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The real root of the problem is onerous government regulations, H-1B visas are merely a solution for them. Do not mistake that as me being in favor of H-1B visas because I am not. Just pointing out the economic reasons as to why they are attractive to corporations. In reality corporations could care less where their workforce comes from. All that matters to them is can the do the job at hand and can they make the company more profitable. So, the reality is that it is our government who is responsible for the loss of jobs for Americans in America. Businesses as just trying to stay in business and remain profitable. Two options to accomplish that are to hire H-1B visa holders, and/or relocate businesses outside of American borders.

Microsoft (and hell, all of Silicon Valley) are the biggest boosters of H1-B visas.

Profit margins in the software industry are around 50%-60%. Conventional consumer goods, like Coca-Cola, may be 10%; bricks-and mortar groceries are 1%.

They don't need H1-Bs to make a profit.

Name an overseas software company that is eating Silicon Valley's lunch, by using foreign labor, to which Silicon Valley had to respond, by lowering their labor costs. *crickets*.

And software is among the LEAST regulated industries there is; compared to (say) insurance, or health care, or construction.

Read Microsoft's EULA some time and note that the boilerplate language is that the limit for damages, even if Microsoft new about the potential flaws in the product, is $5 / seat. Dirt cheap, even if tripled for class action.

And the threat to move software engineering to India is laughable, as India's culture of bribery, to say nothing of the ineffectual electric infrastructure, would never support the server farms necessary.