ABSTRACT
There has been much debate in recent years about the impact of the migration to and employment of foreign engineers and computer pro fessionals in the United States. The discussion has generally focused on why these foreign workers are hired, the conditions under which they work, and how their presence in the workforce affects the em ployment prospects of American workers and the competitiveness of the U.S. economy. However, the presence of foreign biomedical scien tists1 has received less attention. While this may be explained in part by a tighter labor market in the biomedical occupations and the smaller number of persons involved, the fact that employers go to the effort entailed in hiring these foreigners-in a country which enjoys a highly vaunted reputation for excellence in training and producing scientific professionals-merits examination in itself.
