Why It's Getting Harder to Hire Foreign Workers

By Nick Leiber, Bloomberg Businessweek

Maureen Torrey, the 11th-generation owner of a vegetable farm in upstate New York, doesn't have much in common with Atul Jain, the New Delhi-born founder of 14-year-old Global Software Solutions, an IT consulting firm outside Washington, D.C. Yet both say they're suffering from an increase in government obstacles to hiring foreigners. "We're in a crisis situation as we see no action by Washington," says Torrey, 58, who recently cut back the land she plants by more than 10 percent, to 6,700 acres.

For years both companies have hired foreigners on temporary visas because they say they can't find Americans with the skills they need. Now they're struggling because it's getting harder to obtain visas for potential employees. Torrey Farms has lost money for the past two years because Torrey says she can't bring in enough workers to tend her crops. Jain says sales will be flat this year and he may have to send work overseas. "We let opportunities go, our workforce shrank, and our profit and revenue have gone down," says Jain, 44, who can't find Americans with tech skills and the desire to spend months at far-flung job sites.

Link.

Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) Criticizes Obama Administration's decision to classify Arizona's immigration law, SB 1070, as a "human rights abuse"

Listening Session with the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO)

The USCIS Office of Public Engagement invites you to a listening session with the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 1:00pm (Eastern). Perry Rhew, Chief of the AAO, will discuss the precedent decision process and current AAO case processing. We are also interested in hearing your feedback regarding the AAO and the appeal process during this session.

Please also be sure to visit the AAO webpage at: www.uscis.gov/aao.

Link.

Customs and Border Protection on Waivers of Inadmissibility

Depending on the reason for your inadmissibility into the United States, and if you are a class of nonimmigrant where a visa is not required, e.g., most citizens of Canada, or you are a nonimmigrant with appropriate documents who subsequently becomes inadmissible, you may be eligible to apply in advance of your travel directly to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for a temporary waiver of inadmissibility. The waiver application process can be lengthy (up to a year) and there is a cost of US $545.00 per application regardless of the decision on the application.

CBP, Aug. 24, 2010.

Link.

Seven Myths That Cloud Immigration Debate

By Darrell M. West, Vice President and Director of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, and author of the new book, Brain Gain: Rethinking U.S. Immigration Policy, via USA Today.

The United States is shockingly irrational in the way it handles immigration. Unlike other nations that strategically use immigration to pursue national goals, we lurch from concerns about border security to illegal immigrants to drugs and crime without considering our long-term political and economic priorities.

One of the chief sources of irrationality is the myths that have arisen about immigrants and immigration policy. Befitting a subject that is politically charged, here's where ordinary Americans and policymakers often get it wrong:

Link to the seven myths.