In his recent State of the Union address, the President spoke about immigrants coming to America and contributing to the culture. He believes such contributions will attract others to bring more business here, helping to improve the lives of citizens and immigrants alike. A stereotype may exist in Miami of immigrants coming to America to only work those jobs that others don’t want. Yet perhaps the largest impact immigrants are making on American culture is in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) sector.
Recent studies have shown that the STEM industries rely heavily on an immigrant population. In fact, it’s estimated that a quarter of the current tech work force are immigrants. That seems to be supported by the fact that 34 percent of master’s degree holders and 42 percent of science and engineering doctorate holders are also immigrants.
This growing immigrant tech workforce has not been overlooked by the biggest names in the American STEM market. Undocumented immigrants and immigrant families now find tech giants such as Google and Microsoft standing right beside them in the fight for immigration reform. Recognizing the need to keep bringing talent in from overseas, these and other American tech companies have voiced their support for expediting the process for qualified foreign workers to apply for an H1-B visa. They’d also like to see the number of these visas increased, particularly for the STEM sector.
Aside from the STEM industries, many other parts of the American economy rely on an immigrant workforce. Those looking for a path to entrance and eventual permanent residency in the U.S. may find employment immigration to be the easiest way to get there. An immigration attorney may be of great assistance in helping one to apply for an employment visa.
Source: Nearshore Americas “Immigration Reform: Why Tech Companies Drive Demand for H1B Visas” Beni Lopez, Feb. 05, 2014
