it could mask a bigger and more serious problem.
“A lot of people don’t want to live here anymore. They’re waiting an unpredictable number of years for a green card. There’s a whole group of people who are unhappy, leaving, or finding other ways to get status,” Bae says. “People are saying, ‘I give up. If I knew how hard it would be, I never would have come.'” He points out he’s not just hearing this from one or two main immigrant groups, like Indian or Chinese workers—it’s from across the board, including British and other European workers.
Reactions to visa studies such as the one published in the Social Science Research Network—claiming that the use of H-1B visas cuts U.S. engineer wages by up to 6 percent—don’t help the perception of foreign workers and their work visas, either. That study was written up in ComputerWorld, the Seattle Times, and other news outlets last week. (Other studies have shown that foreign workers aid the competitiveness of the U.S. and the growth of U.S. companies.)
So what’s to be done about the talent drain? “We need to stop blaming immigrants for the economy. They’re going to stimulate the economy,” Bae says. “Even though companies in the Northwest are knowledgeable of the value of foreign talent, there are still many misperceptions in the region. Hopefully, people will see the immediate upside to the foreign talent pool.”
Back in February and March, Bae’s team put on a series of free seminars around Seattle to advise foreign workers on their rights. “There are more solutions than they realize. If your employer is downsizing you, it’s not as dire as you think,” Bae says. His recommendations include having your resume, educational papers, and previous immigration documents ready to go at the first sign of trouble. (For most workers, of course, that time has long since passed.)
While he may not have all the answers, Bae stresses the importance of continuing to attract and retain top foreign workers. “We don’t have the organic talent here,” he says. “If they can’t do it here, companies are going to do it somewhere else. Eighty percent of our economy comes from international trade. We need to be intelligent about the human resources element.”
There’s also a strong personal element to Bae’s work. An immigrant himself, he originally came to the U.S. from South Korea in 1971, and has kept track of the number of people and families he has helped immigrate to the States through his law practice. “Since 1995, my law firm has brought in over 10,000 people who’ve helped grow our economy and strengthen America,” he says. “I live for this every day.”
