Saturday, June 28, 2008

H-1B Geographic Loopholes

There appears to be a precedent for the Rust Belt High-Skill Immigration Zone:

Guam has received an H-1B exemption to ensure that enough workers will be available to prepare the island for 8,000 Marines being transferred from Okinawa, writes Computerworld blogger Patrick Thibodeau. The exemption is included in the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, approved last month by President Bush. It will expire at the end of 2014.

Rust Belt cities, such as Pittsburgh, already understand how the liberalization of immigration law could benefit them. I'm skeptical that a sweeping cap increase would help, but a geographically targeted approach akin to the EB-5 visa program looks like a winner. Obama and McCain should take note.

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