After the Great Recession, the study said, the U.S. tech industry would have grown substantially faster, adding over 230,000 jobs for U.S.-born workers, if so many H-1B applications had not been denied.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is pushing for major reforms. Last month, it called for doubling the annual cap on H-1B and H-2B visas, eliminating per-country caps on green cards and other immigration changes.
“An immigration system that functions well and meets the economic needs of the United States would go a significant way to addressing workforce shortages,” said Jon Baselice, vice president of immigration policy for the U.S. Chamber.
Last month, he took his son on a trip to Pittsburgh, and the hotel was only halfway open because it couldn’t get enough help to keep the rooms clean, he said.
“The night manager said, ‘We’re just happy we could finally serve breakfast again,’” Baselice said.
The chamber said it would lobby hard for reforms, but Washington may not be receptive, said Gelatt of the Migration Policy Institute. Leaders are fixated on the border, refugees and the status of “Dreamers” — immigrants brought here as children.
The program protecting Dreamers was unlawfully constructed, a federal judge in Texas said last week, creating another potential crisis.
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Originally Appeared Here