A recent Science article highlights the impact increasing the number of H1-B visas could have on US scientists. Companies such as Google, Microsoft, and more recently Genentech have advocated for increasing the H1-B visa cap. Bill Gates has proposed that the cap be abolished. Increasing the cap is, of course, in the corporation’s best interests as such action will increase the prospective employment pool, and likely depress wages.

I don’t have a problem with companies lobbying for increases in the H1-B visa cap (that currently stands at 65,000.) Incredibly, the cap was reached on the very first day that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began accepting visa applications for 2007. I do take issue with corporations justifying a cap increase by claiming there is a “scientist shortage”. I can’t comment on engineering and IT fields, but there is certainly not a labor shortage in biomedicine as institutions around the country are saturated with scientists (mostly in the form of postdoctoral fellows) searching for gainful employment. Perhaps these corporations are really saying that there is a talented scientist shortage, and if that is the case action must be taken to amend the situation.

Avoiding competition by limiting the number of H1-B visas is not the answer. Talented scientists and engineers will take their skills somewhere and the US loses a competitive advantage by turning them away. The visa cap should not be abolished as Gates suggests. but a sustainable number should be identified. It is obvious to me as a graduate student that major systemic changes must be made to the current structure to make scientific training more desirable. I will abstain from pontificating on the numerous problems with graduate training at this time (perhaps I’ll address these issues in future posts!) Obtaining a PhD is far too lengthy and arduous to be greeted by a saturated job market and low wages. However, severely limiting foreign competition (in the form of foreign talent) is not the solution…systemic changes to increase US competitiveness is.