THE STATE OF STATE IMMIGRATION LAWS

According to the Associated Press:  “State lawmakers around the country are proposing hundreds of bills this year aimed at curbing illegal immigration, but experts say the cost and public opposition will keep many from becoming law.”

Immigration is a federal issue that needs to be resolved by the Federal government.  We are the United States and if each State were to enact its own immigration laws, we will end up being a schitzophrenic nation when it comes to our immigration policies.  Some states welcoming the undocumented, some remaining neutral, and others repelling the undocumented with strict anti-immigrant measures.

The immigration problems we face need to be resolved in a comprehensive manner by the Federal government.  Not piece-meal by individual states.  Congress will hopefully address the issue in 2009 and finally pass a version of Comprehensive Immigration Reform that will revamp our immigration system in a manner that is practical and in the best interest of this country.   

Author: Bradley Maged

I'm Brad Maged, an immigration lawyer in Boston, Massachusetts. I help people who want to live and work in the United States and companies that wish to employ them. This blog provides opinion and information on developments in immigration law. Thanks for reading!

2 thoughts on “THE STATE OF STATE IMMIGRATION LAWS”

  1. Thanks for the comment and the interesting article. I heard about these outsourcing companies and I do agree that it’s unfair given the limited number of visas that these two companies should have such a large percentage of approved H-1B’s. This is something Congress would have to address.

    I have also heard the argument that H-1B workers take jobs from Americans. The only question I have regarding this statement is why a company would go through the effort and expense of hiring a foreign worker if they could find an American worker to do the job as well? My experience has been that most H-1B workers for whom we have done visas are paid very well and their employers usually end up sponsoring them for permanent residence. Moreover, the employers are required to pay H-1B workers the prevailing wage and no such requirement exists for US workers. Therefore, in addition to their salaries, if one counts the legal and filing fees for two H-1B’s and a green card through completion, you’re looking at an additional $18,000 to $20,000 in expense for the company that chooses to hire a foreign worker. This does not include dependents. Why go through all of this hassle and expense if there are plentiful US workers available? It just doesn’t make good business sense.

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