Better yet
Hi KRSN,
I agree with the points of view you expressed in your message, and I would take it one step further... If any kind of lobbying should be done, it should be to completely overhaul the Labor Certification process. It just doesn\'t seem logical to me that an employer should be required by DOL to hire a barely qualified candidate over a better qualified one just because of citizenship status. It just goes against normal and reasonable business practice, especially in a global economy. It is understandable that they want to protect the job security of US workers, but the current process doesn\'t ensure that. I suggest they focus on: work conditions, wages offered, and duties for the job, instead of availability of workers for the position. If the employer has legitimate reasons to prefer a foreign-born professional over a US-born one, it should be his/her decision and not the goverment\'s. Furthermore, what they don\'t realize is that, when you allow for foreign professionals to come to this country to work, they are stimulating the economy because:
a) The goverment didn\'t invest any resources in the education of this workforce.
b) Professionals are not blue-collar workers, therefore, they usually have high-purchasing power, which in turn results in increase in the demand of goods and services, which boosts the economy. This is an added benefit you can\'t be sure to obtain with other kinds of immigration.
c) Professionals are the least likely of all immigrants to be a burden for the government. We have health insurance, retirement plans, savings, etc. and that means we won\'t be living out of social security.
d) Our talents and skills make our employers more productive. This results in an increase of economic activity, which creates additional jobs for everybody.
Forcing an employer to hire somebody based on citizenship status just seems wrong and contradictory to the "non-discrimination" policy they are supposed to have. The best qualified person, to the eyes of the employer, who is the ultimate beneficiary, should be the person who gets the job. The Department of Labor should intervene only to make sure the employer is not taking advantage of the employee against normal business practices, not to determine selection criteria.
I also think there should be a straight-forward process to get the certification in cases where the employee has been working for the employer as an H1B worker, and the employer is so satisfied with his/her performance that he\'s willing to do the GC process on his/her behalf. Does the government take into account the cost, in terms of time and resources that it represents to the employer, to allow a new employee become familiar with the procedures and the company overall? I don\'t think increasing costs is what you look for in a slowing economy.
Anyway, I\'m pretty sure most of you share these points of view, but I just wanted to be vocal and express them, hopint that someone with initiative will read them and take them to the next step. I, for one, will be doing lobbying at my level.
Good luck folks, and hang in there, sooner or later, all of this ordeal will be over.
