The US is keen to follow an open-door policy to attract highly skilled foreign workers. However, there is a growing controversy in the Congress with a section of senators arguing that foreign companies, under the US visa programmes, have imported workers who compete with the Americans. They have been given back-door entry to lower wage rates.
According to the US embassy officials, all the three biggest users of the H-1B visa programme in 2007 were Indian companies-Infosys, Wipro and Satyam Computers. They perform computer and software contract work in the US, bringing skilled workers from India. Although certain US lawmakers demand that the H-1B visa programme should be suspended unless concerns of the American citizens are addressed, the government is not considering it. Evan A Feigenbaum, deputy assistant secretary for south and central Asian affairs, who was in Kolkata on Wednesday, said there were always controversies in Congress on the visa issue, but the US government has always increased the number of entry.
The US government plans to increase the number of visa issuance in India by 20% in 2008, although there are fingers pointing out that Indian companies have given entry of cheap labour into the US utilising the H-1B visa programme.
The H-1B visas, intended to help American companies fill up shortages of employees with sophisticated skills, bring foreign workers, preferably with masters degrees or doctorates, for an initial period of three years. The visa is renewable for another three years.
Douglas G Kelly, director of public affairs under the US consulate general in Kolkata, said there is an annual quota of accepting 65,000 temporary work visas or H-1Bs from employers in the US. The Federal authorities from Tuesday have started accepting petitions from employers for this year, which starts from October 1.
But technology companies, like that of Bill Gate?s Microsoft, said the limits of H-1B visa are making it a problem of attracting and retaining high-skilled immigrants, Kelly said. He said while certain lawmakers are demanding decrease in the number of H-1 B visa, Bill Gates has been in favour of increasing it. In fact, a National Foundation for American Policy study finds that H-1B workers helped US technology companies generate jobs for American workers as the companies increased their employment by five workers for supporting each worker, who comes with H-1B visa. Feiganbaum said that once a person enters the US with any type of visa, he becomes a subject of the US civilian and labour laws.