Not Everyone in Tech Cheers Visa Program for Foreign Workers
6th February 2017
Reported by the New York Times, a Voice of the Crust, so you know it has to be true.
More than any other industry, tech companies depend on the 85,000 foreign workers allowed into the United States annually under the H-1B visa program. The H-1B is a temporary visa intended to bring in foreign professionals with college degrees and specialized skills to fill jobs when qualified Americans cannot be found. Technology giants like Microsoft and Google have pressed for increases in the annual quotas, saying there are not enough Americans with the skills they need.
But for tech workers like Mr. Tan, the program has had very negative consequences.
“I thought the purpose of H-1B visas was to give America a competitive edge, not help companies ship American jobs abroad,” said Mr. Tan, who had worked for the university as an information technology systems administrator for 20 years. “This is now standard practice in the technology industry.”