Thread: Bush asks for more visas for high-tech workers

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11150079/

Bush asks for more visas for high-tech workers


By Rebecca Knight in Boston
Financial Times
Updated: 8:43 p.m. ET Feb. 2, 2006


President George W. Bush, who is touring the country as part of a weeks-long campaign to promote his 2006 agenda, called on Congress yesterday to raise the number of visas that allow companies to fill high-tech jobs with foreign workers.

"The problem is. . . that Congress has limited the number of H-1B visas," Mr Bush said, referring to the name of the official passport endorsement. "I think it's a mistake not to encourage more really bright folks who can fill the jobs that are having trouble being filled in America, to limit their number.  So I call upon Congress to be realistic and reasonable to raise that cap."

The H-1B visa, which allows US employers to have access to highly educated foreign professionals, many of whom work in scientific research, medicine and technology, has been a point of contention between business and government over the past two years. High-tech industries battling talent shortages blame the visa programme's low cap on approved new workers.

In 1990 – the year it took effect – the cap was set at 65,000. That number was progressively raised by Congress during the technology boom and hit an all-time high for fiscal years 2001 through to 2003, at 195,000. In 2004, however, the cap dropped back to 65,000 and has stayed there since.

"It's clear we don't have enough workers with math and science degrees and in a workforce of 140m a cap of 65,000 is way too low," said Randy Johnson, the vice-president for labour, immigration and employee benefits at the US Chamber of Commerce. "The cap has filled almost immediately over the past two years."

Sandra Boyd, at the National Association of Manufacturers, the industry body, said that reforms to both the H-1B visa and green card programmes were key to helping US employers maintain their ability to create jobs in the US.

But Richard Elmore, a senior research fellow at the consortium for policy research in education at Harvard University, said the proposed change was little more than a "stop-gap Â*measure".

"I don't have anything against inviting people in but it doesn't address the main problem and that is the fairly major underinvestment in education in this country," he said. "We haven't built the talent pool."

"The problem is. . . that Congress has limited the number of H-1B visas," Mr Bush said, referring to the name of the official passport endorsement. "I think it's a mistake not to encourage more really bright folks who can fill the jobs that are having trouble being filled in America, to limit their number.  So I call upon Congress to be realistic and reasonable to raise that cap."

I take it that these are different from the jobs that "Americans just won't do".

When this jerk gets done, many Americans will be lucky to have a job at all.

355,605 Legal H-1B (mostly from India) w/ jobs Americans were fired from.
2,604,029 Illegal H-1Bs who overstayed their visas.
They forgot to go home.
Need proof? http://www.zazona.com/ShameH1B/Libra...s/VisaGlut.PDF
Oh it's worse than you think. Hold onto your hat when you look at the L-1 visa count. The L-1s don't have to go home and there is no cap.

Just like the H-1Bs, Americans are forced to train them right before being fired.

Senator Cornyn, you think H-1Bs are ok to have around? Huh? Go ask 500 ex-USAA employees (mostly over 40 year old) who were fired in January 2003 right after training their H-1B replacements from India.
Oh, Senator,Cornyn, how can we forget it was you that founded the taxpayer funded "Friends of India" political action committee!



All about how the H-1Bs DESTROY AMERICAN JOBS!
AND
http://www.antioffshore.org/index.ph...d=132&Itemid=2

Just one very small request, if I may.
At least, deport the 2.6 million illegal H-1Bs* who forgot to go home!

*They're just as illegal as illegal aliens arriving from Mexico!
ILLEGAL is ILLEGAL, SENATOR

Bush is a horrible rotten bastard who has nothing, but contempt for this nation and it's people. All Americans might end up unemployeed by the time this a-hole is done his term. I guess according to Bush, American citizens don't want these high tech, high paying jobs either. This is such a farce, the corporations are running this country and we are being played for suckers. Get these maniac out of our government now. My only hope left for 2006 is that the Republicans lose their majority and the Democrats gain the majority to impeach this clown.