H-1B visa demand heads south - like the economy

With a sour economy and tech jobs being cut, the demand for H-1B visa applications this year is on the decline--at least as the current numbers stand.

In April 2008, within just five days, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services received 163,000 applications for the 85,000 visas that were available. This year is different. As of last Thursday, nine days into the filing period for fiscal 2010, only 62,000 visa petitions had been submitted, reports Computerworld.com.

It was no surprise that the numbers had changed. Nevertheless, immigration lawyers predicted that the available supply would be exhausted again although not quite with the frenzy of past years. With the economy in the throws of a recession, employers are putting a greater emphasis on hiring American workers, buying American goods and abandoning offshore outsourcing.

Is this a shift in what's been a very turbulent issue? It's hard to tell right now, but it could be a change that may result in more American IT workers getting hired here in the United States and a move away from foreign workers.

For more on H-1B visas:
- check out this Computerworld.com article

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