Act Now to Persuade Congress to End the H-1B Blackout
Congress will reconvene on November 13 for the post-election, "lame duck" session, but it remains unclear how long members will remain in DC to consider legislation. If Congress opts for an abbreviated lame duck, they could be in session for less than a week, offering a very narrow window for immigration advocates to push for H-1B and employment-based (EB) green card relief. To prepare for this possibility, immigration advocates must act now to mobilize American businesses, hospitals, and universities to demand action from their legislators
Without H-1B visas for U.S. employers to hire teachers, health care workers, scientists, computer professionals, engineers and a myriad of other professionals, the U.S. economy will suffer. Below is a sample letter from the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) that you can modify and sent to your Senators and Representatives. The "me" in the following message refers to Professor Stephen Yale-Loehr whose e-mail address is swy1@cornell.edu
From: [template email: your name here]
Subject: H-1B/EB sign-on letter to Congress: Raise the H-1B cap and
alleviate EB green card backlogs!
bcc: [your clients' email addresses here]
As you know, there are no normal H-1B visa numbers available for the next year, until October 1, 2007. The H-1B visa limit was filled on May 26, 2006, 16 months before the end of the next fiscal year. There are also increasing delays in obtaining employment-based (EB) green cards from some countries.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association is organizing U.S. companies to 'sign on' to a letter that will be sent to each member of Congress urging an increase in the H-1B quota and EB numbers. I urge you to agree to sign that letter, which is pasted in below.
If your company would lend its name to the letter to Congress, chances of raising the H-1B cap back to a more rational level and of obtaining more EB green card numbers would improve. We hope to have 1,000 companies sign the letter. Please reply to me by email to let me know if your company is willing to 'sign on' to the letter below. You don't need to actually sign and send the letter; just tell me you are willing to sign it. Please let me know if you are agreeing to sign on behalf of the headquarters office or your local office.
Only your company name, city and state need appear. Individual responsible persons at a company need not be named.
Thank you in advance for your help on this important issue!
Regards,
[Your name here]
Sign-On Letter:
American Businesses Call for Relief from the H-1B Blackout and Employment-Based Green Card Backlog Crisis
[date]
The Honorable __________
United States Congress
Washington, DC ______
Re: Employment Crisis
Dear Senator/Representative ________:
We are writing to urge Congress to take immediate steps to address the crisis facing American businesses as a result of an H-1B "blackout" and serious employment-based (EB) green card backlogs. Companies seeking access to the best and brightest global talent have been confronted with an unprecedented sixteen-month restriction on access to new H-1B temporary professional employees and multi-year delays in EB green cards for permanent hires.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that the FY 2007 numerical cap limiting the H-1B program for workers was reached on May 26, 2006, four months before the start of the fiscal year. This means that U.S. companies are being denied access to topflight global talent for over 16 months, disrupting-if not destroying-crucial research and development projects in critical industries. It will also retard technological innovation and undermine our ability to create and sustain domestic employment opportunities.
A similar crisis is occurring with EB green cards. Because these visas are distributed equally among all countries, with a quota set for each country, backlogs have resulted for individuals coming from high-demand countries, even when the overall cap has not been reached and regardless of the fact that these high-demand countries are often the only source of individuals capable of filling high-skilled jobs American businesses need. Once the quota is met for nationals of a given country, only those who applied before a set cut-off date are able to get visas. The rest are forced to spend up to seven years waiting, unable to become true stakeholders in our country, putting their lives on hold in the hopes that a green card will eventually become available to them. Not surprisingly, these talented professionals often tire of waiting and leave the U.S. to put their knowledge and skills to use in other countries eager to compete with and surpass the U.S.
Every day that passes without access to these high-skilled workers is a lost opportunity for growth, productivity, and innovation. The undersigned entities thus urge swift Congressional action to provide relief from the H-1B blackout and EB backlogs. If U.S. companies do not gain immediate access to the best and brightest, our competitors on the global stage will continue to advance and America's competitive advantage will decline.
We thank you for your attention in this urgent matter. Sincerely,
[Company name] [City] [State]