Friday, June 27, 2008

Wanted: More Beautiful Workers

I have long argued that the United States should welcome more skilled workers from other nations. A reader sends in an article reminding us that "skills" need to be broadly defined:

Around 1,000 additional tech workers may get visas to work in the United States next year, and they may have fashion models to thank. That's because foreign-born models and programmers will no longer have to duke it out for the same visa slots if a New York congressman gets his way.

Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., has introduced a bill in the House that would create a new, nonimmigrant classification reserved exclusively for the catwalkers. Currently, foreign models who want to work in the United States require H-1B visas, which are normally used by computer programmers and other high-tech workers.

Weiner wants Congress to amend current visa rules to allow 1,000 foreign models into the United States each year under their own immigrant classification.

By the way, I believe that Congressman Weiner is single.