Speaking on Immigration and American Competitiveness at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Meeting on September 28, Mayor Bloomberg voiced his opinion that we should dramatically expand the numbers of green cards available for the highest-skilled workers we need to join the U.S. economy permanently.
"These high-skill workers," he said, "will not only help create thousands of jobs, they'll also give us knowledge of foreign markets that will help U.S. businesses increase their exports."
But companies such as Intel, Microsoft, and many others have been unable to persuade Congress to take action.
Recently, Intel, unable to import several dozen engineers from Finland because the H-1B annual visa quota had been hit, created a new R&D facility in Helsinki and will employ the workforce overseas.
In 2007 Microsoft created a new facility for up to 5,000 workers in nearby Vancouver, Canada. Those thousands of jobs will now go to Canadians.
Many U.S. firms, trying to find enough workers with STEM degrees — science, technology, education, and math — are forced to import labor and brain power through the H-1B visa, a program that allows 65,000 highly-trained foreign nationals to immigrate to the United States annually, and work, in some cases for as long a six years. But U.S. companies find that the annual H-1B visa quota — 65,000 — is restricting their efforts to hire the people they need.
Enter a startup called Blueseed.
According to founder Max Marty, Blueseed is seeking to bypass the political process by purchasing a fancy cruise ship, anchoring it in international waters off the coast of California, and operating a floating hotel with space for up to 1,000 employees and entrepreneurs serving nearby high-tech companies.
Part of the Blueseed business model is that the ship's residents will be able to make regular trips to the mainland to meet with clients, investors, and business partners, and Blueseed will provide a regular ferry service between the ship and the United States. Blueseed residents, however, would need to do their actual work, such as designing software, on the ship.
Another key element of the Blueseed business model is the assumption that the offshore workers will be able to obtain B-1 visas.
A person may be eligible for a B-1 visa if they will be participating in business activities of a commercial or professional nature in the United States, including, but not limited to:
- consulting with business associates;
- traveling for a scientific, educational, professional or business convention, or a conference on specific dates;
- settling an estate;
- negotiating a contract;
- participating in short-term training;
- transiting through the United States: certain persons may transit the United States with a B-1 visa;
- deadheading: certain air crewmen may enter the United States as deadhead crew with a B-1 visa.
In order to be eligible for a B-1 visa, a person must demonstrate the following:
- the purpose of their trip is to enter the United States for business of a legitimate nature;
- they plan to remain for a specific limited period of time;
- they have the funds to cover the expenses of the trip and their stay in the United States;
- they have a residence outside the United States in which they have no intention of abandoning, as well as other binding ties which will ensure their return abroad at the end of their visit;
- they are otherwise admissible to the United States.
And one other thing the new startup will need — paying customers. Company founder Max Marty says Blueseed will charge rent, but also take a small equity stake in each startup that comes on board. He aims to cultivate a network of investors to help identify promising entrepreneurs, and says Blueseed will also accept applications directly from would-be startups.
Perhaps one benefit to U.S. business in general is that Blueseed will generate a new conversation about America's flawed immigration system, raising the ante for Congress to enact meaningful and useful reform. Mayor Bloomberg, for one, would probably like that.
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