Worker Protections Sought Amid Efforts to Increase High-Tech Visas

Work on the so-called comprehensive immigration reform bill has been delayed while Senators argue over the inclusion of worker protections in the high-tech industry. Some are pushing for higher wages for those entering under H-1B visas, and penalties for high-end H-1B users, so that such workers do not displace citizens and legal residents.Companies like Microsoft, Apple and Google are demanding more H-1B visas, which are now capped at 65,000 annually plus an additional 20,000 for those with advanced degrees from U.S. universities. That cap was reached last Friday one week after USCIS made the visas available. The Associated Press reports that Gang of Eight Senators are considering raising the cap to around 100,000, with the ability to go as high as 150,000. The legislation also is likely to offer permanent residency to unlimited numbers of people who get advanced degrees in science, technology or math from U.S. universities.But the effort is shining a spotlight on abuses under the current H-1B visa system. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has long argued that H-1B using companies are simply replacing American workers with cheaper foreign labor. Moreover, the Economic Policy Institute’s Daniel Costa says that the top 10 users of H-1B visas – mostly companies in India — import workers at lower cost than Americans, and then send them back home to compete with American companies. Some Gang of Eight Senators are pushing to include fees and other penalties for firms that use large numbers of H-1B workers. These measures include higher wages for companies in which H-1B workers make up more than 30 percent of the workforce. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. also is demanding a prohibition on companies hiring more than 50 percent of their workers on H-1B visas, and requirements to hire American workers first.Durbin spokesman Max Gleischman said the Senator “has advocated for meaningful reforms of the H-1B visa program for years, and that hasn’t changed in these negotiations. Any discussion of raising H-1B caps must also include protections for American workers and safeguards to ensure American jobs aren’t being shipped overseas.”Read here for more information.