【波士顿双语网讯】据环球网援引《今日美国》5月6日报道，应美国高新技术企业及大学等方面要求，奥巴马政府拟放宽移民限制，以吸引拥有高技能的移民。对此，反对者指责称，目前美国已有近千万人失业，而放宽移民限制将使情况进一步恶化。
上图：奥巴马总统5月2日在白宫同亚太裔政治、宗教领袖就移民改革举行会谈。
美国国土安全部部长阿勒简德罗·麦约卡斯(Alejandro Mayorkas)和商务部长平尼·普利兹克(Penny Pritzker)日前宣布，美国拟允许10万高科技人才的异国配偶在美工作，而且外国教授及研究人员欲延长在美停留的时间的程序也将被简化。麦约卡斯说，目前多国已经加大引进高新技术人才的力度，为了保持竞争力，美国也应当作出改变。
报道称，由脸谱创始人马克扎克伯格创立的FWD.us集团及大学等机构都曾游说国会和奥巴马政府放松移民限制。而对此持反对意见的人则指责称，这完全是为了获取海外更为廉价的劳动力。他们表示，奥巴马政府应该聚焦于解决国内的失业问题，而不是引进外国劳动力。
报道指出，本次拟定的调整，会对两类人会造成影响。第一类是持有H-1B签证的人群，目前的政策允许其配偶在美国居住，但却不能工作。而持有此类签证的多为科技、工程和数学等方面的人才。第二类是来自智利、新加坡和北马里亚纳群岛等国的人员。目前美国移民政策规定，他们须拥有本科以上学历，专业特长，并能证明自己在专业领域取得的成绩。而调整之后，他们不仅可以延长在美国的停留时间，而且还可以用其他方式来赢得在美停留的权利。
下面是国土安全部提供的拟定中的两条新规定的细节。
Proposed Rule to Extend Employment Authorization to Spouses of Certain H-1B Workers
This proposed rule will amend existing regulations to allow H-4 dependent spouses of certain principal H-1B workers to request employment authorization.
U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields such as science, engineering or computer programming. Frequently, employers will petition for an immigrant visa for an H-1B worker, which enables individuals to become lawful permanent residents. Lawful permanent residents are generally eligible to become naturalized U.S. citizens after five years.
Under existing regulations, DHS does not extend employment authorization to dependents (also known as H-4 nonimmigrants) of H-1B nonimmigrant workers. The change proposed by DHS, would allow H-4 dependent spouses of certain H-1B nonimmigrant workers to request employment authorization, as long as the H-1B worker has already started the process of seeking lawful permanent residence through employment.
Eligible individuals would include H-4 dependent spouses of principal H-1B workers who:
- Are the beneficiaries of an approved Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker; or
- Have been granted an extension of their authorized period of stay in the United States under the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000 (AC21) as amended by the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act. AC21 permits H-1B workers seeking lawful permanent residence to work and remain in the United States beyond the six-year limit.
Proposal to Enhance Opportunities for Highly-Skilled Workers
This proposed regulatory change would enhance opportunities for certain groups of highly-skilled and transitional workers by removing obstacles to their remaining in the United States.
Specifically, the change to the regulation would:
- Update the regulations to include nonimmigrant high-skilled specialty occupation professionals from Chile and Singapore (H-1B1) and from Australia (E-3) in the list of classes of aliens authorized for employment incident to status with a specific employer,
- Clarify that H-1B1 and principal E-3 nonimmigrants are allowed to work without having to separately apply to DHS for employment authorization.
- Allow E-3, H-1B1 and CW-1 nonimmigrant workers up to 240 days of continued work authorization beyond the expiration date noted on their Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, while the extension request is pending.
It would affect workers in specialty occupation nonimmigrant classifications for professionals from Chile and Singapore (H-1B1) and Australia (E-3), as well as Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Island (CNMI)-Only Transitional Workers (CW-1).
Under current regulations, employers of workers in E-3, H-1B1, or CW-1 status must generally file a petition requesting the extension of the employee’s status well before the initial authorized duration of status expires.
Finally, this proposal would also expand the current list of evidentiary criteria for employment-based first preference (EB-1) outstanding professors and researchers to allow the submission of evidence comparable to the other forms of evidence already listed in the regulations. This proposal would harmonize the regulations for EB-1 outstanding professors and researchers with other employment-based immigrant categories that already allow for submission of comparable evidence.
For more information, please visit www.dhs.gov.