LOBBYING FAILS, H-1B VISA CAP FALLS to 65,000

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2003 12:53:47 PM ]via India TImes ^ | OCTOBER 01, 2003 12:53:47 PM | K YATISH RAJAWAT/ECONOMICTIMES.COM

[11th_VA]

MUMBAI: The annual cap for H-1B visas will now be 65,000. This is a sharp drop from the earlier limit of 195,000 visas.

The US plans to enforce this rule from October 1, 2003.

The Indian IT industry has been lobbying hard to freeze H-1B visa limits at current levels. However, these efforts which had the support of some US corporations to retain H-1B visa limits have failed. (Will Europe be the next big hunting ground for Indian IT pros?)

Indian IT professionals are among the largest users of H-1B visas, as US Big Tech shops big from this technical pool. The H1-B visa cap was raised to 195,000 in 02. This particular legislation had a 'sunset' clause. According to this clause, the limit would have (automatically) lapsed on October 1, 2003. Ergo, the H1-B visa annual cap will now fall back to 65,000 visas.

The H1-B visa issue has generated a lot of controversy in the US. Several trade unions representing (local) technology workers have been lobbying against these work permits. The slowdown in the high-tech industry combined with an overall drop in US economic growth has resulted in a number of job losses.

H1-B visa users have been at the receiving end of criticism from unemployed American professionals for taking away their jobs. These visa users are also seen as representative of the trend towards offshore outsourcing trade jargon for moving to cheaper locations like India which is also under flak for spiriting away US jobs.

The visa was created in the early 1950s to give skilled foreign workers a permit to reside in the United States. The H1-B category was added in 1990 to give foreign workers an opportunity to pick up a job with the intention of remaining permanently in the United States.

In 1999, under pressure from high-tech companies and other manufacturers, Congress expanded the limit from 65,000 to 115,000. It raised the cap again to 215,000 in 00 and to 195,000 in 01 and 02.

Top Indian companies have been curtailing the use of H1-B visas for sending employees to the US. Ergo, it unlikely that the offshore outsourcing trend will be affected. Most companies have shifted to the use of L-1 visas (used for intra-company transfers). However, companies whose basic revenue model is supplying manpower to US corporations, ( body-shoppers, are likely to be hit by this move.

[TopDog2]

China_Dawg never answers the questions put to him...

[JNB]

All you are doing is being a Troll. As for economics, the BS you spew is just cheap rhetoric, as many other posters have handed your ass tio you time and again in a debate. I also notice that no one is coming to your defense in this thread either.

[maui_hawaii]

You might be able to slick tounge grandma out of her savings...but have you ever done corporate finance?

The kind of BS you are seen as believing in is completely unsound economics.

[null and void]

I'm just wondering when Admin Moderator is finally going to get wise to your trolling ways and pull your plug. ~ Lazamataz

WHAT!?!? Take the football away from the game?!?!?

[Egon]

I'm a business major and a capitalist. Is that close enough?

Business majors are the ones that know how to apply all the economic theory they were forced to learn.

Capitalism without any rules works about as well as a Democracy without any rules (otherwise known as "mob rule").

[RiflemanSharpe]

Actually Texans are more reasonable than the "Dawg". Far more conservatives in Texas are in the mold of Ralph Hall who was against NAFTA then the Dick Armey mold.

That would sum me up, Nafta was promised to bring loads of new decent paying job to the US. After about ten years where are they? It seems to me we are shipping our jobs off, we don't need to be importing people for the one we still have.

[harpseal]

Because had you been an economics major you'd be embarrassed to even ask such questions. Don't you think it's funny that of all the angry paleos on this thread who think we're all doomed, etc., that none of them were economics majors AND capitalists

As sopmeone who over teh past months has displayed a complete misunderstanding of the priciples of Free Trade by as defined by Smith and Riccardo you are harldy one to be talking about economics a subject in which your knowledge is sorely lacking. Now if you would like to prove me wrong come up with a study that shows a net harm from any tariff the USA has ever imposed. I have been asking for such for months and you have yet to come up with anything. Someone who claims to know economics should be able to back that claim with evidence.

[Slip18]

You're in an international job. It became that way back in the 40s, I think. I could be wrong on the dates. It can be found. My greatgrandfather was a trader and made millions (then a lot of money) in the stock market by trading corn for his hogs. It was hedging.

From what I have heard and seen, the H1-B program is not a good thing. I'm not an economist, and I don't pretend to be. But what has happened is Americans will start a business and use (and pay) other Americans to start the business and put the coporation in good working order. The Americans spend 15 to 20 years of their lives working that way, and in comes the H1-B folks who the Americans are now told to train. The legal aliens then are given less salary than their American counterparts, but it's more money than they would make in their respective countries.

And this is now MHO: If the American Corporations wanted to hire aliens of any sort, they should have started their corporations in another country. Of course, they are now doing that because they have trained cheap labor.

The American worker was ripped off.

[Texas_Dawg]

Far more conservatives in Texas are in the mold of Ralph Hall who was against NAFTA then the Dick Armey mold.

Probably so. That's changing though. Yellow dogs like you are dying out and Texas is becoming truly conservative (thus the death of the Democratic party there which up until a couple decades ago was the dominant party in the state for 100 years).

[Paul Ross]

With all of us being forced by the federal government to pay for them...

Helloo... We have the MOST COMPETITIVE STEEL MARKET IN THE WORLD. STILL. No one is cheaper. We 'steel consumers' aren't hurt. Nor is anyone being fired for 'high' U.S. steel prices. CATIC's 'study' of 200,000 layoffs was debunked BIG TIME. Turns out the layoffs were all PRIOR to the President's tariff decision. And U.S. prices overall have gone up less 12%...while the World averages have skyrocketed far higher.

Since Our steel prices are actually LOWER than all our competitors...so who is actually being fired? Specifically, it turns out...only the importers of the dumped steel and their handlers. No loss there.

And with improved US productivity and structure...our prices will continue to be more effectively competitive than the rest of the world...thanks to the tariffs which prevent the U.S. steel industry destruction.

With this collossal success, it is time to move on to assessing tariffs across the board in other industries and save this country.

[RJS1950]

I'll second the "SHOVE IT", and if you need explicit instructions I'll send them to you. This program has never had anything to do with efficiency, it has to do with H1B's working dirt cheap and obviously there has never been a real shortage of qualified american workers in these fields, or they would not be laying them off in favor of H1B's. And by the way, I have not been displaced by any foreign worker.

[Texas_Dawg]

Now if you would like to prove me wrong come up with a study that shows a net harm from any tariff the USA has ever imposed.

Please don't lie (and geez... learn how to type). You've been shown numerous in-depth studies of the 2002 steel tariffs and the fact that they cost far more American jobs than they created or "saved".

[Lazamataz]

Because had you been an economics major you'd be embarrassed to even ask such questions. Don't you think it's funny that of all the angry paleos on this thread who think we're all doomed, etc., that none of them were economics majors AND capitalists?

Wow! A TWOFER this time:

MCDP #1. MCDP #3.

NICE JOB CHINA DAWG!

Meaningless China Dawg Points

1. You don't have an economics degree, so please don't talk about economies at all. It just makes you look stupid.
2. You are a typical: A) Marxist Leninist Communist; B) Totalitarian; C) Nazi.
3. We're all doomed!
4. More people in America out of work means more stock profits, and my company will pay me more if the stock market goes up. Since it's all about me, I don't care if the rest of you all go to hell.
5. How about that Bama/Arkansas game?
6. You must be a Bush Hater. I don't care if we lose your vote. Good riddence.
7. How much do you want to bet that Bush will win? I will wager up to 1000 yuan.

Kindly print this out and when you need to make another China_Dawg cliched post, you can simply refer to the appropriate number. We'll all know what you mean, and reading your tripe will go much more quickly.

[Texas_Dawg]

This program has never had anything to do with efficiency, it has to do with H1B's working dirt cheap and obviously there has never been a real shortage of qualified american workers in these fields, or they would not be laying them off in favor of H1B's.

OK. So then you'd support ending H1Bs and allowing any Indian who wants to move here freely to work, to do so? No programs, no government intervention, no lobbyists, etc. Just man to man competition for a job. Or would that scare you?

[Lazamataz]

Yellow dogs like you

As opposed to a Red dog, like you?

[Texas_Dawg]

I'd love to truly know what those Georgians think of you. I can only imagine. Man, it would be great to see that. I can understand why you're so unhappy with your life and angry about everything.

[Lazamataz]

OK. So then you'd support ending H1Bs and allowing any Indian who wants to move here freely to work, to do so? No programs, no government intervention, no lobbyists, etc. Just man to man competition for a job. Or would that scare you?

Current immigration standards are more than generous enough. Stay the eff in China, China_Dawg.

[Texas_Dawg]

As opposed to a Red dog, like you?

I'm as capitalist as they come, Laz, as you know. Capitalism is beautiful. You should give it a chance sometime.

[Lazamataz]

I'd love to truly know what those Georgians think of you. I can only imagine. Man, it would be great to see that. I can understand why you're so unhappy with your life and angry about everything.

I'd love to truly know what those Chinese think of you. I can only imagine. Man, it would be great to see that. I can understand why you're so unhappy with your life and angry about everything.

[Lazamataz]

I'm as capitalist as they come, Laz, as you know. Capitalism is beautiful. You should give it a chance sometime.

Yer no capitalist. Yer a troll and an apologist for the globalists.

And Chinese.