H-1B visa program promotes illegal immigration-take action!!

Take action on stopping more visas!

Dear Faxer:

Tell your Rep: The H-1B visa program exacerbates illegal immigration   You can find this fax by proceeding to http://www.numbersusa.com/faxes?ID=9834 Nearly HALF of all illegal aliens in the United States entered legally at first with a visa. The H-1B visa program is a major contributor to our illegal immigration crisis. Reject any bill that expands the H-1B program. While a bill to reduce illegal immigration (H.R. 4088) remains in limbo, Members of the House are rushing to expand the H-1B visa program, which imports foreign workers to take American jobs, many of whom overstay their visas and become illegal aliens. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz) has introduced the Innovation Employment Act (H.R. 5630), which would DOUBLE the current H-1B visa cap to 130,000 per fiscal year. H.R. 5630 would further raise the cap to 180,000, for five years beginning in 2010, if the 130,000 cap is reached during the 2009 fiscal year. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) has introduced the Strengthening United States Technology and Innovation Act (H.R. 5642), which would TRIPLE the current H-1B visa cap to 195,000 in 2008 and 2009. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) is calling for a bill that would make Rep. Smith's increases permanent. House Chief Deputy Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) recently made the erroneous statement that H-1B visas are "not tied up to the larger issue of illegal immigration." Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas) have introduced a bill that would practically staple a green card to the diploma of every foreign student who gets their Ph.D. from an American University. Please send this fax to your representative and ask them to reject bills to import more foreign workers and support bills that will help Americans keep their jobs instead.

Thanks Nancy for this posting. The bad news is that these bills are being marketed as all legal, 'good for the economy', mom & apple pie and not associated with the illegals amnesty issue. And the broad public is not watching now as they were last June. 

Clearly these visa increases quickly fill the pipeline (10 yrsx200k = 2 mil) leading to either overstays (who is going to go back after 6 years in USA?) or choking the legal channel. Either way then leads to more cries for amnesty or for increaing the legal quota from an already high 1.2 million per year.

There is really not much difference between someone jumping a fence or coming legally on a plane - if either leads to same result = Amnesty.

For those who have seen the H1-B Visa program in action, even at current levels, it is a complete scam.  Employers become very inventive when it comes to defining their needs in such a way as to undercut an equally qualified citizen/legal resident.  Supposedly that is a violation of the program, but, like so many other enforcement issues, it is totally ignored.

The whole H!-B Visa program should be disbanded until such time as the letter of the law is adhered to.

The EU is having their problems with immigration also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSsKj2xwx_U&feature=related

algebra said:

The EU is having their problems with immigration also.

Mostly Muslims. We have mostly Mexican. The H1B going on now is for about 90K mostly from India. They rarely are criminals as most are engineers so this immigration process has not made the news until now. About 50% return. The others end up staying.

Reply from DeFazio:

Thanksfor your message. Like you, I am opposed to expanding the H‑1Bvisa program for the simple reason that with thousands of Americans unemployed and underemployed, thereis no reason to import foreign workers.

Asthe RAND Corporation, a non‑partisanresearch firm, concluded in a report,"Despite recurring concerns about potential shortages ofscientific, technical, engineering, andmathematics (STEM) inthe U.S.work force, particularly in engineering and informationtechnology, we did not find evidence that such shortages have existed at least since 1990, nor that theyare on the horizon."

Eventhe Bush administration's own Bureau of Labor Statistics acknowledges the rising unemployment among Americanengineers and computer scientists. Unemploymentamong high‑techworkers is now higher than the overall jobless rate for the first time in more than 30 years.And, there is growing evidence that importingworkers is driving down wages for American workers.Given all that,I oppose an expansion of the H‑1Bprogram.

It'sodd that for years we've been hearing fromcorporate giants and economic gurus that workers who are losing their jobs in manufacturing will simplybe retrained for high‑techjobs. Increasing the importation of foreign workers under H‑1Bvisas makes a mockery of that promise by not only undercutting the wage andjob prospects for skilled workers currently employed in the high‑techfield, but reducing opportunities for unemployed Americans to find work in these industries.

Thanksagain for writing. Please keep in touch.

elaina, no it is not you!! I have the same problem, even with the phone company. I always ask where they are located, most of the time it is in a foreign country, even the other day my bank was in India.

Also off subject, but as a warning I am on the do-not call list.Have been getting calls. One from Wells Fargo Bank wanting to know about my insurance, the person could barely speak English! Called Wells Fargo corporate. They were not and never do that type thing. I went to browser and typed in phone number and got all kinds of info on that number. Filed a complaint with FCC.

Here is the response I received from Rep. Gifords: 

Thank you for your communication concerning non-immigrant visas, particularly H-1B's. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this important issue.

I continue to support comprehensive immigration reform, but Congress must take action to address the lack of high-tech employees. We cannot allow the Senate's inaction on comprehensive reform to adversely impact America 's economic well-being. That is why I have introduced H.R. 5630, the Innovation Employment Act, to help high-tech companies get the employees they need. My bill would help ensure that U.S.-educated graduates with upper-level degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics can be hired by U.S. employers.

There are currently 70 non-immigrant (or temporary) visa categories specified in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), and they are commonly referred to by the letter that denotes their section in the statute. The major non-immigrant category for temporary workers is the H visa and the largest classification of H visas is the H-1B visa for workers in specialty occupations.

Immigration regulations define "specialty occupation" as requiring theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge in fields of human endeavor including, but not limited to, architecture, engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences, medicine and health, education, law, accounting, business specialties, theology and the arts, and requiring the attainment of a bachelor's degree or its equivalent as a minimum.

According to INA data, in fiscal year 2005, 45.3% of H-1B new arrivals in the U.S. were employed in computer-related fields. More than one-third of H-1B holders (39.3%) have earned master's degrees and another 17.1% have either professional degrees or doctorates. The demand for H1-B visas in the United States correlates to the continued lagging interest in science, math, engineering, and technology (STEM) educations among American students.

Today, only 17% of U.S. college students receive undergraduate degrees in science and engineering compared to 52% in China and 41% in Koreas . The decline in U.S. students' interest in these degrees has resulted in foreign nationals receiving more than 50% of all engineering doctorate degrees awarded by U.S. colleges. Can someone confirm these figures?

The prospective H-1B non-immigrants must demonstrate to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Bureau (USCIS) in the Department of Homeland Security that they have the requisite education and work experience for the posted positions. They must also pass a background check and indicate that they are not planning to permanently immigrate to the United States . USCIS initially approves H-1B non-immigrants' petitions (assuming all immigration and national security requirements are satisfied) for periods up to three years.

As America 's high-tech sector continues to grow, specialty occupation employees are in particularly high demand. In April 2007, the 2008 cap for H-1B visas was reached on the first day applications were accepted. U.S. technology companies that are struggling to find qualified employees and unable to obtain H-1B visas, are re-assessing their global workforce planning and often filling positions overseas until they are able to place workers here in the U.S.

It is critical that we take steps to keep these jobs here in the United States , prioritize the hiring of Americans first, and simultaneously ensure that U.S. corporations are able to access the talent they currently need to compete in the global marketplace. This is a delicate, critically important balance.

America 's fastest growing economic sector is the innovation and high-tech sector. It has contributed more than $2 trillion to the U.S. economy over the past decade through economic growth and productivity. Innovation industries include companies in Southern Arizona and across the country. With 48% of Arizona 's exports currently coming from high-tech industries, our state must remain competitive - constantly pursuing the innovative edge.

Global competitiveness, economic prosperity and the leadership of our nation in science and technology are not partisan issues. We need to find our way out of the mire of political rhetoric and work together towards common sense solutions to complex workforce issues.

I always appreciate hearing from constituents, like you, who are informed and interested about issues of importance to Arizona and the nation. My job as your representative is to help you connect with federal agencies, access services and get your questions answered thoroughly. Please do not hesitate to contact me again in the future if you require assistance and sign-up for e-news updates on my website at www.giffords.house.gov.

Sincerely,

Gabrielle Giffords

Member of Congress

Perhaps it isn't that U.S. students aren't interested in obtaining degrees in science , engineering and math, but is in fact due in part to the cost of obtaining such education. It seems congress is more interested in obtaining education for illegals by granting in-state tuition , grants etc. while citizens are finding less and less funding available-- not to mention the in-state tuition perk.

And it sure would be helpful if all the good jobs weren't being outsourced to other countries!!

"It's odd that for years we've been hearing from corporate giants and economic gurus that workers who are losing their jobs in manufacturing will simplybe retrained for high‑techjobs. Increasing the importation of foreign workers under H‑1Bvisas makes a mockery of that promise by not only undercutting the wage andjob prospects for skilled workers currently employed in the high‑techfield, but reducing opportunities for unemployed Americans to find work in these industries."

My heavens, a politician who sees it like the people do...he's a keeper. I know some young people who are extremely technically talented. They are in their early twenties. They had drug problems and arrests in their teens. When I ask them why they are not going to school for IT, they tell me that the friends they have who are skilled and have had similar problems cannot find work and tell them not to waste their time getting an IT degree.

Wonder why that letter from DeFazio has so many typing space errors???

I stopped buying Dell computers because they outsourced their technical support to India (I guess it was)....I couldn't understand much of what was said to me when I had trouble and called tech help. 

The dumbing down in school is valid...how can Johnny progress in school when he is held back to "accomodate" all those non-English kids that don't want to learn English and whose parents don'g speak English at home.

This country has gone to *...... fill in your own words and maybe it will make your day

McCain says FU to American students!!!

I will NOT vote for this prick.......... I'll write in Rep. Tancredo........