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US Pushes To Keep Entrepreneur Jobs In The Country
Thu, 11/29/2012 - 14:30 — adminBloomberg Business week
November 28, 2012
The Obama administration's top immigration official says his agency is working to attract and keep more foreign-born high-tech entrepreneurs who are seeking to start companies in the U.S., a move he hopes will help the nation retain its edge in an increasingly competitive global economy.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service Director Alejandro Mayorkas acknowledged on Wednesday that his agency "has not been especially nimble" to adapt to fast-paced changes in the business landscape, even though it has been quick to respond to the humanitarian landscape.
That is changing, Mayorka said, since the agency added new training for adjudicators who evaluate business visa applications, including those for H-1B visas — temporary employment visas for specialty occupations — sponsored by startups companies whose profile do not fit that of traditional businesses.
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U.S. Immigration Official Comes To MIT, Vows To 'Adapt To Business Landscape'
Thu, 11/29/2012 - 14:24 — adminBoston Business Journal
November 28, 2012
The director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, Alejandro Mayorkas, acknowledged his agency needs to work much harder to facilitate legal avenues for foreign-born entrepreneurs to stay in the U.S.
Speaking at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mayorkas, a one-time Cuban political refugee, said, “We as an agency have not been especially nimble in adapting to changes in the business space.”
Mayorkas explained that current applications for certain visas, like the H-1B visa for engineers, require business-owner applicants to have at least 25 workers, describe the physical location of the business with a floor layout and to detail the company’s “historic revenue stream."
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Startups Will Gain From GOP's Immigration Pain
Thu, 11/29/2012 - 14:18 — adminCNN Moeny
November 28, 2012
America's venture capitalists have spent the past several years begging Congress to make it easier for foreign-born entrepreneurs to enter the United States. The proposal is called Startup Visa, and finally may be on the verge of becoming law. Not on its merits (which are many), but because of electoral politics.
There have been a few different versions of Startup Visa floated, but the general idea would be to provide immigrant entrepreneurs with a two-year visa if they are able to find a qualified U.S. investor willing to invest a minimum of $100,000 in their startup. To keep the visa past the two years, the new company must have created at least five jobs and either (a) Raised at least $500,000 in additional funding, or (b) Be generating at least $500,000 in annual revenue.
Another provision would provide visas to entrepreneurs who started companies outside the U.S. that generated at least $100,000 in U.S. sales over the past 12 months. For such visas to be renewed after two years, the entrepreneur must have created at least three new U.S. jobs. Finally, startup visas could be extended to immigrant entrepreneurs in the U.S. on unexpired H-1B visas or who have certain types of graduate degrees, so long as they have at least $60,000 in assets (including more than $30,000 in annual income), and have secured at least a $20,000 commitment from a U.S. investor. Such entrepreneurs also would need to create three jobs over a two-year period, and either raise another $100,000 in investment or generate at least $100,000 in revenue.
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STEM Jobs Act Would Help Foreign-Born Innovators Keep Their Talents In U.S.
Thu, 11/29/2012 - 14:13 — adminStar Telegram
November 28, 2012
This week, the U.S. House is expected to vote on a bill to create more visas for foreign-born students in science, technology, engineering and math. For me, and many others, it means the chance to fulfill our American dreams. For Americans, it means the chance to reverse a slow but steady brain drain of innovators.
The STEM Jobs Act, HR 6429, would provide students like me an opportunity to create jobs here in the United States, as opposed to other foreign countries.
I come from a family of Indian scientists and engineers who emphasized the importance of a first-rate education in these fields. This emphasis -- coupled with the rapid influx of U.S. engineering firms into my hometown of Bangalore -- shaped my decision to enroll in an undergraduate engineering program.
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Recognizing The Important Contributions Of Immigrants
Thu, 11/29/2012 - 13:41 — adminThe Hill
November 28, 2012
As is widely known, the United States has the strongest defense program in the world. Our military, Air Force, Navy and space program are unparalleled and our long-standing commitment to scientific and technological innovation in these areas has led to American leadership and success around the world. Crucial to this leading edge are the scientists, engineers, mathematicians and technology specialists (otherwise known as STEM) who work every day to make sure our national security interests are never threatened.
Yet in about five years, this country is projected to face a 230,000-worker shortage in exactly these areas and that number is only set to increase. That is why it is imperative that we begin immigration reform now and expand the visa program for foreign-born STEM students looking to work in this country after graduation.
As a PhD candidate at Ohio State University originally from India, I am one of those students. I came here in 2006 to study aerospace engineering and I have been working on the design of the next generation of aircraft control systems ever since. For the past six years, I’ve been working on projects for the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force and NASA and in fact, those projects have supported my education here in the States. Every day I work towards making these organizations better, stronger and more innovative.
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Obama Administration Wants To Keep Foreign-Born Entrepreneurs In US
Wed, 11/28/2012 - 12:30 — adminCBS DC
November 28, 2012
The Obama administration’s top immigration official is visiting the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to unveil an online resource intended to help entrepreneurs navigate their immigration options.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service Director Alejandro Mayorkas will unveil so-called “Entrepreneur Pathways” on Wednesday.
It is a key product of “Entrepreneurs in Residence” program that brings in business experts from outside government to look for better ways to apply existing immigration laws. The initiative, launched during a meeting with members of Silicon Valley’s startup community in February, seeks to keep foreign-born, high-tech entrepreneurs in the U.S.
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Reform Immigration For Entrepreneurs
Wed, 11/28/2012 - 11:28 — adminMarket Watch
November 28, 2012
If Congress is serious about saving this country’s innovative edge and creating more jobs, it will have to do better on immigration reform than the most recent effort from Republican leaders in the House.
At first glance, the STEM Jobs Act put forth by GOP leaders last week might seem like the fulfillment of a dream long held by Silicon Valley CEOs and tech investors alike. That’s because it boosts the number of visas available to prospective U.S. immigrants with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or math (also known as STEM fields).
Increasing the pool of workers with those types of skills is critical to filling the thousands of tech jobs being created every year by startups and tech companies in San Jose, Calif., Austin, Texas, New York and everywhere in between.
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Bipartisanship Needed On Skilled Immigration Reform
Wed, 11/28/2012 - 11:19 — adminForbes
November 27, 2012
While the prospects for compromise on taxes and spending seem to change from one day to the next, there have been encouraging signs since the election for those seeking meaningful immigration reform. Such reform is essential for a variety of reasons.
As post-election analysts scrutinized the election demographics, one statistic has generated much discussion about the potential for immigration reform – President Obama won more than 70 percent of both the Hispanic vote and the Asian American vote. The stark election results show the extent to which Republicans have alienated Hispanics, the fastest-growing demographic, and all voters who are tired of the immigration reform gridlock. Exit polls showed nearly two-thirds of all voters favor a path to legal status.
And if that were not enough, days after that news, the Pew Hispanic Center released a study saying the Hispanic electorate will likely double by 2020.
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A Start On Immigration
Tue, 11/27/2012 - 11:46 — adminThe Roanoke Times
November 27, 2012
The STEM Jobs Act, scheduled for a vote in the House of Representatives this week, is not a perfect bill. It is, however, an affirmative sign that Congress may finally be ready to address serious immigration reform.
The measure, expected to pass the Republican-controlled chamber, would expand the availability of visas for foreign doctoral and masters graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Many of these bright young men and women studying at American universities are certain to become job creators. The question is whether they will stay in the United States or take their skills and their entrepreneurial aspirations to countries with accessible immigration policies and aggressive recruitment programs.
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Changing Face Of America Increases Urgency For STEM Immigration Reform
Tue, 11/27/2012 - 11:34 — adminThe Hill
November 27, 2012
How to put the nation’s economy on the path for growth and job creation was the central debate in this year’s election. Now that the campaign is over, the public lens remains focused on our economy; but the nation as a whole is also beginning to see a different demographic picture emerge—one that many are calling the New America. According to exit polls, the non-white share of the electorate reached 28 percent, an all-time high. And this changing face of America has prompted the president and congressional leaders to make immigration reform a top priority alongside the economy.
Yet even with this newfound willingness of our lawmakers, comprehensive and bipartisan immigration reform will be a cumbersome and lengthy process. There is, however, an aspect to this complex puzzle on which bipartisan agreement exists and that will immediately create jobs and grow the economy: STEM immigration reform.
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