Big Tech companies such as Google and Microsoft are backing a new initiative to increase the supply of high-skilled labor by calling for the government to allow twice as many work visas to be issued to foreign workers.
The tech giants on Tuesday announced they were supporting the U.S Chamber of Commerce’s new policy initiative called “America Works,” which calls for doubling the cap of employment-based immigrant visas to 280,000 per year and doubling the quota on H-1B visas issued each year for high-tech workers.
“We must arm workers with the skills they need, we must remove barriers that are keeping too many Americans on the sidelines, and we must recruit the very best from around the world to help fill high-demand jobs,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Suzanne Clark said in a statement.
The Chamber is also partnering with corporations such as JP Morgan Chase and philanthropic groups such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
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The initiative is indicative of the confidence big business groups and Silicon Valley have in the Biden administration when it comes to increasing immigration, which received much resistance during the Trump administration.
Besides increasing immigration levels, the Chamber and others in its America Works Agenda coalition are also calling for more federal investments in employer-led job education and training programs and expanding access to childcare for working parents.
“One solution or the other will not get the job done: Only by addressing all three challenges can we address our nation’s workforce challenges,” Clark said.
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Last month, a number of Big Tech companies, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple, said they wanted to protect employment authorization for the spouses of H-1B visa holders, another example of their push for more skilled foreign workers.
