As the economy plunged, it was only natural that someone would point fingers at immigrants. Even if the facts are different, immigrants are always an easy target. It’s this time the H-1B professionals who, according to a poorly researched and distorted Associated Press story somehow manage to earn more and less than native-born workers.
Let’s clarify. H-1B is an integral part of the U.S. business immigration system. The H-1B program gives U.S. employers temporary, highly-educated access to foreign talent. “specialty occupations”Teachers, engineers, and researchers are all examples.
The H-1B program allows for only 85,000 foreign workers to be hired each year. This is less than 1 in 1,700 of the approximately 145 million U.S. workers.
Importantly, these ranks include employees of multinational corporations and foreign-owned companies, who have recently invested more that $1 trillion in the United States annually, creating well over 5,000,000 American jobs.
The H-1B quota did not provide enough resources to meet the demand of companies looking to export American-made products to foreign markets or address shortages of certain skills. In 2007, Microsoft opened a large new Canadian development center.
There are still special needs and shortages in bad times such as now that can lead to new H-1B applications. The H-1B system is self-adjusting. H-1B workers will be laid off in times of economic recessions like this one, so there will likely not be as many H-1B petitions filed.
Unsupported assertion: “Foreigners are attractive hires because companies pay them less than American workers”It is simply wrong. Employers are legally required to pay H-1B workers the same amount as U.S. workers in comparable positions. Employers are required to pay $2,320 per application to the government for fees that help with H-1B compliance and training U.S. employees.
H-1B visas can now only be obtained once a year. This means that employers must plan ahead and file petitions before April 1 to hire someone six months later. While finding scapegoats will not solve our economic problems; a fair and rational immigration strategy is an important step in the right direction.
