Posted on 03/14/2006 8:24:36 PM PST by nickcarraway
US Congress is likely to take up a giant immigration bill this month, which recommends nearly doubling the number of H-1B skilled-worker temporary visas to 115,000.
The measures include not just increasing the number of visas but also add an option of raising the cap 20 per cent more each year.
If passed, the provisions buried in the Senate's giant immigration bill, would open the country's doors to highly skilled immigrants for science, math, technology and engineering jobs.
The provisions were sought by Silicon Valley tech companies and enjoy significant bipartisan support amid concern that the United States might lose its lead in technology.
They would broaden avenues to legal immigration for foreign tech workers and would put those with advanced degrees on an automatic path to permanent residence should they want it, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
H-1B visas were highly controversial in the Bay Area when their numbers reached a peak of 195,000 in 2003.
The new skilled immigration measures are part of a controversial 300-page bill by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa, now being rewritten by the committee with the goal of reaching the Senate floor by the end of the month.
Other provisions include a new F-4 visa category for students pursuing advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
These students would be granted permanent residence if they find a job in their field and pay a $1,000 fee toward scholarships and training of US workers.
Congress had increased the visas during the late 1990s dot-com boom, when Silicon Valley complained of tech-worker shortages, although native-born engineers complained that their wages were undermined by cheap labour from India and China.
With the tech crash and the revelation that some of the September 11, 2001, hijackers had entered the country on student visas, the political climate for foreign workers darkened, and Congress quietly allowed the number of H-1B visas to plummet back to 65,000 a year.
The cap was reached in August -- in effect turning off the tap of the visas for 14 months. A special exemption of 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees was reached in January.
"We're in a bad crunch right now," said Laura Reiff, head of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition, a business umbrella group backing more immigration. "We are totally jammed on immigrant visas, the green card category, and totally jammed on H-1B visas. You can't bring in tech workers right now."
The provisions for highly skilled workers enjoy support in both parties in the Senate and in the Bush administration after a raft of high-profile studies have warned that the United States is not producing enough math and science students and is in danger of losing its global edge in innovation to India and China.
However, opponents of broadening immigration for skilled workers said doing so would defeat efforts to get more Americans interested in science, math, engineering and other technological fields.
America has never been about social darwinism, and that is what you and a few others seem to advocate. In any event, if you want the US electorate to go the the left, presist with high levels of immigration and job outsourceing, eventually there will be a turning point, and taxes will go up by quite a bit, and more and more citizens are fed up with a lower standard of living.
Another flip side, every H-1B visa holder that denies an opportunity to an American worker is another potential RAT vote.
Because it will be even worse to be unskilled and competing against unlimited numbers of poor ignorant workers from the third world.
Haven't you heard? America is no longer a country. We are just a labor market.
If you want your kids to thrive, make sure to direct them into a profession protected by a white collar union. If they are not protected by a professional certification process (lawyers, CPAs, engineers, doctors, veterinarians), their education is not worth spit.
"Oh don't worry. Those high paying, secure jobs are "jobs Americans won't do!"
In my company the Americans won't do them because they've been laid off and H1B's hired to replace them.
Or sellinh tacos out of the trunk of our car/lot of tha in los angeles and the health dept. never questions it.
Or selling taco's out of the trunk of our car/lot of that in los angeles and the health dept. never questions it.
The Administration's objective is to convert skilled high-wage jobs into low-wage jobs that Americans don't want to do.
First off, the unemployment rate and how it was measured was changed in the 90s, the unemployment rate is more or less the U-6 measure of the BLS. Second, what is more important, the economy of the culture of the US. The US does not need "bodies", especially if they will radiclaly change the socio-political nature of the US. That is a far more dangerous long term threat to the stability of the US than any short term economic hardship. If you want the US to become like California, then go right ahead with your dangerous nonsense.
I think too many so called "conservatives" do not understand that the US is not merely an economy where the "free" markets should reign supreme, but it is a socialety that became wealthy because of stability. Take the stability away because of uncontrolled immigration and globalism, then the US will spiral down the bowl.
Yeah, sure. Folks chasing the American Dream vote 'rat. LOL
Most skilled immigrants with the exception of Russians who have become US citizens vote for Democrtas. Dont believe me? Just look at the San Jose area westside, an area that used to lean GOP in the 80s is now solidly Democratic, filled with Chinese and Indian immigrants that solidly vote Democratic. But when did facts ever get in your way?
It is also industry specific. I work in R&D and it is virtually impossible to find U.S. workers with advanced degrees in our field of research. With the work we do, there are just a handful of research groups in academia who produce graduate students in ourfields of interest. With advanced degrees, the amount of specialization is staggaring. You can't take a PhD in one area and expect them to work in something outside their narrow field. We have advertised for PhD's in a specific area and had NO responses. A few bachelor's holders and oon Masters holder applied, but they didn't have the qualifications. We had to bring in people from Europe that had the education and expertise.
The big problem, in my mind, is that education in the hard sciences just isn't of interest to American kids in the numbers necessary to maintain U.S. industrial research endeavors. THe bottom line is that there really aren't enough American scientists to go around.
I am aware that there abuses in the IT sector, but that is not the case in chemistry, physics, or material sciences. Because these people are in demand we actually offer H1B's a salary much higher than the prevailing wage just so we can attract the talent we need. And IT workers would require 8 years of retraining to become qualified in those areas.
As the San Fransisco Area votes, so votes the nation. LOL
People who pay taxes generally lean Right, in most of the country.
IF THE GLOBALIST WANT TO OUTSOURCE AND BRING IN LOW PAYING TECHIES TO REPLACE AMERICAN WORKERS. AS THE STANDARD OF LIVING DROPS AND LEGAL BS INCREASES, ARMED REVOLUTION WILL BE THE OTHER FUTURE GROWTH INDUSTRY ALONG SIDE WITH THE LITIGATION INDUSTRY.
Loud enough??!!
"When I was doing employee benefits in the Silicon Valley a few years ago, our engineers were making $100K+ with every benefit free and stock options. Indians were doing the same job for $60K. Which choice is better for the stock holders?"
The American, because the H1-B guy is delivering less than half the real value in working, bug-free code or other product for 60% of the pay.
This, however, requires managers to think a little further ahead in time than a weekly status update or a quarterly earnings report. Thinking ahead to the results of shoddy work on your company's reputation and future earnings and to the expense needed to repair bad work would take some foresight, which is theoretically what execs are supposed to be providing. If not, better outsource THOSE jobs instead.
I'm not fan of social Darwinism. Not a fan of either Herbert Spencer (who actually coined the phrase "survival of the fittest") or Ayn Rand.
However, it has always been part of the American ideal. Obviously it isn't what America is about, but it's always been there.
"As the San Fransisco Area votes, so votes the nation. LOL
People who pay taxes generally lean Right, in most of the country."
That's a good generalization but in the case of Indian immigrants they lean Dim out of the mistaken perception that DimRats are the party of minorities. Hopefully some of W's recent actions vis-a-vis India will persuade them otherwise.
Yeah, sure, we're near full employment economy and PhD's can't find any work. B.S.
There is no such thing as "shortage" in a free market economy. Let the market forces do their work.
Exactly. Let the free market hire workers to fill their needs.
Why are you so afraid of competing in the free market?
There's no way anyone would want to come out of college having earned an engineering degree and be insulted by a $50,000/yr starting salary.
It's just not worth it!
So, for example, if a guy who grew up easy, and had everything in life handed to him, including a LEGACY, grew up to be President, would that count as the arrogance of sense of entitlement?
What I said was, a person "shouldn't" count on a legacy. Many immigrants are highly motivated, but so are many folks who grew up privileged. Bill Gates, for example, grew up fairly well off and managed to increase his fortunes.
Now, here is the problem. Most people are not highly motivated. They don't want to work 60 or 70 hours a week or more. They are not particularly creative and are averse to risk. Their priorities may not include making a bunch of money. They'd rather spend time with the kid and the wife. What they want is a job that they can perform reasonably well in exchange for a "fair" salary or wage.
Unfortunately, that seems to be ending.
Blasphemy! Pay them $1 million a year to start and the kids will gain interest!
Of course it makes your economic enterprise a bit shaky, what with the massive labor costs and all, and you'll probably lose out to a foreign competitor and end up unemployed, but that's the way the free market works!
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