Resumo

CRUZ-PINEIRO, Rodolfo  e  RUIZ-OCHOA, Wilfrido. Qualified migration to the United States via preferential visa. Pap. poblac [online]. 2010, vol.16, n.66, pp.103-135. ISSN 2448-7147.

We explore the scope of preferential visas granted to migrant laborers with high qualifications to enter the U.S, especially those with an origin in NAFTA and H1B visas. We analyze the impact on the ordering of documented migratory flows of qualified laborers, distinguishing the presence of Mexican practitioners. It is concluded that the process of liberalization of professional services has been extremely slow and as for the facilities it granted to the international mobility of professionals, its effects have just been discovered. What is more, it is verified that the preferential visas for professionals agreed with NAFTA are far from becoming a first step to reach a professional labor market with benefits for the three countries. The required reform is much more complex and involves opposed interests, which have been exacerbated with the world economic recession.

Palavras-chave : qualified international migration; labor market; NAFTA; economic crisis; professions; México; Canada; United States.