Posted on 02/21/2017 9:14:26 PM PST by Jyotishi
HIGHLIGHTS
o The PM referred to the role of skilled Indian talent in enriching the US economy and society
o He urged developing a reflective, balanced and far-sighted perspective on movement of skilled professionals
o As of now, Indian professionals are granted a large number of visas to stay in US for 6 years
NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON: PM Narendra Modi has urged the US to take a "reflective, balanced and far-sighted" perspective on the movement of skilled professionals, indicating India's discomfort with the Trump administration's intent to curb H-1B visas.
The PM raised the issue during his interaction with US Congress members on Tuesday and he suggested that restrictions on professionals would be an unwelcome step. This is the first time that Modi's concerns in this case have been made public and point to a divergence with one of President Donald Trump's much-discussed campaign promises.
PM hails Indians' role in enriching US economy
The PM said Indian professionals contributed to the US economy and were law-abiding and socially integrated residents, a statement that underlines that H-1B visas are not a one-way street where only the visitors benefit.
A PMO statement said Modi "shared his perspective on areas where both countries can work even more closely, including in facilitating greater people-to-people linkages that have over the years helped contribute to each other's prosperity. In this context, the Prime Minister referred to the role of skilled Indian talent in enriching the American economy and society. He urged developing a reflective, balanced and far-sighted perspective on movement of skilled professionals".
As of now, Indian professionals are granted a large number of the visas that allow residence in the US for six years. Indian businesses, particularly in the technology sector, are likely to be affected by the sentiment that H1B visas are "abused" and often become a path to citizenship in the US. Some US commentators, however, feel the Trump administration sees companies, rather than the Indian government, responsible for such misuse, making differences more resolvable.
The PM's intervention came even as a high-level team under the aegis of Nasscom, the National Association of Software and Services Companies, arrived in Washington DC to lobby with the administration and Congress against a tighter visa regime for guest workers that is seen as adversely impacting India. The Nasscom delegation is armed with studies and talking points showing Indian companies having generated more than 4,00,000 jobs in the US.
Modi has already had two conversations with Trump, he told the visiting US lawmakers, saying he was encouraged by the "shared commitment to further strengthen ties that have grown deeper in the last two and a half years". It was significant that Modi addressed the US Congress during his visit in 2016 and his remarks were well received.
Last week, Modi met a group of British parliamentarians, where again visas, particularly for students and skilled persons, also formed a significant part of the conversation.
During their visit from February 20-25, the American lawmakers, travelling in two groups, are scheduled to have a wide range of meetings with top government officials, politicians, members of think-tanks and non-governmental organisations.
One group consists of 19 members while the second has eight. One of them is led by Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the powerful House judiciary committee, which is visiting India from February 20 to 23. The Republican leaders include Congressman George Holding, co-chair of the India Caucus, Jason Smit and Dave Trott. The Democrats include Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Congressmen Hank Johnson, David Ciciline and Henry Cuellar.
Indian professionals and students graduating from US universities claim more than 50% of the 65,000 plus 20,000 H1B visas and L1 intra-company transfer visas, helping generate nearly $ 100 billion -- 65% of the country's $155 billion annual revenues -- from its infotech sector alone. That number will take a hit if Washington pares down the guest worker programme, as both the administration and Congress have indicated.
Indian skilled professionals, many of whom became US permanent residents and citizens through the guest worker route, have founded scores of companies in America and generated tens of thousands of jobs and billions in revenues in the nearly 25 years since the guest worker programme began.
The US president's wife, Melania Trump, was herself an H1B visa recipient (as a model) before she became a permanent resident and citizen, as was Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who called on Modi separately on Tuesday.
And...make them train their US American Citizen replacements over a 1 year period.
After which their Visa ends....and the American Citizen takes over the job.
It's only fair.
First off I am against raising the wage to something like $200,000 or some other high amount. I am for limiting their wage to what they would get in their own country. Some would think this the opposite effect of what the high wage would do would be wrong. Here is why, the reason is that they come here because the value of their currency. A dollar there will go much further than their own currency will so they will want to come here. However, if their pay was equivalent to the pay in their own country they would not want to spend the bucks to come here.
I recently sat down and spoke with a couple from India who was schooled in the US. They flat out said that in order to get a job here those in IT exaggerate on their resume. A while back I was looking into devBootcamps. All of these stated that the instructor had over 7 years of experience in that particular language. I took a class which promised job placement. The instructor told me to take creative liberties with my resume. After working with co-workers who hailed from India, I am sure a vast majority of them neither had the experience nor the background to be in the position they were in. American companies don’t vette these employees because they believe their Indian counterparts did. Also, it is expensive for the American company to do so.
I am for whatever works to cut down the H1-B visas into this country. A $200K a year job in the USA given to an H1-B visa is a $200K job a US citizen doesn’t get.
o The PM referred to the role of skilled Indian talent in enriching the US economy and societyCharity starts at home.
Stay home and enrich your own economy.
Went to Olive Garden last night to order take out. While waiting for the order I was amazed to note that practically every family leaving the restaurant after a full sit down meal were Indian. Mother, father and at least two kids. Nicely dressed. Nice cars. It’s amazing they are doing so well here. Didn’t see any Black families. The Whites in the restaurant looked pretty shabby by comparison. The Indians are the new middle and upper class in America. Driving the Beemers and Benzes. And they come from a society that has been historically caste-oriented. We the whites are paupers in our own country. And if you’ve ever talked with any of them you would learn quickly who they believe has the higher IQ. Guess we have corporate America to thank for all of this.
I disagree.
In the business world, $200K is a threshold salary.
Most American employees who earn more than that have truly exceptional or truly unique professional skills.
Hiring foreign workers at $200K and over will displace very few Americans.
Instead, it will significantly increase the American talent pool of exceptional workers, and significantly increase the number of people earning more than $200K.
My observation is that many Silicon Valley Indians are far left. Furthermore, many of them are not really receptive to discussing politics.
Many of them tend to think that whatever seems to work in India should also be fine for the USA as well.
To take one example, gun control— many of them have no issue with violating 2A in the name of “gun control.” They have no background on the pros and cons of the issue but they seem to think that they do. India has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the world.
Another example is racism— many of them think that asking a pointed question during a debate is proof of “racism.” Again, many of them seem to have no well developed background in 1A— probably (so I imagine at least) because there is no 1A in India like there is in the USA.
None of this prevents Indians from coming to the USA and getting involved in supporting liberal politicians for election. My observation is that Indian politicians are very aware of politics in the USA and frequently come to the USA to influence elections in favor of liberal views (immigration, free trade, etc). This includes fundraising.
I am aware that Indians tend to dominate in some aspects of some industries such as telephone tech support and IT. So when the Indians come to the USA to influence USA politics, I expect that it is with the active financial support of the owners of Indian IT and support company owners. These are the same guys that don’t pay their workers decent wages in their own country.
(To their credit some of the younger Indians seem at least capable of grasping some of various points being made in the simple issues involved. I support reasoned debate. Alas, I fear that in most cases, actual voting tends to fall along racial and cultural lines.)
“Let high IQ, non muzzie, Indians immigrate in large numbers compared to most others.”
Why? We really don’t need them or their culture.
Immigrants are good for the Poverty and Education industries - nothing more. For American workers and families, the open borders and H-1B programs are a disaster.
Why? To water down the salaries of our own hard workimg STEM graduates? Screw that. H-1B KILL IT!
There you go making common sense.
Your idea is good but there are no criminal penalties for cheating. That is why the only solution is to kill the H-1B visa program.
For better or worse, I know how the H1B process works. In short, H1B is a process that is easily manipulated and results in companies paying near slave wages to recent college grads from India, China, Malaysia, etc. who came from rich families and do not want to go home.
Most of these grads will have attained multiple Bachelors and Masters degrees. They become TA’s and do this so they don’t have to return home, and in turn, this creates the loopholes companies use to hire them. All the company has to do to hire them is write a job description that requires a BS Computer Science, MS Computer Science and MBA in International Business. There will be qualified applicants and they will all be H1B (with very rare exception.)
When the current H1B standard was set up, a wage level of 60 or 65K was set in 1989 as the marker for high-paid, essential jobs we can’t fill in the US. That number hasn’t been adjusted since then. You’re right—that’s not the level of an essential job.
Today, an H1B shop can hire an Indian or Chinese computer worker with a Master’s or PH.D for that same salary to compete with American STEM graduates. The catch—which makes it a non-meritocratic system, and is de-STEM-ing the US—is that once an H1B is hired, he has to stay on the job for 3 or 4 years. If he loses the job he leaves the country.
The reason Americans can’t compete is that unscrupulous companies will pile work on so it’s routinely a 70 or 75 hour week. So, each H1B you hire is working 1.5x time (there’s no overtime for salaried professionals).
That’s not what an American STEM graduate signed on for. He wants a professional job—maybe 50 hours on average with occasional bursts, not non-stop indentured servitude. And, if you’re American, you’re likely to experience discrimination in your own country as the foreign-run shop has managers who don’t like you and will promote their countrymen first.
I got this from one of my kids, who worked at an H1B shop in Houston, programming for an oil exploration company named CGG. I believe him.
You'd hear wailing and gnashing of teeth in Silly Korn Alley as these petulant billionaires scramble a little to hire Americans. So what.
The sad/funny part is that all of the yelling and screaming about H1Bs that they do is at the lower end of the pay scale.
Remember how companies sending their manufacturing off-shore hollowed out our industry? Eventually, only offshore entities knew how to make many things, and the skill was lost here.
A similar thing is going on with H1Bs. There is no problem with competition at the higher salary levels. You can’t work those people like dogs and keep them creative. It’s at the entry level—first few years of career—that this is occurring. It is hollowing out the US STEM base.
Globalist are evil.
It’s a matter of degree.
Trade is a good thing; but that’s not what’s happening, either with H1B’s or, to a lesser extent NAFTA. One can only imagine what was in TPP if it was a) secret and b) championed by Obama.
Ask any Silicon Valley CEO...
Is it proper to ask a SillyCornAlley CEO about H-1B non-abuse in their mansion or on their yacht? Or just have Rush relay the message in person?
That’s what is known as a CLM - Career Limiting Move...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.