VISANOW Poses Key Questions For Presidential Candidates On Broken U.S. Immigration System

Consistently throughout U.S. history, immigration has been a divisive topic. Cultural biases, misconceptions, racism and fear continue to influence both opponents and proponents of various immigration policies. The solution requires productive dialogue to identify and address multiple economic, social and political interests. As the presidential election and debates approach, now is the perfect time to consider what questions about the immigration system should be asked of the candidates.

ìU.S. presidential candidates must address the most important issue – that the outdated immigration system no longer reflects the changing needs of the United States,î says Bob Meltzer, CEO of industry-leading immigration solutions provider VISANOW. ìThis situation should prompt many crucial questions for the candidates, as their proposed solutions will have a direct impact on the day-to-day U.S. businesses, families and the economy for years to come.î

Meltzer also provides specific insight on the tough questions surrounding immigration that must be asked of the candidates:

What will you do about the outdated immigration system that no longer reflects national needs?

Will you seek to increase the H-1B cap so that employers can hire tech workers who are in low supply and high demand in the U.S.?

How will today's existing legal system handle the potential influx of immigration applications for the processing of the roughly 12 million foreign nationals working illegally in the U.S.?

What can employers expect in regards to post-legislation enforcement to avoid a possible workforce disruption or penalties for non-compliance?

ìThe current system is based on premises that made sense in the 1950s and even the 1970s but no longer apply in todayís highly competitive global economy,î Meltzer adds.

As an example, according to the National Foundation for American Policy, ìthe reality of the global economy is that employers and their capital will follow the talent – wherever that talent is permitted to work and flourish.î The report notes that as a result, restricting the hiring of highly-skilled foreign nationals actually limits job creation and innovation in the U.S.

Moreover, American companies increasingly find they must go beyond U.S. borders to recruit the talent they need. In a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management and the Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations, human resource professionals in the U.S. reported that shortages of citizens and legal alien-worker candidates with highly scientific and/or technical skills posed their most significant challenge. The largest percentage of respondents from the U.S. – 25% – identified the inability to successfully recruit citizen and legal-resident alien workers with the necessary skills as their primary reason for recruiting and or/hiring foreign national workers.

Comments Meltzer: ìThe U.S. immigration system is so outmoded that it is virtually beyond repair, requiring not just mere updating, but complete rebuilding. To deal with this situation, such difficult questions must be addressed. This is especially true of the immigration systemís inability to meet the needs of U.S. businesses.î

No matter what solutions are ultimately devised, the price of doing nothing is becoming too costly in economic, social, and humanitarian terms. Focused dialogue with the presidential candidates on the most important and overlooked issue – the fact that the U.S. immigration system is outdated and often irrelevant – is the most effective and direct route to productive results.

To learn more, please visit www.visanow.com or contact us as info@visanow.com.