Posted on 05/25/2007 8:17:20 AM PDT by 3AngelaD
...But as the emotionally charged issue of immigration consumes the U.S. Senate and the nation this month, skilled foreign professionals are almost as contentious a part of the restructuring debate as impoverished illegal immigrants..
In many ways, the proposed legislation favors high-skilled immigrants and the industries that employ them. It would increase the ceiling on new H-1B professional visas, which allow one- to six-year stays, from 65,000 to 115,000 a year...
Companies that rely on skilled foreign workers say they desperately need more of them, but opponents see their proliferation as an invisible blight on the economy. They argue that the H-1B visa program displaces tens of thousands of U.S.-born professionals, depresses wages and exploits programmers from other countries.
"This is a cheap labor program, a 20th-century version of importing cheap tomato pickers," said Mark Krikorian, of the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies. Older American professionals seeking decent salaries and benefits, he said, are being "squeezed out..."
In a study released last week, the center found that "very few" H-1B workers could be called highly skilled. It also found that wages for such workers were on average $12,000 below their U.S.-born counterparts and that employers often said the "prevailing" wage in a variety of skilled fields -- which the law says all H1-B visa holders must be paid -- was significantly lower than it actually was.
Groups representing U.S. workers in several industries say they have suffered from the H-1B phenomenon, especially electrical engineers and computer programmers...
"Our co-founder once earned more than $100,000 with an insurance firm. Now he's driving an 18-wheeler," Bauman said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The Indians are having a fit. I don’t blame them.
What’s good for the goose. . . Wonder how long before we will be able to import our Congress?
ping
And lawyers.
Was it because they couldn’t use spell checker? LOL!
“”Intel has plenty on workers.
Last year we laied off 1000 Sr, experienced people and hired 366 H1B’s.””
Says it all.
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