We have previously talked about how some of New Jersey's top graduates in science, technology, engineerig and mathematics are being driven out of the country because of a complex and difficult immigration system. There are some moves to change how these employment-based immigrant visas are issued, especially to American-trained graduates. After all, the state and federal governments both pay a lot to educate some of these top performers, wouldn't it make sense to keep them in New Jersey?
There are some, however, who point to a Congressional Budget Office study and argue that the wages for some Americans in highly skilled positions may fall with an increase in foreign-born workers. While most of the mid-level positions will see an increase in wages, there are some who are concerned that immigrants are taking positions away from Americans.
As the Senate debates its immigration bill, however, senators largely ignored a debate on whether immigrants compete for jobs with American citizens. Most of the debate focused on issues of giving legal status to immigrants living in the U.S. without it. Others have accused the Senate of being "out of touch with teh realities of the U.S. labor market." Whether this is true or not, a decision by Congress could be either positive or negative to those in Princeton Junction who are looking for employment visas.
Under the current immigration system, there are protections in place for American citizens. An employer must first look for an American citizen to fill a position before it will be offered to an immigrant without a work permit.
Source: The Washington Times, "Immigrants account for all job gains since 2000: native-born workers' employment has fallen," Stephen Dinan, July 3, 2013
