned security restrictions indiscriminately applied since September 11 have prevented tens of thousands of foreign students and skilled workers from entering. "Right now, we are saying to people, 'Go somewhere else, please,"' says A. Richard Newton, dean of the College of Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Take the case of Goverdhan Mehta. The esteemed professor of organic chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore has traveled to the U.S. many times. But when Mehta, 75, applied for a visa recently, a consular officer in Chennai suspected him of being involved in bioterrorism. Mehta withdrew his application. The U.S. Embassy in February issued a rare apology and offered Mehta a visa, but he declined, humiliated. Clearly, the U.S. needs to send out a more welcoming message. A good start would be to simplify the visa-issuance process. The State Dept. deserves credit for moves such as expanding the duration of security clearances and shortening the time it takes to run a security check. But serious problems remain. It now takes more than five months just to get a visa appointment at a U.S. consulate in Chennai and Bombay. Kevin Schofield, a general manager at Microsoft Corp. (MSFT ), on Apr. 4 testified in Congress that because of wait times and other hurdles, the software giant "must often do without critical members of a team because of visa delays." Congress could facilitate things with a few simple steps. It could eliminate the requirement to interview every person trying to re-enter after they have already been screened for a first visa application. It could create a new visa allowing reputable workers to visit several times, or limit security checks to people and technologies that are deemed the biggest risks. "They are treating everyone like a terrorist," says Elizabeth C. Dickson, an immigration services manager at Ingersoll-Rand Co. (IR ), which regularly brings engineers to the U.S. for training. Another worthy goal: make it easier for those already here to stick around. The Senate immigration bill would take important steps, but it is in limbo. Meanwhile, the House bill focuses on enforcement. Lawmakers could sweep aside individual country quotas on green cards, standardize entry restrictions from country to country, and stop requiring that foreign workers and students prove they intend to return home. In the past, the U.S. could take for granted that it was the destination of choice for bright foreigners. But now there's a global dogfight for talent. The conversation has to turn from how to keep foreigners out, and move toward how to make it easier for people like Goverdhan Mehta to get in.  By Spencer E. Ante
BW MALL
SPONSORED LINKS
Get BusinessWeek directly on your desktop with our RSS feeds.
Buy a link now! Add BusinessWeek news to your Web site with our headline feed. Click to buy an e-print or reprint of a BusinessWeek or BusinessWeek Online story or video. To subscribe online to BusinessWeek magazine, please click here. Learn more, go to the BusinessWeekOnline home page  | | |
 Copyright 2006, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.Terms of Use | Privacy Notice |
Printer-Friendly Version
