Zuckerberg Lobbies For More Liberal Immigration Policies

An anonymous reader writes "Mark Zuckerberg, along with other notables such as Google's Eric Schmidt, Yahoo's Marissa Mayer and Reid Hoffman, co-founder of Linkedin, has launched a new immigration reform lobbying group called FWD.us. In an editorial in the Washington Post, Zuckerberg claims that immigrants are the key to a future knowledge-based economy in a United States which currently has 'a strange immigration policy for a nation of immigrants.' As expected, they are calling for more of the controversial H-1B visas which reached their maximum limit in less than a week this year, but those aren't the only things they're looking to change."

Comments

Indigenous vs. Immigrants?

[briancox2]

Perhaps Zuckerberg could explain what the indienous population of the US is not capable of knowing that immigrants know. If this is the "key to a future knowledge-based economy", what is it I cannot know as a US citizen that you need, Mr Zuckerberg?

Re:Indigenous vs. Immigrants?

[JDG1980]

Americans generally do not want to do STEM degrees, which many other cultures value more highly than we do.

But which came first, the chicken or the egg?

It's hardly surprising that most Americans aren't interested in STEM degrees when these jobs are constantly under attack by H-1Bs and offshoring. Whenever businesses bitch about wages going up in STEM, the government steps in to bring in more indentured guest workers. In contrast, medical school graduation has remained constant since the 1980s at about 16,000 a year, and physician wages have consequently remained very high and continued to outpace inflation. Given the choice, why should an intelligent young person in America select STEM over medicine or business? Somehow the central tenets of our capitalist religion – like the notion that you get more of what you incentivize – seem to be forgotten with all this BS about "worker shortages".

Re:Indigenous vs. Immigrants?

[Bill_the_Engineer]

I can't help but notice that you're attacking a technical field of which you don't seem to be a member. It's pretty noble of you to sell out that job sector because you seem to have chosen an engineering field with less demand. It is quite apparent that you are envious of their demand. You'd think that when demand outstrips supply that the wages should actually increase. It would be a worker's market. The corporations are undercutting that market by importing cheap labor.

Also if it was true that your 8-year old could perform the same job then you'd think these same corporations would lower the educational requirements and pay them a much lower salary appropriate for their low-skill position. Of course, we all know this isn't the case. The corporations are asking for "highly skilled" labor with educational requirements therefore they should pay market price for that labor especially to makeup the out-of-pocket investment that the worker made when he or she took the risk in seeking an education without a guarantee of a job.

Anyway I don't think the salaries being asked for are too out-of-line. These corporations are asking for more H-1Bs so they can take advantage advantage of cheaper education subsidized by foreign nations.

I find it telling that you would sell out your own country because of some professional jealousy.

education

[schneidafunk]

I guess they've given up on the American education system when making this statement: "Immigrants are the future of a knowledge based society"

Immigration

[Stargoat]

My sister-in-law has been living in the United States for the past six years. She has a pair of masters in Mathematics and Economics and after graduation 2 years ago a good job, making about 50k a year. Yet she stands a decent chance of deportation because she is now in a lotto for the H1B. Why exactly are we kicking out people with masters degrees and good jobs?

This is insanity. She had a good portion of her schooling supplemented by the US Government. She is now paying taxes and is a law-abiding citizen. So they kick her out. Insanity.

How about we start by giving every masters' degree candidate an H1B and go from there? Rather than the inane 20000 then 65000 pool that exists today. Utterly inane.

Re:Immigration

[AK Marc]

And it amazes me that in a country that claims so much meritocracy bases so much on where someone was born. Why does it matter so much where someone was born? That's what doesn't make sense.

Re:Ban H1B; Greencards instead

[Anonymous Coward]

If these people are truly needed in the United States, then get rid of H1B indentured servitude. H1Bs may only work for the company that brings them here and that company is free to threaten them - "we'll send you back" type stuff.

If they are really needed as much as they are portrayed (I honestly have no idea), then let them have a green card so that they can go to other businesses within the border.

If that happened, then their prices would come up and - gasp - they'd no longer be needed.

Re:FWD.us?

[gutnor]

Facebook is big enough to have branches where they want. They can get their slave anywhere in the world, having them in the US to pay taxes is certainly a better option.

Re:FWD.us?

[MickyTheIdiot]

What bullshit. "Protectionist" my ass.

The U.S. is the ONLY economy in the world where government *doesn't* work to make sure that their own citizens are first in line for jobs. Just try to emigrate to the U.K. Try to emigrate to Canada.

Somehow we have a majority of people that are willing to parrot the corporate position on issues. Protecting your citizen's job first is not "protectionism," it's doing what the god damned government is SUPPOSED to do.

Why not move Facebook

[future assassin]

to India/Asia? You get all the workers you want locally.

Re:FWD.us?

[Anonymous Coward]

As someone living in the US on an H4 (spouse of an H1-B), I call bullshit. Have you ever been through the process of getting an H1-B?

The company had to post the job opening in at least 3 different places (local newspaper, job search site and a 3rd I can't remember) for 3 months and justify why the US applicants that replied where not suited for the job. After that, they had to file a Labor Condition Application that states the H1-B will receive the same average wage for the area of work as a US resident doing the same job, and that they will give to the H1-B exactly the same benefits as they're giving their US residents workers. The purpose of this is to guarantee that by hiring an H1-B they are not lowering the US residents standards.

It costs MORE time and money (at a minimum they have filing fees and attorney's fees) for a company to get an H1-B than it costs to get a US resident. Not that I find that wrong, mind you, it's just that saying the US isn't protectionist is a big fat lie.

Sorry but I have been in the hiring managers position and told by corporate that they wanted H1Bs 'cuase they were cheaper, could not run off to a better paying job, and could be shorted on benefits. The trick is to write the ad and have some 'hook' in it so that you can turn down a qualified citizen or have a way in the interview process to 'receive the impression' the citizen would not be a team play, over/under qualified, or not just a good fit. If the H1B worker stays for even half the time of their visa, it is cheaper to hire them. I quit when I was told my staff cost was too expensive even though they were the most productive compared to other sections that where almost all H1B staffed.