America has succeeded only because it is agile in character and spirit. We are a country of creators and the best asset we possess is our desire to keep moving forward.
This is not to say that we are born with more skill, passion and aspiration than the rest of the world. In fact, our ability to be global trailblazers is linked to our ability to attract innovators from across the globe. America is a state made up of immigrants.
If one were to go back far enough into every American family’s life, he would find a person who was unwelcome or unsatisfied in his home country. He would find a person that came to America, not because the country was inherently good, but because when every other country turned its back on her, America welcomed her.
In America, she would certainly face hardships. However, she knew that the harder that she worked, the better her life would be. This is the immigrant ethos, and it is the reason for the prevalence of the United States.
Today, we are looking at a new world with new technology. We have changed and so has the world. Nevertheless, our ability to achieve greatness still relies on our ability to attract hardworking immigrants.
Unfortunately, immigration policy in America is fundamentally broken. The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act made family unification the primary goal of US immigration policy. As per the Act, two-thirds of the people who received permanent residence — also known as a green card — were sponsored by their American family members. Only 20 percent of green cards were given on the basis of work and high levels of skill. These proportions should be reversed.
A foreigner who is educated, skilled and committed to innovation deserves to be an American. To deny him because he does not have family here is categorically immoral. He is denied entrance to America while the cousin of a citizen is welcomed regardless of his skill level or ability to contribute to society. This is the face of American immigration today.
Nepotism is an inappropriate justification for giving a person legal residency. This is especially the case when one turns away a person who has proven a desire to work for his legal residency.
There are also economic reasons as to why two-thirds of green cards should be given to high skilled workers.
The future of the world economy is directly linked to advancement in the sciences and mathematics. In this computer age, technological advancement has led to a substantial roll back of low-skill, blue collar jobs and an emphasis on high-skill, developmental ones.
For America in particular, this trend has been notable. Our manufacturing sector simply cannot compete with a country like China where firms can produce faster and cheaper than here. Luckily America has led the way in the development of technology and science from computers to pharmaceuticals.
Our position as the global leader in innovation is no longer secure. In addition to the fact that the rest of the world is getting smarter and more competitive, American students are getting dumber.
The PISA examinations evaluate world performance in education. Americans ranked 24th in science and 30th in math. Essentially all of East Asia, Western Europe, New Zealand and Australia are ranked higher than us. Our students are just not good enough. And the only way to keep America ahead is to bring in talent from around the world to augment our work force in engineering and the sciences.
Given the state of American education, more highly skilled workers are necessary for a sensible immigration policy.
Implementing this policy will be very easy. In contrast to lower schooling, American higher education is the best in the world. The best students from around the globe compete aggressively to earn a seat at these universities.
These students speak English, are in tune with American culture and many of them would love to stay here. Unfortunately, once they are done with their education, they are forced to go home because their student visas expire. This means that we are attracting and training the best minds in the world, and when they are done, we kick them out.
Many firms are eager to fill jobs with well trained foreign workers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In 2008 and 2009, the US tripled the number of short term visas for new foreign employees of US companies in high skilled jobs. Those visas were filled almost immediately.
Clearly companies have a demand for high;y skilled workers. In fact, some companies have had to leave the US and go to countries with laxer immigration policies like Canada, England and South Korea. This trend cannot continue.
Something even more troubling is the shortage of health workers in this country. America has a major shortage of doctors and nurses.
This is especially a problem in rural areas, where people are vastly underserved. In order for the Obama healthcare bill to work, there needs to be a substantial increase in the number of primary care doctors. In spite of this reality, hospitals have to turn away foreign doctors even if they have American board certification because of a shortage in the number of visas available.
We also need fresh entrepreneurs in America. Start-up companies are truly the engine of growth. They create new jobs and profit their home country by facilitating capital inflows.
Innovation is fueled by talented and well-educated people.
The more of these people we have, the better off we are. One need not look further than companies like Sun Microsystems, Google, Yahoo and Facebook. Each of these companies revolutionized their field. And each of them had at least one founder that was originally a foreigner.
These points underscore a critical difference between focusing on highly skilled workers as opposed to people with familial connections. When people are let in on the basis of familial connections, they are let in regardless of whether they will be an economic asset to America. When skilled workers are let in, the number one focus is their ability to advance America.
When the proportions of the 1965 Immigration Act are reversed, the government will be better able to target the sectors with the greatest economic need. This will make immigration much more efficient.
It is hard to doubt America because America is a reflection of the best individuals from around the world. As long as our government does not forget this reality, we are in good shape. Thus, it is crucial that we spend time calling and writing our congresspersons and urging them to change the Immigration Act of 1965.
For the sake of our values and prospects of success, we must change immigration now.
