Number of H-1B petitions soars as employers increase hiring ... of foreigners

[Newsjock]

Source: Computerworld

Demand for H-1B visas has accelerated over the last six to eight weeks after being flat for months. This comes as the number of companies planning to increase college hiring is also on the rise. Together, the trends may be early indicators of an improving economy for skilled professionals.

Throughout summer and into September, demand for H-1B visas flatlined at about 45,000 visa petitions. But on Friday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service released data showing that in two weeks alone it had received 3,300 H-1B petitions, continuing a spike that began in October that has increased the number of visas petitions to 58,900, approaching the 65,000 cap.

A separate H-1B cap of 20,000 for foreign workers who have earned an advanced degree from U.S. universities was reached in October.

If this demand for visas continues, the H-1B cap for the 2010 fiscal year may be met in a matter of days to early next year, according to estimates from a number of immigration attorneys.

... Vic Goel, of Goel & Anderson LLC in Reston, Va., said he has seen an increase in H-1B visa petitions in the last six to eight weeks, but also "a significant overall decline in the number of H-1Bs that we are filing for pure play IT positions." But he said, "I have seen slight increases in cases for school teachers, engineers, management analysts, product development roles (and other positions.)"

Read more: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9141648/H_1B_demand_spike_may_signal_improving_outlook_for_skilled_pros

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The headline on this story at the source is "H-1B demand spike may signal improving outlook for skilled pros," but that spin on this story seems disingenuous at best. It's clear that employers are practicing labor arbitrage and are doing everything they can to avoid paying U.S. wages to U.S. citizens.

[47of74]

1. H1-B's should be outlawed or severely restricted

[msongs]

2. make visa applicants fight in Obama's wars first nt

[ChromeFoundry]

12. now there's an idea n/t

[Subdivisions]

3. When will we as a nation of citizens realize that we are being systematically

transformed into a society that will have a standard of living equal to that of China or India or Cambodia? The Corporatocracy is sick and tired of paying us a decent living wage and is dtermined to create an environment in which we will jump at the opportunity to accept meager wages and sub-standard working conditions.

[zaj]

4. Foreign Students make up 60% of Science & Engineering Grad School...

The problem is that our own students don't want to do the hard work of an Engineering degree so we import those students who will. And employers need more technical employees with advanced degrees than ever before. So they need H1B visas to keep the jobs here.

Fix the "pipeline" problem of US students getting S&E advanced degrees and you can reduce the H1-B visa program.

This is a very real and very serious problem that needs to be fixed.

[Fumesucker]

6. A lot of it has to do with the fact that American students have to go into huge debt ..

While many foreign students have their education paid for.

There are a great many Americans with advanced technical degrees who are unemployed or underemployed.

Corporations prefer foreigners because they are easier to manipulate by threatening their immigration status.

[Johonny]

8. not really

I got a Chemistry PhD and no debt. Graduate school in many sciences are basically free. Yet still the vast majority of applicants and students are non-Americans. It has more to do with the rewards ($$) you get with your degree. 5-7 years of study for less money than you make in shorter time in law school or getting an MBA or just going into IT right out of school.

[Fumesucker]

16. A sample of one is hardly convincing..

And you didn't respond to my other points either.

[MattBaggins]

9. No they get subsidized and payed

Our kids are charged an arm and a leg. Make college more affordable and stop calling our kids lazy.

[tonysam]

10. That's the exact argument employers make about farm workers, and why

they "must" hire illegal immigrants for those jobs and not American citizens.

[OhioChick]

14. BS.....

The Science Education Myth
Forget the conventional wisdom. U.S. schools are turning out more capable science and engineering grads than the job market can support

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/oct2007/sb20071025_827398.htm

[MindPilot]

5. "Demand for skilled professionals" my ass!

The demand is for people with 15 years of experience, a half dozen certs and a CS degree who will do phone support for ten bucks an hour.

[HughMoran]

7. Tech-pros were hit hard by this recession, unlike in previous downturns

There are plenty of qualified people HERE IN THE US - those sleazy companies luring foreigners here who will work for shit wages should be boycotted.

[OhioChick]

11. I completely agree with your comment. n/t

[Lydia Leftcoast]

13. I would like to see H1-B applications refused unless the company could prove

that it couldn't find a qualified American AT ANY PRICE.

When I was in academia and still receiving job notices, ALL the ones from Canadian universities contained a paragraph saying that Canadian citizens and landed immigrants (i.e. legal residents) would get first priority.

It was frustrating for me personally, but I applaud their determination to take care of their own first.

[Chan790]

15. My question is...

why isn't anybody pushing this domestically? I don't mean the bought-and-paid-for Congressional corporatocracy...I mean the people on the ground...you would think organized labor would be all over this, both to protect the membership they have left and because it would endear them to a constituency that they should have organized years ago (Tech labor.) You'd think think-tanks and public interest organizations would be all over this. Hell, it's a winning issue with the crazy teabagger minuteman nutjobber living next door that flies his Gadsten Flag and quotes Glenn Beck at me all day long. (Once I explained what an H1-B visa was and once he looked up what I was telling him so he knew I wasn't lying to him or trying to sell him on any of my Socialist tendencies.)


Gadsten Flag.

[nilram]

17. Arg, I hit "un-rec" when I was reaching for the "recommend" link

No wonder I'm not getting hired -- those foreigners click the right link all the time. If someone would hit the "rec" button, I'd appreciate it.