H-1B Visa Changes

Senate Weighs H-1B Visa Changes"
CNet (09/27/04); Frauenheim, Ed
The Senate is mulling a revision to the H-1B visa program that would add an exemption for foreign-born U.S. graduates with master's or doctorate degrees, which has earned the ire of labor groups and the approval of the business community. WashTech President Marcus Courtney claims the exemption is a senseless measure, and cites a recent study indicating that unemployment among tech workers has significantly increased, refuting assertions that skilled U.S. workers are in short supply. The proposal is also opposed by the U.S. branch of the IEEE, whose representative, Vin O'Neill, argues that guest worker visas are sparking an increase in offshoring. On the other hand, Jeff Lande with the Information Technology Association of America contends that the United States channels a sizeable amount of resources into foreign grad students, noting that "If they can't stay, we're wasting that investment, and we're losing access to some of the best and brightest around." An anonymous aide to a Democratic senator says that the package Congress is considering would also require the institution of additional worker protections, including authorization for the Labor Department to randomly audit companies that may be in violation of the H-1B program. The chief sponsor of the bill, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), says he also wants to halt the practice among U.S. companies to bring in professional workers on L-1 visas so they can displace employees at third-party companies, and has called for a requirement that companies employing workers overseas have them on staff for at least a year prior to transferring them to a U.S. office on an L-1 visa. The anonymous aide says the package could be promoted as standalone legislation by the Senate Judiciary Committee, or be included in a larger bill.