Venture out on the web in any direction or engage in some random channel surfing, and you can be assured that within minutes — maybe seconds — you’ll encounter opinions about the H1B visa program that are presented as cold hard facts; which might be tolerable (you know what they say about opinions…), except that these particular viewpoints are completely, utterly and patently false.
What’s more, this across the board assault on truth is by no means owned by the right or the left. Members of both camps — as well as some self-described moderates or “issues-based voters” who don’t necessarily look for (R) and (D) markers when they cast a ballot — wouldn’t do well on Jeopardy! if “H1B Visa” was a category. Instead of adding to their total, they’d plunge into the negative and be subjected to Alex Trebek’s signature part-pity, part-patronizing glare.
And so, in an attempt to get everyone —left, right, middle, all of the above/none of the above — to start debating with facts instead of arguing with myths, here are four key things about the H1B visa program that are the truth whether you want to Make America Great Again, or [whatever slogan the Democrats come up with by 2020].
- Employers can’t simply place an ad or find an agency and hire a foreign worker. Long before that happens, they must get certification from the Department of Labor that they legitimately tried to hire a U.S. citizen, but were unable to do so because of a skills shortage in the local labor market. For example, a number of organizations are desperate for professionals with a background in AI, and at the moment many areas of the country don’t have nearly enough qualified workers to meet the demand.
- There is a hard cap on the number of H1B Visas available each year, and contrary to popular belief (or make that misbelief), the cap is ultimately not set by the President — it’s set by Congress. The H1B visa cap for fiscal year 2017-2018 is 65,000, plus an additional 20,000 for petitioners who hold a master’s degree or above. Back in April (which is the start of the government’s 2017-2018 fiscal year), United States Citizenship and Immigration (USCIS) received more than 200,000 petitions in four days.
- If an alien worker holding an H1B visa quits their job in the U.S. or is fired, then he or she must leave the country. As confirmed by H1B attorney Karen-Lee Pollak, H1B visas are linked to specific employers; not to industries, sectors or areas of the country.
- Alien workers on H1B Visas don’t — as many people believe — pull down wages for U.S. citizens. A study by Glassdoor found that alien workers are paid nearly three percent higher vs. their U.S. counterparts doing the same job in the same (or similar) region.
The Real Problem
The H1B visa program is masking a deeper problem in American society: despite having the world’s biggest economy (and we’re also numero uno in cheese production), we aren’t churning out enough skilled workers in high-demand areas, such as IT, AI, health care, and so on. I’m not saying we need to shut down the debate on the H1B visa program (even some of its ardent proponents — including employers who utilize it — admit that it needs to be improved). But the real crisis is in our education system.
That means you parents out there shouldn’t be focused on raising the next American Idol or superstar quarterback. Instead, get your kids on the STEM bus and don’t let them off until they have at least a bachelor’s degree (but a graduate degree would be even better). They’ll be grateful for your guidance, and you’ll be pleased with your efforts when your retirement is nicely funded by your multi-millionaire offspring.