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Let Spouses of H-1B Visa Holders Work In US, Says White House
Hugh Pickens DOT Com (2995471) writes "Carolyn Lochhead reports in the SF Chronicle that the White House has announced a plan allowing spouses of H-1B visa holders to work in the United States, a coup for Silicon Valley companies that have been calling for more lenient rules for immigrants who come to the United States to work in technology. 'The proposals announced today will encourage highly skilled, specially trained individuals to remain in the United States and continue to support U.S. businesses and the growth of the U.S. economy,' says Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. 'A concurrent goal is for the United States to maintain competitiveness with other countries that attract skilled foreign workers and offer employment authorization for spouses of skilled workers. American businesses continue to need skilled nonimmigrant and immigrant workers.'
Currently, spouses of H-1B visa holders are not allowed to work unless they obtain their own visa but tech companies have been calling for more H-1B visas, and supporters of the rule change argue that it will bring in more talented workers. Critics say they believe expanding the H-1B visa program will allow lower-paid foreign workers to take American jobs. The plan immediately drew fire from Republicans. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, accused the administration of acting unilaterally to change immigration law and bring in tens of thousands of potential competitors with Americans for jobs. 'Fifty million working-age Americans aren't working,' Sessions said in a statement, adding that as many as 'half of new technology jobs may be going to guest workers. This will help corporations by further flooding a slack labor market, pulling down wages.'"
Currently, spouses of H-1B visa holders are not allowed to work unless they obtain their own visa but tech companies have been calling for more H-1B visas, and supporters of the rule change argue that it will bring in more talented workers. Critics say they believe expanding the H-1B visa program will allow lower-paid foreign workers to take American jobs. The plan immediately drew fire from Republicans. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, accused the administration of acting unilaterally to change immigration law and bring in tens of thousands of potential competitors with Americans for jobs. 'Fifty million working-age Americans aren't working,' Sessions said in a statement, adding that as many as 'half of new technology jobs may be going to guest workers. This will help corporations by further flooding a slack labor market, pulling down wages.'"
You don't understand, these spouses are allowed to work already once the H1B has gone through a process to obtain a green card - so this is really just a relatively minor change to allow them to work 5 or 6 years earlier than they otherwise would have been able to. You talk as though these spouses don't currently exist and will come into existence once this change is made. This is a no-brainer, it makes no sense to legally force these people to be dependents on society; let them be productive and they don't have to leech anything from taxpayers, they can help grow the economy, and their productivity can be taxed. Slightly lower wages are a misleading concept when it also means cheaper goods and services in an economy.
My other UID is three digits.
Do you know that skilled programmers still continue to exist even if they don't migrate to the US? Which would you rather have, a skilled programmer competing with you in a globalized market inside the US getting paid ~$100K/yr and helping to create more local jobs (i.e. by spending his income in the local economy), or that same skilled programmer sitting in India still competing with you in a globalized market for your job, but at less than half the salary? Which do you think depresses your income more? And do you think that depresses your income more or less than the Apple wage fixing cartel that Steve Jobs had going for years?
My other UID is three digits.
why should I leave?? this is my home, dammit!
part of my point was that I AM INVESTED HERE. its my culture, my people, my land, my origin. I'm from the US and the bay area has been my home for a few decades now.
you suggest I leave? really? that's your answer?
I find that insulting, to be honest.
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"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
They do it because they can't find enough qualified Americans to fill demand. It's not about saving money. Federal law requires that H1-B hires be paid the same wages as a local hire. Add that salary into all of the expenses associated with an H1-B and H1-B transfers, and it IS more expense to hire H1-B employees a lot of the time.