Presidential candidates agree on increasing H-1B visas

Date: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 2:38 AM

<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1910 -- 9/03/2008 >>>>>

Jenny Verdery, director of work force policy for Intel, said that both McCain
and Obama support the expansion of the H-1B visa program. The article quotes
me saying much the same thing:

Sanchez said Obama voiced his H-1B support during recent fundraisers
with Indian-American investors and tech CEOs in San Francisco.

The quote is accurate but lost some of its punch when it was edited. The
editing was probably a good decision because the point I was trying to make
probably would have been lost on the majority of bizjournal readers, but all
of you will get it. Here is my unedited statement:

You are correct -- both McCain and Obama have voiced support for
expanding the H-1B program by increasing the yearly visa cap and by
exempting foreign students that graduate with masters or PhDs in
STEM. Obama went as far as telling a group of wealthy Indian
financiers that he was a "desi". That's a level of pandering that
even McCain wouldn't stoop to, although McCain has some rabid
supporters of H-1B on his staff, and recently McCain pandered in
Silicon Valley much the same way Obama did.

"Not only do I think I'm a desi, but I'm a desi."
.... Barack Obama, San Francisco fund raiser, 8/17/2008

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2008/09/01/story13.html?b=1220241600%5E1692094

Friday, August 29, 2008
Presidential candidates agree on increasing H-1B visas

Phoenix Business Journal - by Mike Sunnucks Phoenix Business Journal

Arizona Republican John McCain and Illinois Democrat Barack Obama differ on
plenty of economic issues -- energy, taxes and trade, to name a few. But the
presidential wannabes agree when it comes to allowing more skilled foreign
workers into the U.S. under H-1B visas.

Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp., Google Inc., and other technology and
engineering companies want to boost or eliminate the annual 85,000-worker cap
on H-1Bs.

McCain wants to get rid of the cap, echoing the tech industry's call for a
market-based system to bring in foreign workers many say are needed to fill
scientific, engineering and high-tech jobs.

"Sen. McCain continues to be a strong supporter of H1-B expansion, but mere
expansion is not enough. Reforms should eliminate the artificial limits and
allow a level of visas appropriate for market conditions," said McCain
campaign spokeswoman Ivette Barajas.

Obama supports a temporary increase in H-1Bs. He also favors allowing more
legal immigration into the U.S. and making it easier for foreign students who
attend college in the U.S. to stay and work after they graduate.

H-1B visas are good for six years, with possible six-year extensions. They
require employers to sponsor them. Top H-1B sponsors include Microsoft,
Enterprise Business Solutions Inc., Yahoo Inc., Hewlett-Packard Development
Co. LP, Intel, IBM Corp. and Oracle Corp.

Jenny Verdery, director of work force policy for Intel in Washington, said
both McCain and Obama have voiced support for more H-1Bs. She wants to see the
caps eliminated and replaced with a market-based system of supply and demand,
or have certain key professions such as engineering exempted from a cap
system.

"We continue to hit the cap each year," Verdery said.

Intel, which has significant operations in the Valley, employs 46,000 U.S.
workers and gets about 350 H-1B visa approvals each year. The federal
government received 163,000 petitions for this year's crop of 85,000 H-1Bs.

McCain and Obama's support for more H1-Bs worry some who are concerned the
visas displace American workers with less expensive foreign labor.

"For American tech workers who want to keep their jobs from being outsourced
or given away to H-1Bs, Obama and McCain are disastrous choices," said Rob
Sanchez, creator of the Chandler-based Job Destruction Newsletter, which
tracks immigration issues.

Sanchez said Obama voiced his H-1B support during recent fundraisers with
Indian-American investors and tech CEOs in San Francisco. Sanchez said former
eBay CEO Meg Whitman and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fio-rina
-- top McCain backers -- also support more H-1Bs.

Get Connected
Job Destruction Newsletter: www.jobdestruction.info

At a Glance
Jobs that can qualify for H-1B visas:

Engineers, architects, software developers, computer/network programmers,
scientists, mathematicians, fashion models, accountants, economists, teachers,
professors, writers, researchers, nurses and doctors

Sources: InformationWeek, BusinessWeek, H1Base.com

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