The disconnect has never been more pronounced between the supply and demand of H-1B visas, the visa program that allows guest workers in the United States. The technology industry has been at the forefront of the H-1B visa debate, lobbying for the government to allow more foreign workers into the U.S. each year. The number of H-1B visa applications for 2009 probably reached the legislated cap of 65,000 on the first day of this year's week-long filing period, which ended April 7, as did applications for advanced degree exemptions, which are capped at 20,000.
May 14th 2008
Part 1 of this two-part series enumerates the ways in which the guest-worker visa program fails to meet the needs of American workers and the high-tech industry. Part 2 digs further into the arguments for and against the H-1B visa program, as well as the trends and motivations underlying them. "Google and other American companies are in a fierce competition with companies around the world for top talent. If U.S. employers are unable to hire the brightest candidates ... foreign competitors will," said Keith Wolfe, Google's global mobility manager.