H-1B workers outnumber unemployed techies

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133529

As unemployment among tech workers increases with the recession, the U.S. government is raising broad questions as part of a federal case over H-1Bs about the connection of visa fraud to the unemployment of IT workers.

The government's interest in H-1B fraud-related unemployment turned up in court filings in a case in U.S. District Court in Iowa against a New Jersey IT firm, Visions Systems Group in South Plainfield, NJ, which was indicted in February on visa-related fraud charges.

Visions Systems was included in a sweep that led to arrests of some 11 people in six states. The government, in announcing its action, said the companies and people involved were "displacing qualified American workers," but didn't identify how many. In court papers filed last month, the U.S. indicated it may be getting ready to do just that.

There are plenty of smart American workers that need these jobs.

Not all H1B holders are in IT - indeed none of our are, virtually all of ours are in extremely specific international roles. In their absence these positions and those of their support staff simply wouldn't exist. We advertise for these positions and pretty much the only people we hear from are either professors looking for jobs for their foreign grad students and immigrants who have been in America for decades and aren't exactly up on the latest accounting rules in the old country.

on the theory and focus on the practical practice. Americans and American immigrants could do the jobs you describe. There are a lot of unemployed American Accountants who could learn a foreign language and the current international accounting rules.

And if you can, where does an American go to become experienced in the field?

We have more Americans working for us overseas than foreigners working for us in the United States, personally I am working in Canada. Should we fire every single expatriate, bring them home to be unemployed in the US and give their jobs to locals who won't be as capable of doing their jobs as the fired American expats?

Should I be tarred and feathered with maple syrup and chased to the airport by some angry dudes with hockey sticks screaming death to america?

The issue with all visas is visa fraud, the pot banging committee has put all the focus on the H1B when L1 fraud is a larger problem and K1 visa fraud takes the cake by a mile. There are companies in India "hiring" guys before their old enough to shave so they can be "transferred" to America on an L1 visa soon after graduation. Their are chicks with 60 husbands they have never met who entered the US on K1 fiance visas.

All visa programs are abused, but rather than address the visa fraud cottage industry people want to declare war on a stamp in a passport. If a party is willing to obtain a fraudulent H1B visa, they will be just as happy to obtain a fraudulent L1 visa.