Unprecedented move could be a landmark in America’s immigration policy.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has proposed a revolutionary new move that he hopes will help bring jobs back to Detroit and revitalize the crumbling metropolis: create 50,000 new visas over the next five years specifically for Detroit, with the goal of bringing in highly skilled and educated workers in the fields of science, business, and the arts.
The plan, as outlined by the Republican governor and backed by Detroit’s new Democrat Mayor Mike Duggan, would use a visa system known as EB-2 (Employment-Based, second preference), of which 40,040 are permitted to be given out each year by the federal government. The Detroit plan would give 5,000 EB-2 visas out during the first year and incrementally increase that number over the subsequent four years – 10,000 visas in the next three years, ending with 15,000 visas being given out in the program’s fifth year.
The EB-2 visas are given to people who have either an Advanced Degree, show Exceptional Ability, or have a National Interest Waiver, according to information from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The granting of the EB-2 visa is also contingent upon certain criteria being met, such as being able to produce proof of academic records, documents of full-time work experience of 5-10 years, membership in a professional society or organization, and so on. Those granted an EB-2 visa can bring their spouses and children with them under an E-21 or E-22 visa, as well.
With China and India, however, the EB-2 visa is a bit different, simply because of the vast quantities of immigrants from both nations that are both eligible and clamoring to come to the US. The priority dates for moving into the final phase of green card eligibility were moved back last year – for India, the EB-2 date became November 15, 2004, meaning that those with priority dates on or before that could move into that final stage.
Snyder says his plan would allow for a quicker route to green cards for those coming to Detroit, comparing his system to one that is currently in place in which immigrant physicians who serve underprivileged American communities for at least five years can automatically get a green card. A specific plan in this regard, however, has not yet been outlined – in fact, Snyder hasn’t even formally proposed the plan in Congress or to President Barack Obama.
Snyder’s visa plans gels with his previously stated desire to drastically increase Detroit’s population, which plummeted from 1.8 million to just about 700,000 over the past few years. As the auto industry deteriorated and jobs left Detroit, so did its citizens, leaving it a relic of the city it once was and causing it to file for municipal bankruptcy protection last summer, a first for a major American city.
Calling immigration “how we made our country great,†Snyder believes that highly skilled foreign workers can jump-start Detroit’s economy, bringing business back to the city, creating jobs, and thereby revitalizing it. But critics have pointed out that while such an idea may be good in theory, it doesn’t do a whole lot for the people already living in the city.
About 38% of the Detroit’s current population lives below the poverty line, and a large portion of the city’s ethnic makeup is African American. That is to say, many of the people currently in Detroit are there because they don’t have the option of leaving, and bringing in people with master’s degrees and Ph.D.’s may help the city’s corporate centers, but would do little to help those already struggling.
“There’s something oddly defeatist about saying: Our citizens have been done wrong for so long, let’s bring in Chinese and Indians,†says The New York Times.’ Editorial Board in a piece published yesterday.
The Voice of Detroit, a news blog based in and about Detroit, was also critical of Snyder’s plan, calling it “Operation Afro-Dilution†and criticizing the Governor for trying to get rid of the city’s struggling African American population by bringing in well-paid foreigners.
Mayor Duggan has said that the city is creating a dedicated immigration office to support immigrants coming into Detroit. Snyder, in his State of the State speech last week, also said that he would be creating an Office for New Americans in Michigan, which Duggan’s immigration offices jives nicely with.
Additionally, the Governor said that he would petition to have Michigan deemed an Employer Based, or EB-5, center, which would essentially facilitate the process for immigrants who want to come to Michigan and start companies with investments of at least $500,000 and at least 10 employees.
Snyder is currently in Washington, DC, meeting with federal immigration officers in an effort to judge his plan’s feasibility and, presumably, garner support within the political circles. The immigration debate has been gathering steam in Congress over the past few weeks, especially within the GOP (of which Snyder belongs), but immigration to a specific municipality is another issue altogether, and it remains to be seen just how much support such an ambitious but unprecedented plan can gather in the capital.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com