AILF Report on the Benefits of H-1B
AILF Report on the Benefits of H-1B
Date: Saturday, September 13, 2003 7:01 PM
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
www.ZaZona.com
Another shill report on the virtues of H-1B has been released, and this
one is potentially more dangerous than the Zavodny report discussed in
a previous newsletter. That's because it was written by Stuart Anderson
who used to be the Executive Associate Commissioner for Policy and
Planning and Counselor to the Commissioner at the Immigration and
Naturalization Service from August 2001 to January 2003. Apparently
Anderson quit working for the government in favor of being a highly
paid shill for the American Immigration Law Foundation (AILF).
This report is obviously biased but that won't stop the proponents of
H-1B from using this study in news articles, and reporters will rarely
seek to find out who paid for this piece of trash. Expect to see the
Anderson and Zavodny reports to be used often in the near future.
As can be seen from the two news articles below, the press is already
picking up on Anderson's report. ZDNetIndia calls Anderson's report "a
shot in the arm for Indian IT professionals."
For the record, let's call this report what it really is: A kick in the
groin for the American Middle class!
Stuart Anderson's sham report can be seen at:
http://www.ailf.org/ipc/ipf0903.asp
So why, you may ask, are all these reports coming out in support of
H-1B? We don't know for sure, but in all likelihood it's in preparation
for the lobbying effort to keep the H-1B yearly cap from going down at
the end of this month.
I haven't read the entire report yet, but it's opening statement says
that immigrant workers will have to be imported for all jobs, from
highly skilled technical jobs to the lower skilled factory workers.
(Hopefully Walmart will continue to hire minimum wage workers because
this policy will force Americans at both ends of the spectrum into
desperate job searches and hopeless despair.) In his opinion the U.S.
can no longer remain competititve without the issuance of large numbers
of H-1B visas. Anderson thinks that immigrant workers should be
imported regardless of current economic conditions or unemployment
because he claims there is a dire shortage of workers - and he wants
immigrants to fill every job!
Current concerns about the U.S. economy should not distract
from an understanding that in the long term America's economic
success requires the nation to attract
1) skilled professionals from across the globe to increase the
competitiveness of American companies and
2) workers at the lower end of the skill spectrum to fuel the
growth of the U.S. labor force, filling jobs created by the
aging of the population.
Here are few statements from the report that are totally false and
without merit for reasons explained many times in the newsletter:
* Immigration is the crucial factor in determining whether the United
States labor force will experience growth or become stagnant. This U.S.
labor growth, led by immigration, will be a key to economic growth and
the funding of health and retirement benefits for baby boomers.
* The Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting 47 percent growth in
science and engineering jobs overall and an 82 percent increase in
computer-related jobs between 2000 and 2010, compared to 15 percent
growth for all occupations. Computer software engineers are projected
to increase by 90 to 100 percent.
* A large drop in spending on computers and related hardware and slower
growth in spending on software would appear to be the primary reasons
for job difficulties in certain high technology sectors, not the entry
of foreign-born professionals.
* Immigrant professionals contribute significantly to job creation in
the United States, with Indian and Chinese entrepreneurs alone heading
29 percent of Silicon Valley's technology businesses.
* Contrary to concerns that foreign-born professionals in the United
States are cheap labor and undercut the wages of U.S. professionals,
data indicate that foreign-born professionals working in the United
States actually earn more than their native counterparts when
controlled for age and the year in which a science or engineering
degree is earned
* Armed with new powers, as well as additional funding derived from
employers' H-1B fees, the Department of Labor has increased enforcement
of H-1B rules. Despite this increased enforcement, the number of
serious violations remains low both in total and as a percentage of
H-1B petitions approved, indicating that abuse is not widespread. In
2001, only 9 violations were deemed willful or requiring debarment,
while there were 7 such violations in 2002.
* In addition to billions of dollars paid by U.S. employers in training
their own employees and taxes for education, fees paid by U.S.
employers to hire foreign-born professionals on H-1B visas have totaled
more than $692 million over the past 5 years and will exceed $1 billion
if the current fee continues for at least two more years. These fees
have helped provide training to more than 55,600 U.S. workers and have
funded scholarships for more than 12,500 U.S. students in science and
engineering.
* Curtailing legal immigration to the United States or further impeding
the flow of skilled foreign professionals to America will hurt the
nation's competitiveness and its leadership in the world.
For more on Stuart Anderson, go to the Skunks page and do a text search
for his name (or go to AILF and CTPS)
http://www.zazona.com/ShameH1B/Skunks.htm
http://newsobserver.com/24hour/business/story/992996p-6971188c.html
Monday, September 8, 2003 11:16PM EDT
Study highlights benefits of H1-B visa program
By SUZANNE GAMBOA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) - Curtailing immigration of skilled foreign
professionals to the United States will hurt U.S. global
competitiveness, inhibit innovation and job growth and send high
technology and research jobs to other countries, according to a study
released Monday.
The study says that while U.S. security must be protected, immigration
policies should encourage and ease the legal flow of high- and
low-skilled workers to keep the country competitive in recruiting
talented workers.
The study was conducted by the American Immigration Law Foundation's
Immigration Policy Center, a nonprofit that supports immigration.
"America's strength lies in its openness," said Stuart Anderson, the
study's author who recently left the now defunct Immigration and
Naturalization Service policy planner.
Anderson said despite complaints that foreign workers are taking
American jobs, statistics show that U.S. employers have not been
rampantly hiring foreign workers who enter on H1-B visas for temporary
workers with specialty occupations.
Anderson's study found that H1-B hiring rises and falls with economic
times, numbering 164,000 in 2001 and dropping to 79,100 in fiscal year
2002. The national H1-B worker cap of 195,000 a year is scheduled to be
reduced to 65,000 a year on Oct. 1.
The workers also help provide money for training Americans for high
tech or engineering jobs. Employers pay a $1,000 per H1-B visa holder.
In five years, $692 million has been collected. The money has been used
to train 55,000 U.S. workers and to provide scholarships to 12,500
students studying in science and engineering fields, the study said.
Teresa Crowley, an immigration specialist for ChevronTexaco Corp., said
the company rotates its foreign workers to the United States to get
fresh views on company work. But she said that after Sept. 11, 2001,
visa policies have made it difficult for her company to rotate workers,
so they now rotate them to European countries.
She said workers already approved to travel to the United States wait
eight weeks or more for a visa appointment and then about 15 days to
actually get the visa. The process used to take 3 to 4 days, she said.
"It's become so burdensome, the company is thinking of slimming its
operations here and moving bigger portions overseas," she said.
On Aug. 1, the United States began requiring one-on-one interviews for
seekers of nonimmigrant visas, like the H1-B. Stepped-up checks of
applicants against terrorism databases and watchlist checks also are
slowing down processing.
A critic of guest worker programs said rather than import foreign
workers, job wages, benefits and conditions should be improved so more
American workers are interested in filling those jobs or researching in
the fields filled by H1-B workers.
"If these are good jobs, isn't that what we want?" Steve Camarota,
research director for Center for Immigration Studies, a group that
wants to curb immigration. "Bringing in foreign citizens when millions
of laborers and citizens are out of work, that sort of makes you
scratch your head."
Location: http://www.zdnetindia.com/news/national/stories/89345.html
US study favours H1-B hiring in IT
Even as the backlash against the outsourcing of tech jobs to developing
countries like India is intensifying, a study by the American
Immigration Law Foundation has come as a shot in the arm for Indian IT
professionals.
Anand Adhikari, September 11, 2003
Even as the backlash against the outsourcing of tech jobs to developing
countries like India is intensifying, a study by the American
Immigration Law Foundation has come as a shot in the arm for Indian IT
professionals.
The study conducted by the Immigration Policy Center of the foundation,
a copy of which is available with the Hindustan Times, has said that
"any restriction on immigration of skilled foreign professionals to the
United States will only aid in the outsourcing of high-tech and
research jobs to low cost developing nations."
While the 9/11 attacks resulted in the tightening of H1-B visa norms,
there has also been voices against hiring skilled foreign professionals
to prevent job loss.
This 20-page document, titled The Global Battle For Talent And People,
stoutly defended the use of H1-B workers, has noted that the
"immigration policies should encourage and ease the legal flow of high
and low skilled workers to keep the country competitive."
"Curtailing of immigration of skilled foreign professionals will hurt
global competitiveness, inhibit innovations and job growth," states the
study.
In fact, the business community out here has been making a strong case
for outsourcing and openly advocating use of skilled foreign
professionals to remain competitive in the changing global business
environment.
A case to point was the Information Technology Association of the US,
which has recently favoured outsourcing of technology jobs.
Stuart Anderson, a former policy planner who has authored the study,
has started the report by saying, "America's strength lies in its
openness and dynamic character. Despite complaints that foreigner
workers are taking American jobs, the statistics reveal that of late US
employers have not been on a hiring spree of outside professionals who
enter on H1-B visas."
In his report, Anderson argued that H1-B hiring moves with the economic
cycle. The report has said that H1-B hiring was 164,000 in 2001 and
dropped to 79,100 in 2002 in view of slowdown in the global economy.
The H1-B visa limit of 195,000 lakh is now expected to drop drastically
to 65,000 by October this year.
"H1-B totals do not show rampant hiring by US employers without regard
to market conditions . In fact, H1-B hiring appears to rise and fall
with economic conditions , as one would expect," the report states.
The report also said, "Contrary to concerns that foreign born
professionals in the US are cheap labour and undercut the wages of US
professionals , data indicate that foreign-born professionals actually
earn more than their native counterparts when controlled for age and
the year a science or engineering degree is earned.
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