The Visas Are Limited but the Border Is Wide Open

It seems the U.S. has a virtually open Southern border yet restricts highly qualified people from immigrating legally (“Work Visa Shortfall Starves the Economy” by Jason Riley, Upward Mobility, May 3). Isn’t this backward? I worked in Silicon Valley and, having found a qualified overseas candidate, it was always a gamble as to whether we could get him an H-1B visa. The company and the candidates met all the criteria laid down, but it was simply a matter of whether Uncle Sam had reached the limit for H-1Bs before getting to us. Those candidates we did successfully bring in from abroad typically contributed greatly to our business and their local communities.

Why our education system in the U.S. is unable to produce similarly qualified candidates, rather than making me get them from India, is a question for another day.