The United States could lose valuable AI and technology talent if some of its immigration policies are not modernized, Google says in a letter sent to the Department of Labor.
Google says policies such as Schedule A, a list of occupations that the government has “pre-certified” as not having enough American workers, need to be more flexible and evolve more quickly to meet demand for technology such as AI and cybersecurity. The company says the government needs to update Annex A to include AI and cybersecurity more regularly.
“It is widely recognized that there is a global shortage of talent in the field of AI, but the fact remains that the United States is one of the most difficult places to attract foreign talent, and we risk losing some of the most wanted people in the world. the world,” said Karan Bhatia, head of government affairs and public policy at Google. The edge. He pointed out that Schedule A occupations have not been updated in 20 years.
Businesses can apply for permanent residency, colloquially called a green card, for their employees. THE The Ministry of Labor requires companies obtain a permanent employment certificate (PERM) proving that there is a shortage of workers in this role. This process can take time, which is why the government has “pre-certified” some jobs through Schedule A.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services lists Schedule A occupations as physical therapists, professional nurses, or “immigrants of exceptional ability in the sciences or arts.” Although the wait time for a green card is not reduced, Google claims that Schedule A reduces the processing time by about a year.
Google says that Annex A is “not currently serving its purpose,” especially as demand for new technologies like generative AI has increased, and so AI and cybersecurity should be included on the list. Google says the government should also consider multiple data sources, including accepting public comments, to regularly update Annex A so the process is more transparent and truly reflects workforce gaps .
Since the rise of generative AI, American companies have struggled to find engineers and researchers in the field of AI. While the United States produces a large cohort of AI talent, there is a shortage of AI specialists in the country, Bhatia says. However, the United States’ strict immigration policies have made it difficult to attract people working in American companies to create AI platforms. He adds that Google employees often had to leave the United States while waiting for the PERM process to be completed and their green card to be approved.
Competition for AI talents was intensecompanies often hire engineers and researchers. Information reported that AI developers like Meta have resorted to hire AI talent without an interview. Salaries for AI specialists have skyrocketed, with OpenAI allegedly paying researchers up to $10 million. That of President Joe Biden decree on AI mandates federal agencies to help grow AI talent in the country.
