Job Nut: To H1B or not to H1B

Saturday, October 3, 2009

To H1B or not to H1B - Redux

Some interesting comments at zdnet.com. Note the article "Use H-1B or L-1 workers?" and the comment "H1-B Destroying our Education System".

"Have you ever heard that we are not educating enough people? As long as we keep allowing companies to use H1-b visas the demand for American Programmers will be low and colleges and Universities will get less interest in students wanting to be programmers because there is no demand in the job market for US Citizen Programmers. These actions and trends are bad for our education system and counter-productive for the United States of America.

Next time someone mentions something about lack of programmers blame in on the H1-b System, not our education system. I work at a community college and we have just about completely done away with our program in CIS or programming skills. We are focusing on Networking skills instead. I think this is directly related to H1-b visas."

Well said. What more do Americans need to know before they understand what is happening ?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please be concise and on topic. This blog is about jobs and foreign workers in the US, not about immigration reform.

Short comments are more readable than long treatises, as I keep reminding myself.

Why Do This ?

This year marks my 30th anniversary in the American IT industry, 18 years as a consultant, in roughly 100 projects in 30 companies. I have seen many changes in both technology and business.

However, these changes were nothing compared to the changes brought on us by the foreign worker programs ( H1B, L1, etc. ) of the last decade. I never thought I would live to see America lose its lead in Information Technology, yet that is what is happening before my eyes.

Proponents say that foreign worker programs help make America more competitive. As far as I can determine, the only competition in the H1B/ L1 worker programs is to see how far American politicians can shove their greedy snouts into the feeding trough. Competition in these give-away programs is so limited that, literally, Americans need not apply for jobs in the H1B market.

The Durbin-Grassley Bill is not perfect, but it will go a long way toward leveling the playing field to help young Americans compete for IT jobs in this country that are currently earmarked for foreign workers.

Summary of the Durbin-Grassley Bill

From Summary of H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2009 at govtrack.us, reformatted.

H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2009 -

Amends the the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise employer and government provisions regarding H-1B (specialty occupation) and L-1 (intracompany transfer) nonimmigrant aliens.

Amends H-1B employer application requirements to:

(1) revise wage determination requirements;
(2) require Internet posting and description of employment positions;
(3) lengthen U.S. worker displacement protection:
(4) apply certain requirements to all H-1B employers rather than only to H-1B dependent employers;
(5) prohibit employer advertising that makes a position available only to, or gives priority to, H-1B nonimmigrants;
(6) limit the number of H-1B and L-1 employees that an employer of 50 or more workers in the United States may hire.

Revises application review provisions. Authorizes the Department of Labor (DOL) to:

(1) investigate applications for fraud; and
(2) conduct H-1B compliance audits.

Directs DOL to conduct annual audits of companies with large numbers of H-1B workers.

Authorizes DOL to initiate H-1B employer application investigations. Increases employer penalties.

Revises provisions regarding initiation of employer violation investigations by DOL.

Provides for information sharing between DOL and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services regarding employer noncompliance.

Authorizes DOL to hire 200 additional employees to administer H-1B programs.

Prohibits, with a specified waiver by the Secretary of Homeland Security, an employer from hiring an L-1 nonimmigrant for more than one year who will:

(1) serve in a capacity involving specialized knowledge; and
(2) be stationed primarily at the worksite of an employer other than the petitioning employer

Specifies L-1:

(1) employer petition requirements for employment at a new office;
(2) wage rates and working conditions; and
(3) employer penalties.

Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to initiate an L-1 employer investigation.

Requires a report to Congress regarding the L-1 blanket petition process.

Also see description of the Durbin-Grassley Bill at durbin.senate.gov.

Job Nut

Saturday, October 3, 2009

To H1B or not to H1B - Redux

No comments:

Post a Comment

From Tiny Acorns ...

Subjects

Links

Blog Archive

Why Do This ?

Summary of the Durbin-Grassley Bill