Talented Immigrants and America’s Skilled-Worker Shortage

Washington Examiner
July 14, 2012

I came to the United States 21 years ago, having left my home country of Bangladesh to attend a premier university and pursue the American Dream. I started a business that promotes the values of lifelong learning. Currently, I am the CEO of NetCom Learning, a multimillion-dollar business, which has been listed in the Inc. 500 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the nation.

As both an immigrant and a CEO, I have witnessed firsthand the importance of immigrants to the future of our nation, and how attracting and retaining the best talent is especially important during a recession. However, for many immigrants today, my dream cannot be reality. There is no entrepreneur’s visa, and there is a drastic shortage of visas for skilled workers. That drives many of the world’s brightest, most creative and innovative minds abroad.

It is time for a change. Not only are smarter immigration laws necessary for our economic future, but our prosperity depends on removing the obstacles that turn tomorrow’s job creators away. This why I joined the Partnership for a New American Economy (renewoureconomy.org), a bipartisan group of more than 400 business leaders and mayors from across the country calling for a new debate on immigration reform.

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