H-1B demand drops

Oh what a difference a year makes. The loud, unrelenting demand to expand the number of H-1B visas available for software companies, IT firms and other employers, in order to hire foreign workers has become a whisper. With the economy in the tank, the demand has dropped dramatically. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) has received 45,000 applications for H-1B visas since April 1, which is under the yearly cap. In the past two years, applications for all 65,000 visa spots had been filled up within two days, reports USA Today.

"It's because the economy's tanking," Carl Shusterman, a Los Angeles immigration attorney told USA Today.

Technology companies have argued for years that they cannot get qualified candidates to fill highly skilled jobs, and must turn to workers from overseas. The Programmers Guild, an organization for computer programmers, has argued that H-1B visas allow companies to get rid of Americans and hire lower-paid foreign workers.

For more on this controversial visa program:
- see this USA Today article

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