Top immigration official visits Buffalo
Business First
by Tracey Drury
Date: Monday, August 15, 2011, 7:58am EDT

The top federal immigration official visited Buffalo Friday to meet with staff and reporters, providing updates on several agency initiatives.

Alejandro Mayorkas, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the Department of Homeland Security, met with reporters, followed by sessions with local staff and community groups and social service agencies working with the immigrant population and individuals seeking citizenship.

He touched on several issues that impact the local business community.

• H-1B visas, a program to bring specialized workers in from outside the U.S., has seen a significant decline in recent years. In 2008, the agency received 163,000 applications within a week of the available application period for 65,000 available visas. That number fell to 42,000 applicants a year later.

Mayorkas says most people blame the downturn in the economy for the drop. In early August, as part of an effort to spur economic growth and job creation, the agency took several steps to clarify how foreign entrepreneurs can benefit from the program.

Clarifying the existing law, and pursuing additional reform to the visa program in the context of overall immigration reform, could go a long way toward helping to stimulate the economy and create jobs, he said.

“There’s been a concern that other countries have risen in attractiveness and have programs that really attract business talent, and our visa laws aren’t necessarily as attractive as they used to be given the increase in competition,â€