The Programmers Guild opposes expansion of the green card program for foreign tech workers, while the Semiconductor Industry Association and IEEE-USA asked Congress to revisit the program.
October 16, 2007 12:00 PM
Although Congress' attempt to overhaul U.S. immigration laws died months ago, new proposals to re-examine the status of foreign-born tech professionals are beginning to splinter American tech lobbying groups that had traditionally been on the same immigration policy page.
In a letter faxed yesterday to Congress and signed by 270 tech professionals, U.S. IT worker advocacy group the Programmers Guild urged high-ranking House and Senate committee leaders to oppose expansion of the green card program or employment-based permanent residency for foreign tech workers.
The letter from the Programmers Guild was a rebuttal to a separate letter sent last week to Congress and signed by the presidents of two other high-profile tech industry groups, the Semiconductor Industry Association and IEEE-USA. That letter urged legislators to make it easier for foreign tech workers to gain permanent residency in the United States, including the creation of a new visa exemption for foreign students with U.S. degrees in science, technology, and math skills to gain direct green card status.
The letter co-signed by the presidents of the SIA and IEEE-USA surprised and angered some tech industry players, including members of the Programmers Guild and some members of the IEEE-USA. That's because traditionally, the IEEE-USA and the Programmers Guild have had similar positions regarding U.S. immigration policies. Both groups opposed raising the annual cap on H-1B visas, which is the most common temporary visa used by U.S. employers to hire foreign tech workers.
By contrast, the SIA has long lobbied to increase the cap on H-1B visas. Although the letter signed by the SIA and IEEE-USA last week did not urge Congress to increase H-1B visas, the IEEE-USA's support for expanding green card programs for foreign techies seemed to catch Programmer Guild members off guard and irk some of them.
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