Maverick5
08-26 05:20 PM
Thanks for your reply. As I am applying for LC with Software Engineer, and my Masters is in Mech Engg, I have asked my employer to put "Computer Science, Engineering (Any), Math or Related" in the majors required for the position.
I am hoping that Engineering (Any) would cover for Mech Engg.
I am hoping that Engineering (Any) would cover for Mech Engg.
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satishku_2000
02-23 02:05 PM
Dont worry you will get your RFE soon. I saw pretty much everyone is getting RFE for H1 extension ( beyond 6 yr) these days !
Is this a new rule by USCIS?
Is this a new rule by USCIS?
roxychaney
03-02 11:39 AM
Just out of curiousity, does traditional painting qualify?
o yea, guess i should have asked this before posting!
o yea, guess i should have asked this before posting!
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go_gc_way
08-15 07:49 PM
If you are sick of the GC retrogression and Canada is not your cup of tea, UK is another option for you. You can calculate your points online to see if you are qualified for the UK Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP). It is always good to more than one option.
http://www.workpermit.com/uk/hsmp_calculator.htm
:cool:
Thanks for posting this information, I was looking for it.
http://www.workpermit.com/uk/hsmp_calculator.htm
:cool:
Thanks for posting this information, I was looking for it.
more...
bigboy007
12-10 02:20 PM
I dont know i can try making it "superset" of what my GC Labor is that way it adds to what they have already its a bigger company btw so hassles in these issues are expected but what is the procedure in intimating USCIS many said no it but where does this Employment verification letter come in to picture.
Check with the new company whether they can give an Employment verification letter which matches the roles mentioned in ur labor?
Designation and pay doesnt matter.
What matters is a permanenet job offer letter and duties should match the
labor.
Rajesh Alex
Check with the new company whether they can give an Employment verification letter which matches the roles mentioned in ur labor?
Designation and pay doesnt matter.
What matters is a permanenet job offer letter and duties should match the
labor.
Rajesh Alex
noone2day78
02-10 07:00 PM
Has it been 180 days since your 485 was filed. You can switch if YES, Valid H1B is an extra umbrella when using EAD if something goes wrong with EAD. Honestly, I do not see any benefit of H1B over EAD except that it can be valid for longer period of time where as EAD needs to be extended every year ....
So assuming that I switch to EAD, does this mean that incase for whatever reason our I 485 application is denied, I can re claim the pending time on my h1b ? I am trying to figure out how is my h1b an umbrella?
So assuming that I switch to EAD, does this mean that incase for whatever reason our I 485 application is denied, I can re claim the pending time on my h1b ? I am trying to figure out how is my h1b an umbrella?
more...
linuxra
07-22 11:56 AM
I submitted RFE with all necessary documents from my side everything is ok...
i got an email that my docs recieved and rfe docs recieved...
thats it nothing recieved after that and my pd is current next month
i got an email that my docs recieved and rfe docs recieved...
thats it nothing recieved after that and my pd is current next month
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pappu
09-22 07:12 PM
Title: Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act
Sponsor: Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] (introduced 9/21/2010)
Cosponsors Sen Dorgan, Byron L. [ND] -
Sen Reid, Harry [NV] -
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] -
Introduced in the Senate.
This bill will give companies a two-year holiday from their share of Social Security payroll withholding taxes for each employee they hire to replace a worker at a foreign-based facility. The Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act would bar companies from taking tax credits or deductions for the cost of closing a U.S.-based facility to move the operation overseas.Companies could still take deductions for severance and job placement services for employees who lose their jobs as a result of a U.S. plant closing. Under the legislation, companies that close a U.S.-based business and expand it overseas would no longer be allowed to defer U.S. income taxes on foreign subsidiaries.
Reid has the option to set up a procedural vote next week
Sponsor: Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] (introduced 9/21/2010)
Cosponsors Sen Dorgan, Byron L. [ND] -
Sen Reid, Harry [NV] -
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] -
Introduced in the Senate.
This bill will give companies a two-year holiday from their share of Social Security payroll withholding taxes for each employee they hire to replace a worker at a foreign-based facility. The Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act would bar companies from taking tax credits or deductions for the cost of closing a U.S.-based facility to move the operation overseas.Companies could still take deductions for severance and job placement services for employees who lose their jobs as a result of a U.S. plant closing. Under the legislation, companies that close a U.S.-based business and expand it overseas would no longer be allowed to defer U.S. income taxes on foreign subsidiaries.
Reid has the option to set up a procedural vote next week
more...
kicca
01-29 10:07 AM
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hoolahoous
03-18 10:51 AM
i am switching job using ac21. my current employer trusts immigration attorneys. and as expected attorneys suggested (since they get paid) that company should withdraws both H1 and I-140 after I leave. I know I am safe, however USCIS will definitly send me an RFE at time of processing my application and I will have to answer that. So I am trying to put my side to them saying that if it is optional, they should not.
So my question is, does the Law say that an employer has to withdraw all (or some) immigration petitions after employee leaves ? I was trying to search but I couldn't find anywhere where it said that it is mandated.
Also as far I could tell from forum posts, there is no set form which needs to be filled by employeers to withdraw the application. That would seem to suggest that it is not mandated.
On flip side, if it is mandated, then why most of the employers do not withdraw the application ?
So my question is, does the Law say that an employer has to withdraw all (or some) immigration petitions after employee leaves ? I was trying to search but I couldn't find anywhere where it said that it is mandated.
Also as far I could tell from forum posts, there is no set form which needs to be filled by employeers to withdraw the application. That would seem to suggest that it is not mandated.
On flip side, if it is mandated, then why most of the employers do not withdraw the application ?
more...
Soul
05-27 05:27 PM
:P
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chanukya
05-23 07:35 AM
As many of you have been following, there are some provisions that benefit folks with advanced degree in STEM from US universities by exempting them from the Visa quota. I think CIR in its current form has a provision and the Cornyn (4005) and the Brownback (4058) ammendments that are yet to be introduced also have some such provisions.
My question is, will people who qualify under this category still have to clear labor? If so, then those of us who are stuck in BEC can only wait and watch while those who have cleared using PERM will go ahead. We could transfer from BEC to PERM but this is not as easy as it sounds. We could also apply fresh in PERM (as retrogression will not apply, hence PD will not matter) but this is also not as easy as it sounds for folks who are in 7th year or greater in H1B.
Any thoughts or comments?
CORNYN amendment�Very cleverly worded..Regarding US Masters and above...
On Careful reading of SA4005...
On one hand exempts US any Masters from Quota but does not exempt from LC any US Masters unless such US Masters and above are "Member of Professions" ???? with advanced degrees.
So, US Masters(STEM or no STEM) and above still have to go thru LC Process....unless they are "Member of Professions", who will be handled as a special case.
Above "Memebr of Professions" open to many legal interpretations and INS dictionary may say something like it means only Doctors/Lawyers....?
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/at...6&d=1147880856
Bottom Line, US Masters thru any bill or its amendments cannot avoid LC process.
Only difference is in CORNYN amendment any US Masters (not necessarily STEM US Masters) are exempt from quota.
And your assessment is correct, PERM ..US Masters stand to benefit immedeatly.
My question is, will people who qualify under this category still have to clear labor? If so, then those of us who are stuck in BEC can only wait and watch while those who have cleared using PERM will go ahead. We could transfer from BEC to PERM but this is not as easy as it sounds. We could also apply fresh in PERM (as retrogression will not apply, hence PD will not matter) but this is also not as easy as it sounds for folks who are in 7th year or greater in H1B.
Any thoughts or comments?
CORNYN amendment�Very cleverly worded..Regarding US Masters and above...
On Careful reading of SA4005...
On one hand exempts US any Masters from Quota but does not exempt from LC any US Masters unless such US Masters and above are "Member of Professions" ???? with advanced degrees.
So, US Masters(STEM or no STEM) and above still have to go thru LC Process....unless they are "Member of Professions", who will be handled as a special case.
Above "Memebr of Professions" open to many legal interpretations and INS dictionary may say something like it means only Doctors/Lawyers....?
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/at...6&d=1147880856
Bottom Line, US Masters thru any bill or its amendments cannot avoid LC process.
Only difference is in CORNYN amendment any US Masters (not necessarily STEM US Masters) are exempt from quota.
And your assessment is correct, PERM ..US Masters stand to benefit immedeatly.
more...
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hopefulgc
08-13 01:05 PM
Actually. .. vdlrao could be Honorable Mr. Charles Oppenheimer (Official in charge of issuing visa bulletins) :D:D:D:D
his predictions were so accurate ... black 'copters landed and took him away... :p
his predictions were so accurate ... black 'copters landed and took him away... :p
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kittu1991
02-27 02:05 PM
In fiscal year 2006, there were 5 Indian firms in the top 10 users of H1B visa.
http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/15273
However, when it comes to PERM filing there is only 1 Indian company in the top 10 list of PERM filers. That is very interesting. Does it mean that Indian companies do not encourage or support GC process as much as the American companies do? I sure hope that's not the case and employees of those Indian companies are getting a fare shot at the Greencard.
The Inidian firms use H1B for short term assingments of 2 to 3 yrs. And now a days Greencard is not an attractive carrot for Indian SW engineers.
http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/15273
However, when it comes to PERM filing there is only 1 Indian company in the top 10 list of PERM filers. That is very interesting. Does it mean that Indian companies do not encourage or support GC process as much as the American companies do? I sure hope that's not the case and employees of those Indian companies are getting a fare shot at the Greencard.
The Inidian firms use H1B for short term assingments of 2 to 3 yrs. And now a days Greencard is not an attractive carrot for Indian SW engineers.
more...
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sekasi
11-30 02:16 AM
I think I misread the OP about moving from the flash IDE to flex builder although I strongly prefer both FD and FDT to flex builder..
and no Jeff, it wasn't directed at you although I'm sure you have no idea what you're talking about either :P
and no Jeff, it wasn't directed at you although I'm sure you have no idea what you're talking about either :P
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lotres
11-09 07:08 AM
My lawyer told me the backlog is 400K. As an European, I am expecting to wait between 2 to 3 years for my GC. Anything sooner would be a nice surprise!
more...
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sanju_dba
08-13 02:48 PM
Poor guys... they can give away $7.5 Billion to some country as Aid, but cannot secure their own borders without increasing burden on H1/L1 Visas for $0.6 Billion(not even 10% in comparison ) ....what a pity.... :mad:
This is pure B.S. politics....
Thats - "andar pareshani bahar shervani"
This is pure B.S. politics....
Thats - "andar pareshani bahar shervani"
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GotGC??
05-15 01:28 PM
Thanks...is your 140 in NSC or TSC ?
My case is also similar and I decided to go with EB2
My EB3 PD is Nov 2002. I got promotion this year and same company applied for my EB2 labor via Perm and got approved with in couple of months.
My attorney already filed my 485 application concurrently while applying for EB2 I-140 PD (PP) last month. I got an RFE(edu: 3 year Engineering degree). My EB2 I-140 is approved yesterday after receiving the RFE response. It's better to utilize the EB2 category if you can, in case if they decide to retrogress again, it's likely that you will get the GC soon with EB2 PD than EB3 PD.
My case is also similar and I decided to go with EB2
My EB3 PD is Nov 2002. I got promotion this year and same company applied for my EB2 labor via Perm and got approved with in couple of months.
My attorney already filed my 485 application concurrently while applying for EB2 I-140 PD (PP) last month. I got an RFE(edu: 3 year Engineering degree). My EB2 I-140 is approved yesterday after receiving the RFE response. It's better to utilize the EB2 category if you can, in case if they decide to retrogress again, it's likely that you will get the GC soon with EB2 PD than EB3 PD.
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smsthss
07-05 12:36 PM
anybody on this !!
coopheal
03-05 04:44 PM
I had two soft LUDs on 3rd and 4th of March. Did anyone else also have similar LUDs recently?
I know my PD is not current so nothing really going to happen.
I know my PD is not current so nothing really going to happen.
jasonalbany
07-04 12:28 PM
Access to Job Market in U.S. a Matter of Degrees
Foreign workers with high-tech skills are in demand, but visa quotas snarl the hiring process.
By Anna Gorman, Times Staff Writer
July 3, 2006
This spring, a U.S. high-tech company recruited British citizen Gareth Lloyd for a possible engineering job.
But before the Irvine office made its hiring decision, the number of available visas for skilled workers ran out, in a record time of less than two months.
Lloyd, who has degrees in applied physics and electrical and electronics engineering, found another job in Germany.
"I was a little bit incredulous," Lloyd, 34, said in a phone interview. "It seems arbitrary to put some kind of quota on this."
Much of the national debate on immigration has centered on undocumented workers who fill agriculture, construction and service jobs. But highly skilled foreign scientists, engineers and computer programmers recruited by U.S. companies to work here legally also have a lot at stake in the outcome. "The major focus for all the laws and all the bills has mainly been for illegal immigrants," said Swati Srivastava, an Indian software engineer who lives in Playa del Rey and is waiting for her green card. "We kind of get pushed to the sidelines."
The Senate's sweeping immigration bill that passed in May calls for increasing the number of H-1B visas, which are available for professional foreign workers, from 65,000 to 115,000 annually. Foreigners with certain advanced degrees would be exempt from the cap.
Despite President Bush's urging to increase such quotas, however, the House bill that passed late last year does not include any provisions for skilled-worker visas. And a conference committee, which would negotiate a compromise, has yet to be selected. U.S. companies complain that they are losing prospective employees to other countries because of a shortage of highly skilled and educated foreign workers. As a result, companies are either outsourcing science and engineering jobs or making do with fewer employees.
"There aren't enough U.S. citizens pursuing those types of degrees," said Jennifer Greeson, spokeswoman for Intel Corp. in Santa Clara, Calif., where about 5% of the company's U.S.-based employees are on H-1B visas. "U.S. companies being able to have access to talent, no matter where it originates, is key to our continued competitiveness."
But critics of the H-1B program argue that there are enough Americans qualified for the jobs. Companies just prefer to hire younger, less expensive workers from other countries, such as India and China, instead of more experienced American workers at higher salaries.
"The bottom line is cheap labor," said UC Davis computer-science professor Norman Matloff, who has studied the H-1B program.
The six-year visas are available to foreigners with at least a bachelor's degree. Firms must pay foreign workers the prevailing wage.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency begins accepting H-1B visa applications on April 1 each year. The agency received enough visas to hit the congressionally mandated cap of 65,000 at the end of May this year, compared with August in 2005 and October in 2004. Those who receive the visas can begin work Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year.
There are also 20,000 additional visas available for foreign workers who earned a master's or higher-level degree in the U.S. The Citizenship and Immigration Services is still accepting applications for those visas.
Because the H-1B cap is reached more quickly each year, many companies prepare their paperwork ahead of time so they can be at the front of the line. But they say it's often difficult to make hiring decisions six months before the start date.
Orange County immigration attorney Mitchell Wexler has a courier ready on the first day to take his clients' completed applications to Citizenship and Immigration Services.
"The whole white-collar business community is kind of crossing our fingers" that the number of visas is raised, Wexler said. Highly skilled foreign workers, he said, are "the best and brightest" and should be invited into the economy.
"If we can't get them," Wexler added, "they will go to a country that will accept them, and they will get jobs in Canada, Australia and England and will compete against us."
One of Wexler's clients, Massachusetts-based Skyworks Solutions, develops and manufactures integrated circuits for cellphones. Connie Williams, senior human resources specialist at the company's Irvine office, said her firm was effectively cut off from a foreign labor pool that included Lloyd of Britain when the government stopped accepting H-1B applications.
Williams said she worries that if Congress fails to pass reform legislation, the door will slam shut even earlier next year. The company has just over 2,000 U.S.-based employees, roughly 100 of whom have H-1B visas.
"We need these highly skilled, highly educated, highly qualified engineers," said Williams. "These people are a needle in a haystack."
Once foreigners have H-1B visas, they face another hurdle � becoming permanent legal residents. Applicants are often forced to wait years because there are only 140,000 employment-based green cards available annually. A backlog at Citizenship and Immigration Services adds to the delays.
Swati and Aradhana Srivastava, 34, both Indian software engineers working in the U.S. on H-1B visas, began the green card process with their employer in November 2001. Since then, the sisters said they have not been able to change jobs, positions or salaries.
They have taken film classes and are eager to pursue second careers in filmmaking but cannot do so until after they get their green cards. They also are reluctant to buy property or start a business. If they don't get their green cards by the time they finish film school, the sisters may return home.
"It's like living in a holding pattern continuously," said Swati Srivastava, 28, a member of Immigration Voice, a new grass-roots organization of skilled foreign workers pushing for immigration reform. The Internet-based group formed late last year and has about 5,000 members scattered around the country.
"We work in [the] U.S. legally in high-skilled jobs, but we still get penalized for playing by the rules," Immigration Voice co-founder Aman Kapoor said in an e-mail. "Since no one was working on our issues, we decided to organize."
Sandy Boyd, vice president of the National Assn. of Manufacturers, said there is an urgency to fixing the problems facing highly skilled foreign workers, whether they're seeking temporary or permanent legal status. The Senate's proposed immigration bill would increase the number of available employment-based green cards.
If compromise legislation cannot be reached on the broader issues, Boyd said, Congress should pass a separate, more narrow reform bill.
"This is not an issue that can be put off until comprehensive immigration reform is passed," Boyd said, "because once we lose these jobs, it's very difficult for them to come back."
But industry lobbyists arguing against increases in H-1B visas say the program hurts U.S. citizens by lowering wages and increasing job competition. They cite a recent report by the Government Accountability Office that says the program lacks sufficient oversight from the Department of Labor.
"We feel for the most part there are not shortages of U.S. engineers and computer scientists that have the skills these companies are looking for," said Chris McManes, spokesman for the U.S. sector of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. "If the cap is increased, that will further hamper the ability of a U.S. engineer to find a job."
David Huber, a network engineer in Chicago and U.S. citizen by birth, said he twice lost out on jobs to foreign workers. He was passed over for one job and replaced at another, he said. Huber, who testified before the House in March, said he could not find work for nearly three years, despite his education and experience. "Too many of us cannot find jobs because companies are turning to H-1B workers as a first choice," Huber said in written testimony to the House.
Swadha Sharma, who lives in Arcadia, said she is not trying to replace U.S. workers. Sharma earned an electronics engineering degree in India but has long dreamed of becoming a math teacher. So while her husband worked here on an H-1B visa, she earned her teaching credential at Cal Poly Pomona.
Sharma, 30, started applying for teaching jobs early this year, but she said only one of three interested districts was willing to sponsor her for an H-1B visa. And that offer, from a Los Angeles charter school, came after the visa cap had been reached. Sharma now plans to pursue a master's degree but said the U.S. is "missing out on a catch."
"I am really qualified," she said. "Hopefully, I will be able to teach soon."
As for Lloyd, his plans to come to the United States are now on indefinite hold. He started his job in Germany but still laments the U.S. immigration system for limiting workers like himself from coming here.
"The H-1B scheme seems a little bit ridiculous," he said. "I would certainly be an asset to the American economy."
Foreign workers with high-tech skills are in demand, but visa quotas snarl the hiring process.
By Anna Gorman, Times Staff Writer
July 3, 2006
This spring, a U.S. high-tech company recruited British citizen Gareth Lloyd for a possible engineering job.
But before the Irvine office made its hiring decision, the number of available visas for skilled workers ran out, in a record time of less than two months.
Lloyd, who has degrees in applied physics and electrical and electronics engineering, found another job in Germany.
"I was a little bit incredulous," Lloyd, 34, said in a phone interview. "It seems arbitrary to put some kind of quota on this."
Much of the national debate on immigration has centered on undocumented workers who fill agriculture, construction and service jobs. But highly skilled foreign scientists, engineers and computer programmers recruited by U.S. companies to work here legally also have a lot at stake in the outcome. "The major focus for all the laws and all the bills has mainly been for illegal immigrants," said Swati Srivastava, an Indian software engineer who lives in Playa del Rey and is waiting for her green card. "We kind of get pushed to the sidelines."
The Senate's sweeping immigration bill that passed in May calls for increasing the number of H-1B visas, which are available for professional foreign workers, from 65,000 to 115,000 annually. Foreigners with certain advanced degrees would be exempt from the cap.
Despite President Bush's urging to increase such quotas, however, the House bill that passed late last year does not include any provisions for skilled-worker visas. And a conference committee, which would negotiate a compromise, has yet to be selected. U.S. companies complain that they are losing prospective employees to other countries because of a shortage of highly skilled and educated foreign workers. As a result, companies are either outsourcing science and engineering jobs or making do with fewer employees.
"There aren't enough U.S. citizens pursuing those types of degrees," said Jennifer Greeson, spokeswoman for Intel Corp. in Santa Clara, Calif., where about 5% of the company's U.S.-based employees are on H-1B visas. "U.S. companies being able to have access to talent, no matter where it originates, is key to our continued competitiveness."
But critics of the H-1B program argue that there are enough Americans qualified for the jobs. Companies just prefer to hire younger, less expensive workers from other countries, such as India and China, instead of more experienced American workers at higher salaries.
"The bottom line is cheap labor," said UC Davis computer-science professor Norman Matloff, who has studied the H-1B program.
The six-year visas are available to foreigners with at least a bachelor's degree. Firms must pay foreign workers the prevailing wage.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency begins accepting H-1B visa applications on April 1 each year. The agency received enough visas to hit the congressionally mandated cap of 65,000 at the end of May this year, compared with August in 2005 and October in 2004. Those who receive the visas can begin work Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year.
There are also 20,000 additional visas available for foreign workers who earned a master's or higher-level degree in the U.S. The Citizenship and Immigration Services is still accepting applications for those visas.
Because the H-1B cap is reached more quickly each year, many companies prepare their paperwork ahead of time so they can be at the front of the line. But they say it's often difficult to make hiring decisions six months before the start date.
Orange County immigration attorney Mitchell Wexler has a courier ready on the first day to take his clients' completed applications to Citizenship and Immigration Services.
"The whole white-collar business community is kind of crossing our fingers" that the number of visas is raised, Wexler said. Highly skilled foreign workers, he said, are "the best and brightest" and should be invited into the economy.
"If we can't get them," Wexler added, "they will go to a country that will accept them, and they will get jobs in Canada, Australia and England and will compete against us."
One of Wexler's clients, Massachusetts-based Skyworks Solutions, develops and manufactures integrated circuits for cellphones. Connie Williams, senior human resources specialist at the company's Irvine office, said her firm was effectively cut off from a foreign labor pool that included Lloyd of Britain when the government stopped accepting H-1B applications.
Williams said she worries that if Congress fails to pass reform legislation, the door will slam shut even earlier next year. The company has just over 2,000 U.S.-based employees, roughly 100 of whom have H-1B visas.
"We need these highly skilled, highly educated, highly qualified engineers," said Williams. "These people are a needle in a haystack."
Once foreigners have H-1B visas, they face another hurdle � becoming permanent legal residents. Applicants are often forced to wait years because there are only 140,000 employment-based green cards available annually. A backlog at Citizenship and Immigration Services adds to the delays.
Swati and Aradhana Srivastava, 34, both Indian software engineers working in the U.S. on H-1B visas, began the green card process with their employer in November 2001. Since then, the sisters said they have not been able to change jobs, positions or salaries.
They have taken film classes and are eager to pursue second careers in filmmaking but cannot do so until after they get their green cards. They also are reluctant to buy property or start a business. If they don't get their green cards by the time they finish film school, the sisters may return home.
"It's like living in a holding pattern continuously," said Swati Srivastava, 28, a member of Immigration Voice, a new grass-roots organization of skilled foreign workers pushing for immigration reform. The Internet-based group formed late last year and has about 5,000 members scattered around the country.
"We work in [the] U.S. legally in high-skilled jobs, but we still get penalized for playing by the rules," Immigration Voice co-founder Aman Kapoor said in an e-mail. "Since no one was working on our issues, we decided to organize."
Sandy Boyd, vice president of the National Assn. of Manufacturers, said there is an urgency to fixing the problems facing highly skilled foreign workers, whether they're seeking temporary or permanent legal status. The Senate's proposed immigration bill would increase the number of available employment-based green cards.
If compromise legislation cannot be reached on the broader issues, Boyd said, Congress should pass a separate, more narrow reform bill.
"This is not an issue that can be put off until comprehensive immigration reform is passed," Boyd said, "because once we lose these jobs, it's very difficult for them to come back."
But industry lobbyists arguing against increases in H-1B visas say the program hurts U.S. citizens by lowering wages and increasing job competition. They cite a recent report by the Government Accountability Office that says the program lacks sufficient oversight from the Department of Labor.
"We feel for the most part there are not shortages of U.S. engineers and computer scientists that have the skills these companies are looking for," said Chris McManes, spokesman for the U.S. sector of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. "If the cap is increased, that will further hamper the ability of a U.S. engineer to find a job."
David Huber, a network engineer in Chicago and U.S. citizen by birth, said he twice lost out on jobs to foreign workers. He was passed over for one job and replaced at another, he said. Huber, who testified before the House in March, said he could not find work for nearly three years, despite his education and experience. "Too many of us cannot find jobs because companies are turning to H-1B workers as a first choice," Huber said in written testimony to the House.
Swadha Sharma, who lives in Arcadia, said she is not trying to replace U.S. workers. Sharma earned an electronics engineering degree in India but has long dreamed of becoming a math teacher. So while her husband worked here on an H-1B visa, she earned her teaching credential at Cal Poly Pomona.
Sharma, 30, started applying for teaching jobs early this year, but she said only one of three interested districts was willing to sponsor her for an H-1B visa. And that offer, from a Los Angeles charter school, came after the visa cap had been reached. Sharma now plans to pursue a master's degree but said the U.S. is "missing out on a catch."
"I am really qualified," she said. "Hopefully, I will be able to teach soon."
As for Lloyd, his plans to come to the United States are now on indefinite hold. He started his job in Germany but still laments the U.S. immigration system for limiting workers like himself from coming here.
"The H-1B scheme seems a little bit ridiculous," he said. "I would certainly be an asset to the American economy."
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