With the 2016 presidential election approaching, immigration has been a hot-topic for many people. A lot of American citizens are worried that with increasing numbers of immigrants, US citizens will no longer have jobs. Americans are worried about wages being decreased in order to hire immigrants who will work for lower wages than Americans. Americans are also worried that there isn’t enough screening to protect from terrorism. Some of these concerns are formed out of myths and misinformation about the immigration process. Here are two of the biggest myths about immigration:
1) MYTH: There isn’t a hard screening process. REALITY: Contrary to popular belief, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services department has a lengthy process to screen anybody who applies for a visa to work in the United States. While there may be illegal immigrants crossing our borders, the government actually does take measures to screen immigrants who go through the legal process. In fact, people have to do complete extensive paperwork. The processing can take up to six months and sometimes even longer.
2) MYTH: Employers are cutting American wages. REALITY: This is another misconception in the immigration conversation. The US Department of Labor requires employers to pay a prevailing wage in order to sponsor a foreign national for an H1B temporary work visa and also for permanent green card status. Not only do the wages have to be certified by the U.S. Department of Labor, employers must also post notification for h1B sponsorship and for employment based green card sponsorship, so that all employees have notification.
While our immigration system may not be perfect, there is a lot done to ensure that fair wages are being paid. There is also a rigorous screening process.