August 18, 2004 - We think that readers may be interested in this timely report from the Immigration Policy Center The full 20 page report is available here..

- Berry Appleman & Leiden, LLP

Immigration Policy IN FOCUS

Maintaining A Competitive Edge:
The Role of the Foreign-Born and U.S. Immigration Policies in Science and Engineering

The IPC's latest IN FOCUS report examines the prominent role of foreign-born scientists and engineers (S&Es) in the science and engineering labor force of corporations, universities, and research centers nationwide. Despite their vital role, long-standing structural flaws in the U.S. visa system and the unintended consequences of security procedures instituted since September 11, 2001, may be causing an increasing number of S&Es to forgo coming to the United States, thereby depriving the nation of a critical supply of human talent. Yet attracting this talent is a key factor in maintaining the nation’s economic competitiveness and preeminence in science.

Among the findings in the report:

• The foreign-born comprised 11.1 percent of the U.S. population as a whole in 2000, but accounted for 16.6 percent of all S&Es in the United States.
  
• Foreign-born S&Es represented 38 percent of all S&Es in the United States with a doctorate and 29 percent of those with a master’s degree in 2000. The foreign-born share of all doctorate holders amounted to 51 percent among engineers and 45 percent among life scientists, physical scientists, and mathematical and computer scientists.
  
• The foreign-born accounted for 42.2 percent of all physical scientists and 38.6 percent of all life scientists in educational & health services in 2000, as well as 26.2 percent of all physical scientists in manufacturing.
  About 33.1 percent of all foreign-born S&Es in the United States in 2000 were from India or China, two of the countries most affected by post-9/11 visa policies.
  
• The number of non-immigrant visas issued by the State Department (which are the primary means by which foreign-born S&Es enter the United States) fell by 35.7 percent From FY 2001 to FY 2002, including declines of 33.7 percent in H-1B visas for highly skilled professionals and 26.5 percent in F-1 student visas.
  
• According to the Government Accountability Office, in 2003 it took an average of 67 days for foreign consulates to receive a response from federal agencies on requests for security checks on visa applicants whose work involved access to technologies designated as “sensitive” to U.S. national security.
  
• Lengthy processing delays often have nothing to do with the amount of time it takes to actually perform a security check on the applicant. Rather, cases get “stuck” or lost at one or more of the many agencies involved in the process, all of which have different databases and computer systems.
  
• The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is dedicated exclusively to the analysis of the economic, social, demographic, fiscal, and other impacts of immigration on the United States. The IPC is a division of the American Immigration Law Foundation, a nonprofit, tax-exempt educational foundation under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code

The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is dedicated exclusively to the analysis of the economic, social, demographic, fiscal, and other impacts of immigration on the United States. The IPC is a division of the American Immigration Law Foundation, a nonprofit, tax-exempt educational foundation under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.