POLL - H1B visa ki waat lagegee? WIll H1B visa be abolished?

[Zen]

what do you think? in the light of these new articles??

H1-B visa ban to hit 65,000 Indians seeking US jobs

Educated and highly-qualified Indians hoping to get cushy jobs in the United States, especially in that country's software sector, may have their dreams quashed if a legislation to ban the issue of H1-B visas is debated and passed as law.

At present, nearly 65,000 Indians come to the United States every year and get jobs, mostly in California's Silicon Valley, and if this ban is enforced, immigrant analysts warn that America could face major employee shortfalls in the hi-tech and computer- related industries

According to the legislation's chief sponsor, Thomas Tancredo, who spoke exclusively to ANI on the issue, his sponsoring of this legislation has nothing to do with a specific group, especially Indians, whom he acknowledges and describes as a very hardworking people with significant competency levels.

"What I say to them (US Congress and his constituents) is that it's got nothing to do with India. It's got everything to do with American workers. You are right that we have a large amount of people here from India. Um, that's a testament to their capabilities, more than anything else because I think there's a general understanding and a broad-based acknowledgement of the fact that they are hard-working people with a very significant competencies, and that they will work for less. And so they are prime candidates for someone to import," Tancredo, a US Republican Representative from Colorado, says.

In 2002, nearly 65,000 Indians won H1-B visas, a special permit to work in the United States. That's about a third of the total of nearly 200,000 H1-B visas granted annually. House of Representatives Resolution 2688 is designed to end this special immigration programme that presently allows foreign workers to come to the US for a limited period of time.

"It's a very simple bill. Its says that essentially we don't need this visa category and we're going to eliminate it. "I'm the chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus. One of the things that we have noticed over the past ten years especially, but more in the past few years, is an incredible amount of fraud in this particular programme, in this visa category," says Tancredo.

"As the economy of the world has been globalised, it becomes apparent that what corporations are doing here in the United States anyway is using this visa category to bring people in from other countries and displace American workers, because foreign workers will work for less," he said.

"And, even though, the bill is set up so this is not supposed to happen, it does. It happens in huge numbers. And so, that's the reason why I think we need to eliminate it," Tancredo added.

The Republican Party leader is in no doubt that the H1-B issue is an economic one that needs to be addressed to ensure employment safeguards for Americans.

"Totally an economic issue. I have people in my neighbourhood, know, I have literally thousands of my constituents who have been thrown out of work because they have been displaced by foreign workers, who will work for less. That's the bottom line.

That's the way it has turned out," Tancredo said.

"Now, am I supposed to just sit there and say to them, like it or lump it? You're going to have to get used to it. Yah! You're going to lose your house, you'll lose your way of life, and maybe you'll have to start doing something that you for that you are not trained, such as flipping hamburgers, but that's just the way it is. Tough, the government isn't going to try to help you. Now, I'm not about to say that to my constituents, I'm going to say that I'm going to try my best to help," he adds.

"What's happening is that a lot of people are being brought here under H1-B and L-1 visa categories, trained and then they go back and take the job with them. My thought is that this is not a very good idea for American workers."

"This bill does not stop that except to the extent that it does stop someone who is coming here just for the purpose of learning just what the trade is, to learn the ins and outs of the business and then to take the business back, lets say to India or to any other place in the world. It's something that we're going to have to work through, it's very difficult," he says.

"It's going to be a question as whether or not Americans are willing to surrender their standard of living in order to accommodate the needs and desires of American corporations in the high-tech sector."

Immigration analysts, however, say, converting this legislation into law is a bad idea. They argue that H1-B visas are necessary to fill jobs where there aren't enough trained Americans, especially for the Silicon Valley, which is home to America's high-tech and computer industries.

Since the fall of the dotcom era in the US, the American economy has been struggling to get back on its feet. While there are signs of recovery, the rate of unemployment in the US remains stubbornly high, with an estimated nine million people out of work.

What really makes this a political issue for US representatives is that some of these workers lost their high-paying jobs two years ago, and cannot find comparable employment, says Tancredo.

Tancredo would also like to see an end to the outsourcing of American jobs to places like India.

[echarcha]

This is more bad news for us Indians!



A law to ban H1B visas might pass and it means more bad news in an already gloomy economy.

US H1-B visa ban to hit 65,000 Indians

[echarcha]

The times are bad. So every politician will try to do somehting which will ensure his/her reelection. Due to this, the H1 visa will be the proverbial 'sacrificial lamb'.

[DesiBaba]

didnt quite understand it...so who exactly is gonna get affected?hte people who are gonna recieve H1 in tha future or all those hwo already hold a H1??

[Zen]

This is like killing two birds with one stone!

Kill H1 - make locals happy.
Save L1 in the process - make corporates happy.

[Zen]

Originally posted by DesiBaba
didnt quite understand it...so who exactly is gonna get affected?hte people who are gonna recieve H1 in tha future or all those hwo already hold a H1??

in the furure desibaba ... but I am confused about h1 extentions. may be it is also yet to be decided.

[echarcha]

Originally posted by DesiBaba
didnt quite understand it...so who exactly is gonna get affected?hte people who are gonna recieve H1 in tha future or all those hwo already hold a H1??

If they ban H1B tomorrow morning, then there will be chaos for sure.

But if you think practically, what will this ban ensue?

Most likely all applications currently in process for extension or renewal or transfer will be halted. No new applications will be acccepted from people who are overseas and wishing to join work here.

[DesiBaba]

hmm..sounds scary..but i dunno man..somehow i feel yaar imagine if all chinkus invade tha IT dept in India and Indians have no work to do..saala udhar India mein to public un chinkuon ko din dahadey jalaa detey..
what say?

[GpeL]

Originally posted by Zen
This is like killing two birds with one stone!

Kill H1 - make locals happy.
Save L1 in the process - make corporates happy.

Actually, they should do the reverse. L1 is killing the job market not H1. If the shut down H1 program, there will be new legislation brought in again to get something new to let employers get foreign workers. May be they will say pay MORE than prevailing wages instead of "pay prevailing wages". They cannot shut out H1 workers fully.

Also, there are various other lochas. For example SS tax et. al.

Lawsuits will fly.. bahut locha hoinga. I dont see this bill getting anywhere.

At most they will ammend it and make it more stricter and ask more paperwork etc. But don't think they can afford to scrap it fully.

L1 might get the axe though.

[Zen]

Originally posted by DesiBaba
hmm..sounds scary..but i dunno man..somehow i feel yaar imagine if all chinkus invade tha IT dept in India and Indians have no work to do..saala udhar India mein to public un chinkuon ko din dahadey jalaa detey..
what say?

abey ye angle kidhar se layaa? Tu afternoon mey happy hour kyon shuru kiya?

The H1 issue is in USA not in India.

Pelu,

you are right, they are not talking about any ban on L1 though! ...this is goofy!!

[echarcha]

is saying that H1B and L1 have been misused. There have been large number of frauds in this program.

Well, I can say that many bodyshoppers too are partly to blame for the fraud.

But overall, if they shut down H1 program, I am sure that Indians will go to Europe and other destinations and help those nations to get ahead in the IT race.

[DesiBaba]

Originally posted by Zen
abey ye angle kidhar se layaa? Tu afternoon mey happy hour kyon shuru kiya?

The H1 issue is in USA not in India.

Pelu,

you are right, they are not talking about any ban on L1 though! ...this is goofy!!

arrey yaar wha i m tryna say is that,had i been a hardcore white guy,i would've pressed this issue of scrappin H1 visas...why?becoz imagine *mah above post*

[DesiBaba]

Originally posted by echarcha

Well, I can say that many bodyshoppers too are partly to blame for the fraud.

yup..

[echarcha]

that many young folks in US who are in college, dont want to study high tech. They want to do courses like anthropology, business management, marine biology, arts, media, and other non-high tech courses.

So once economy picks up, there will be shortage again for IT.

[Zen]

Originally posted by DesiBaba
arrey yaar wha i m tryna say is that,had i been a hardcore white guy,i would've pressed this issue of scrappin H1 visas...why?becoz imagine *mah above post*

ohh .. I see what you mean!

On the same note - I'd like to add -
Yes if the similar had happened in India - Indians would have been furious too but here the protestors are heard better. But aren't Indians frustrated about SC/ST/OBC quotas and don't they tolerate this vote bank of BSP and Congress(I)! So the 'savarn' protestors are always at loss - in home and in the adapted land!

Lets see how fast these guys are - as far as taking any decision is concerned!