Did US Immigration Policies Affect Chicago’s Chance to Host Olympics?

The question raised by NY Times and other media publications is whether current US Immigration policies and US Passport Control played a part in Chicago’s loss to host the US Olympics in 2016.

One of the most difficult question that was posed to the 10 person Chicago bid team, that included President Obama, was by an I.O.C. member from Pakistan who asked what kind of welcome would visitors get when they arrived in the U.S. to attend the Olympic games and he commented that entering the United States can be “a rather harrowing experience”.

Although President Obama in reply said, “one of the legacies I want to see is a reminder that America at its best is open to the world,” it may not have been convincing enough for the I.O.C. team and resulted in Chicago being eliminated in the first round in it’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics.

Do you think the US needs to reform its entry process and passport control procedures so as to make international travellers feel more welcome,  along with having in place a secure system or then do you consider Chicago’s loss a blessing in disguise for the US?

We welcome readers to share their comments and ideas.

Microsoft Chairman: Stricter US Immigration Policies may be an Impediment to Economic Growth

In a speech this week to the Transforming India through Technology conference in New Delhi, India, Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates, suggested that if tougher U.S. immigration laws are implemented it would be a great mistake.

Gates, who has been vocal against tougher immigration laws, urged that a free exchange of talent was important for the US economy and that the US Government should make immigration exceptions for “smart people”.

See article in Computer World

Does Sotomayor’s Nomination Mean Delay on Immigration Reform?

Although this blog entry deviates slightly from our normal immigration related material. Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination is relevant to immigration, to immigration reform, and is a truly inspring American story.

President Barack Obama has tapped federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. If Sotomayor is confirmed she will make history, becoming the first Hispanic and first Hispanic woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Sotomayor has in many ways lived the American dream. She was born to a Puerto Rican family and grew up in a public housing project in the South Bronx.  Sotomayor’s father was a factory worker with a third-grade education, and died when Sotomayor was nine years old. Her mother raised Sotomayor while working as a nurse.

The Latino community strongly supports immigration reform and would like President Obama to make the illegal aliens living in the U.S. legal. Some immigrant advocates fear that Sotomayor’s nomination might be an effort by President Obama to put the more controversial immigration reform on a slow track.

For Sotomayor’s most notable opinions see: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/05/26/us/0526-scotus.html

Study Reveals that Highly-Skilled Foreign Workers have a Positive Impact to the US Economy

A study on “The Budgetary Effects of Highly-Skilled Immigration Reform” released this month by the Technology Policy Institute, based in Washington D.C., finds that admitting highly skilled workers from foreign countries has a positive economic impact to the US economy.

In particular, the paper discusses that the foreign highly-skilled workers contribute significantly towards the federal budget, as they earn more and pay more taxes and are unlikely to receive any federal benefits, such as Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, or other health or income-related benefits.  Highly skilled workers include those particularly in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

The paper finds:

• In the absence of green card and H-1B constraints, roughly 182,000 foreign graduates of U.S. colleges and universities in STEM fields would likely have remained in the United States over the period 2003-2007. They would have earned roughly $13.6 billion in 2008, raised the GDP by that amount, and would have contributed $2.7 to $3.6 billion to the federal treasury.

• In the absence of green card constraints, approximately 300,000 H-1B visa-holders whose temporary work authorizations expired during 2003-2007 would likely have been in the United States labor force in 2008. These workers would have earned roughly $23 billion in 2008, raised the GDP by that amount, and would have contributed $4.5 to $6.2 billion to the federal treasury.

• Similar results are obtained when analyzing legislation considered by Congress during the last few years. For example, under reasonable assumptions, the relaxation of green card constraints proposed in the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 could have increased labor earnings and GDP by approximately $34 billion in the tenth year following enactment and had a net positive effect on the budget of $34 to $47 billion over ten years.

• Relaxation of H-1B caps under the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 could have increased labor earnings and GDP by $60 billion in the tenth year following enactment and improved the federal budget’s bottom line by $64 to $86 billion over ten years.

• The flow of highly skilled immigrants to the United States increases entrepreneurship, economic growth, and productivity.