25 September 2009

Great need to keep American visa holders in country says expert

The US faces losing its competitive edge in science, technology and other fields if skilled migrants continue to leave the country to seek careers back home, says university researcher.

Duke University's Vivek Wadhwa has been studying reverse immigration in the US and he says the country faces a massive brain drain unless those on an American skilled visa can be retained.

Industry heavyweights have aldo agreed with Wadhwa commenting that skilled workers that migrate to America to live and work,  give the US the abilities to trade internationally because the migrants understand both countries processes.   

Wadhwa predicts that in the next five years around 100,000 migrants to America will go back to India and 100,000 to China where rapid economic growth means wealth and job security.

"What was a trickle has become a flood," he said.

"For the first time in American history, we are experiencing the brain drain that other countries experienced," he says.

To compile his research into the experiences and migration outcomes of American visa holders Wadhwa surveyed 1,203 Indian and Chinese immigrants who had worked or been educated in the US before returning to their home countries.

 

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The American Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in American visa and immigration services.