On Thursday,  3/31/11, a House Immigration Subcommittee hearing underscored the U.S. economy’s reliance on scientists and engineers from abroad. The hearing, entitled “H-1B Visas: Designing a Program to Meet the Needs of the U.S. Economy and U.S. Workers,” was characterized by considerable disagreement among witnesses and subcommittee members as to how the H-1B program for highly skilled foreign professionals should best be structured in terms of wage protections and job portability. But virtually everyone, including Subcommittee Chairman Elton Gallegly (R-24th/CA) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-21st/TX), agreed that foreign-born scientists and engineers, including many who come to the United States on H-1B visas, make critical contributions to the U.S. economy.

CEO’s and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a professional association, had a rare opportunity to make their case on the H-1B program  and up, wrote the House Judiciary Committee to emphasize the value of green cards.

For Tom Brokaw’s report on entrepreneurs leaving Silicon Valley, we link here.

…and for your listening pleasure, here is an animated version of an attorney explaining the PERM Labor Certification program (the 1st step in the green-card process) to a client, entitled When will Kumar get his Greencard? – Enjoy!