[The Epoch Times, April 30, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Chen Ting comprehensive report) The Biden administration has a plan to snatch Russia by waiving some visa requirements for highly educated Russians who want to come to the United States, people familiar with the matter said. Some of the best innovative minds.
According to Bloomberg (link), a recent White House supplemental request to Congress included a proposal to remove the requirement that Russian high-tech talent must have a current employer when applying for employment visas.
The proposal states that this would apply to Russian citizens who have obtained a master’s or doctorate degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics in the United States or abroad.
Bloomberg said a spokesman for the National Security Council confirmed that the move is good for the U.S. economy and national security, and could erode Moscow’s high-tech resources in the short term and affect Russia’s innovation base in the long run.
Specifically, the Biden administration wants to make it easier for Russian talent with experience in semiconductors, space technology, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, advanced computing, nuclear engineering, artificial intelligence, missile propulsion, and other fields of expertise to move to the United States.
Biden administration officials said that under the sanctions of the United States and allies, Russia’s economic development has been limited, and a large number of excellent technology workers are fleeing Russia.
The report said the rule is expected to last for four years. However, there will be no changes to the review process, fees or other rules in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
In fact, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, a large number of Russian professionals have left the country.
On March 7, Konstantin Sonin, an economist at the University of Chicago, tweeted: “Over 200,000 people have fled Russia in the past 10 days. This is not seen in a century. A tragic departure.” (Link）
The Associated Press reported in a late March report (link), citing an estimate by the Russian Association for Electronic Communications, that in the first five weeks of the Russian-Ukrainian war, as many as 70,000 tech Talent flees Russia.
Some of these elite groups have obtained EU visas and have moved to EU countries such as Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. Some travel to countries that Russians can enter visa-free, such as Armenia, Georgia and the former Soviet Union countries in Central Asia.
Sergei Plugotarenko, president of the association, said that although high travel costs limited the number of people fleeing, he predicted that another 100,000 tech workers could leave Russia in April.
The Associated Press pointed out that since the Ukrainian war began, the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan has simplified the procedures for IT specialists to obtain work visas and residence permits.
On March 25, Nicholas Eberstadt, a political economy expert at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a Washington-based think tank, also wrote (link) that the United States should prepare to welcome Russia’s elite talents.
“The invasion of Ukraine triggered a wave of migration from both countries.” Eberstadt said the war, in addition to causing a huge Ukrainian refugee crisis, also triggered an exodus from Russia.
“Disaffected, well-trained Russian talent is fleeing,” he said, “and this presents an extraordinary strategic opportunity for the United States and Western allies. The United States and Europe should actively welcome the best Russian talent…before we lose our chance. .”
“It would be a mistake, a serious one, for Western leaders to ignore these migrants as a product of conflict.”
“Instead, it is in our common interest in the West to welcome them and encourage more to leave,” Eberstadt wrote.
Responsible editor: Ye Ziwei