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Dear Colleagues:
Over the last three years, the University of California, Irvine and the Merage Foundation for the American Dream have tried to keep you up-to-date on the governmental policies affecting the ability of foreign students to study science and engineering in the U.S. and the capacity of foreign scientists and engineers to work in the U.S.
We are sending you this brief news summary of what the two major candidates for president, John McCain and Barack Obama and their respective party platforms say about both issues. While there are nuanced differences among the party platforms, both candidates for president seem to support policies that would extend the welcome mat for increased numbers of foreign students as well as scientists and engineers. Since the issues involved are critical to the economy of the U.S., we hope that you, the reader, will continue to be interested in their resolution.
A special thanks to Stuart Anderson, head of the National Foundation for American Policy, “our man in Washington,” for providing key narrative support to develop this brief summary. We welcome your feedback.
- --Paul Merage, Founder and President, Merage Foundations
- --Michael Gottfredson, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, UC Irvine
- --Marshall Kaplan, Executive Director, Merage Foundations
The Major Presidential Candidates and their Party Platforms on the Immigration of Highly Skilled People
Many commentators predicted immigration would be a major issue in the 2008 Presidential Election. However the candidates have rarely addressed immigration on the campaign trail, nor have journalists asked many questions on the topic.
Unlike taxes, energy, Iraq, and health care, John McCain and Barack Obama essentially agree on the immigration of highly skilled people, though their party’s platforms differ regarding immigration in general.
What the Candidates Have Said on the Immigration of Highly Skilled People
H-1B visas are temporary visas, generally good for up to 6 years, and are important as often the only realistic way for employers to hire skilled foreign nationals from U.S. universities or overseas. Waits for green cards (for permanent residence) are 6 to 10 years, making direct hiring of H-1Bs impractical. However H-1B visas have often been in short supply, with all of the visas for the past 5 fiscal years usually being used up before each fiscal year even began.
John McCain has voted for H-1B visa increases in the past. In an August 30, 2007 speech, Senator McCain said:
...One of our greatest sources of talent and brains in this nation came from people from all over the world, who studied here, and decided that they wanted to stay and work here. … [W]e … have to fix this H-1B problem, and we have to make it a lot easier for students from all over the world to come and study at the finest institutions in the world.
In an August 2008 policy statement, Senator McCain reiterated his support for the immigration of highly skilled people.
Barack Obama has also supported the immigration of highly skilled individuals. In a November 26, 2007 speech, Senator Obama said, “I support comprehensive immigration reform that includes improvement in our visa programs, including our legal permanent resident visa programs and temporary programs including the H-1B program, to attract some of the world’s most talented people to America.”
The official Obama-Biden website elaborates on Senator Obama’s position. The website states:
...We do not want to shut our doors to innovators from overseas, who have traditionally helped make America strong. Barack Obama supports comprehensive immigration reform that includes improvement in our visa programs, including our legal permanent resident visa programs and temporary programs including the H-1B program, to attract some of the world’s most talented people to America. We should allow immigrants who earn their degrees in the U.S. to stay, work, and become Americans over time. And we should examine our ability to increase the number of permanent visas we issue to foreign skilled workers …
What the Major Party Platforms Say on the Immigration of Highly Skilled People
Party platforms are not binding on elected officials. However the language in platforms tends to reflect a rough consensus within a political party.
Both the major platforms support H-1B visas; however they may differ on immigration in general.
The Democratic Party platform does not specifically mention H-1B visas or the immigration of highly skilled people, but includes the following passage seemingly supportive of the objectives of the H-1B program:
Given the importance of both keeping families together and supporting American businesses, we will increase the number of immigration visas for family members of people living here and for immigrants who meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill, as long as appropriate labor market protections and standards are in place.
The Republican Party platform also appears to support H-1B visas. The language that mentions H-1B visas is not actually in the immigration section but in another section on technology and innovation. That section includes this passage:
Making the best talent part of our team is the rationale for the H-1B visa program, which needs updating to reflect our need for more leaders in science and technology while we take the necessary steps to create more of them in our own school systems. By complementing the U.S. work force with needed specialists from abroad, we can make sure American companies and their jobs remain here at home.
Analysis
The issues facing the next president on the immigration of highly skilled people remain important to the country’s future. NAFSA, which represents international student and study abroad programs at U.S. universities and colleges, said in a response for a statement: “NAFSA urges the next president to restore America’s status as a magnet for the world’s future leaders and innovators by leading the country to a better balance between security and control, and by establishing visa and immigration policies that attract, rather than deter, the talented international students, scholars, and skilled workers needed to fuel U.S. economic competitiveness and innovation in the future.”
Business groups believe that both John McCain and Barack Obama will be supportive of the immigration of highly skilled people. Robert Hoffman, Vice President for Government and Public Affairs at Oracle and Co-Chair of Compete America, a coalition of U.S. companies and major trade associations, responded in a statement:
Both Senators John McCain and Barack Obama have expressed support for comprehensive reform of the broken and outdated temporary and permanent visa system for highly educated foreign professionals – a system that continues to penalize U.S. employers and the economy. Both candidates voted for comprehensive immigration reform in 2005, which included the kinds of skilled visa reforms that would benefit our economy, and encourage top talent from around the world to live, work, innovate and create jobs in America. Given this level of support, we’ll be looking for the next President to lead a bipartisan effort to enact specific reform plans that will fuel our innovation economy, including fixing the broken temporary H-1B visa program, and the employment-based green card system.
There remain nuances in the approaches of both parties and candidates concerning the immigration of highly skilled people. But the signs look favorable for presidential support for reform of the H-1B system and increased support of visas for highly educated foreign professionals.
For more information, see the party platforms’ language on immigration:
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