Disaggregating immigration policy: The politics of skilled labor recruitment in the U.S.

Abstract

Gary P. Freeman and David K. Hill argue that the U.S. system of multiple visa categories and the often distorting business interests behind these, point to a far from rational economic construction of policy. They indicate the difficulties of reform, even in the absence of strongly organized public opposition, and the degree to which path-dependence seems to determine overall outcomes in the policy process. Curiously, the authors suggest that highly skilled migration policy in the U.S. is a wholly self-contained national affair. National politics, rather than global economic pressures, drive the twists and turns of U.S. immigration policies, with key roles being played by high tech employers, professional associations, pro and anti-immigrant organizations, and even associations of immigration lawyers. There appears to be little space in their accounts for the kind of global legal/institutional influences signaled by WTO reforms or by the importance of global multinationals. Freeman and Hill offer useful analytical frameworks to differentiate between distinct forms of migration by technical workers, and the often contradictory state policies and the politics linked to them.