h1 b visa

Getting around H-1B visas

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 06:59:59 -0400

A federal lawsuit has been filed in New Jersey charging the Bush administration with illegally making an end run around the current limits for the H1-B visa program. The Immigration Reform Law Institute, the Programmers Guild and others said the administration has improperly extended the time foreign nationals can work in the U.S. on student visas from one year to 29 months.

"They did this with absolutely no legal basis," said John Miano, founder of The Programmers Guild in Summit, N.J. The government's move has been supported by tech companies that have been pressing unsuccessfully to raise the H-1B visa caps so they can hire more foreign workers. Opponents say the H-1B program and new new student visa extension hurt U.S. workers.

For more on this incendiary debate:
- check out this ComputerWorld.com article

H-1B abuse pays off

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:59:59 -0400

American IT professionals often complain that they are being undercut by the H1-B Visa system when companies hire foreign workers at lower salaries even when qualified, tech-savvy U.S. citizens are available. If you need evidence that this practice is taking place, you need look no further than the Justice Department's settlement with iGate Mastech. The government charged the Pittsburgh-based computer consulting company with placing 30 job announcements between May and June of 2006 for computer programmers that expressly favored H-1B visa holders while excluding U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and other legal U.S. workers. It appears that gaming the system may have been worth it to the company, which paid only $45,000 in civil penalties to settle allegations that it discriminated against U.S. citizens.

To read more about abuse of the system:
- See this ComputerWorld article

SPOTLIGHT:U.S. to notify H1-B lottery winners

Mehan Jayasuriya — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:46:04 -0400

There sure is a lot of controversy surrounding the H1-B visa program for skilled foreign workers, but one thing is for sure: There's never a shortage of folks looking to score one of the highly sought-after visas. Following the rush to file applications just a few days ago, the first winners will be notified on the 29th of this month. Article

Tech dodges H1-B visa limits by moving to Canada

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Microsoft is setting an interesting precedent by opening a new center near Vancouver, British Columbia that will allow the company to "recruit and retain highly skilled people affected by immigration issues in the U.S." and station them near its Redmond, WA headquarters. After sending Bill Gates across the country to lobby for an increase in the number of workers that can enter the country using the H1-B visa--and losing--Microsoft is executing its own work-around strategy. InformationWeek reports that the company will open a new software development center in Canada this fall. The facility will initially house 200 workers, "with room to grow," and the new facility will develop software for the full range of Microsoft's products. The Vancouver center will be staffed with "a mix" of Canadian-born workers and workers from other countries.

For more on Microsoft's H1-B workaround:
- read more in InformationWeek. Article

Senate Bill would give domestic tech workers preference

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:01:39 -0400

As the market tightens and CIOs continue their global search for good technologists, they may want to carefully watch a new Senate proposal that would force high-tech companies to give priority to American job seekers over those seeking H-1B visas. The bill is proposing that executives, including CIOs, pledge a "good faith" effort to hire an American worker before hiring someone with an H1-B visa. CIOs, and other executives, would also have to advertise job openings for 30 days on the Department of Labor's web site before submitting applications for candidates that need H1-B visas. An initiative started in 1990, the H1-B visa program allows foreigners with at least a bachelor's degree to work in the U.S. for up to six years.

Continue to follow the progress of this Senate bill:
- read this CNET article

Big push for more H1-B visas

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 19:01:39 -0500

Advocates of increasing the controversial H1-B visa limit are hoping that Congress passes the Securing Knowledge, Innovation and Leadership Act of 2006 (SKIL) before closing down for the year. The proposal would boost the current cap from 65,000 to 115,000 next year and is getting bipartisan support, likely due to heavy lobbying from tech vendors and industry organizations. Yet, a good portion of U.S. tech workers are against the proposal, claiming it is a way for companies to hire cheaper workers. Vendors and industry groups say the visa cap prevents knowledgeable foreign workers from coming into the states to work.

For more on the H1-B debate:
- read the news at InfoWorld

Related Article: How opinion has changed on the visa program. Article

Where politicos stand on tech issues

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 19:01:35 -0500

With Election Day just around the corner, it's a good time to review who is for, and against, tech-related initiatives like the H1-B visa program, which would institute stricter federal rules on data sharing. Find out who voted yay and nay on proposals ranging from Internet taxes to legislative amendments stipulating Congressional reporting on electronic surveillance techniques used by the FBI.

For more on where politicians stand on tech issues:
- check out the voting scorecard at News.com

Related Articles:
H1-B visa issue still looms in Congress. Report
Why the H1-B visa is good for IT. Report

ALSO NOTED: H1-B visa proposal stalled for now; Why BEA has taken a "blended" approach with open source; and much more...

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 20:01:33 -0400

> H1-B visa proposal stalled for now. Article

> Why BEA has taken a "blended" approach with open source. Article

> Tools for stemming data breaches and data leaks. Article

> SAP hires on a new tech leader. Article

> Companies enforcing email, Web surfing policies with firings. Article

And Finally... Check your watch to see who's calling. Article

Why the H1-B visa is good for IT

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 20:01:35 -0400

The phrase 'H1-B visa' elicits lots of vocal opinions on whether the immigration program should be expanded or not and the impact that such visa programs are having on the IT industry. Most professionals within the tech community aren't thrilled about raising the visa cap, though big companies are pushing for it, saying it's needed to fill workforce requirements. As one pundit notes, the visa program is actually a good thing for both business and IT workers and that there aren't enough U.S.-based workers to fill the openings today.

For more on why the H1-B is needed:
- read this article at Optimize

ALSO NOTED: US hits H1-B visa limit; Snafu shuts down AOL email; and much more...

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 20:01:33 -0400

> U.S. hits H1-B visa limit. Article

> Funlove virus rears up after six-year hiatus. Article

> Software snafu shuts down AOL email for three hours. Article

> Big city CIOs now sharing insight, experiences with each other. Article

> Study highlights issues in retaining African-American IT staff. Article

> Grid computing seems to be losing its allure. Article

> Red Hat's 'Mugshot' promotes social networking in open source fashion. Article

> Majority of healthcare enterprises looking to roll out mobile services. Article

And Finally... Arctic was once a tropical paradise. Article