H1B is here. Mai jaa hu Indiaaaaaaa !!!

Okay, I said the post on H1B. The is a social one. Vatsheel had is his view point. He said that he writes on social issues. The contrast is that I write about personal issues. But as Vatsh said H1B's visa is a very much social issue.

The visa may be an issue but I write about what appeals to me. The bill of doubling of H1B visas is around in the US of A senate. Much more is the debate is whether or not the bill will be passed or not. Even more is the debate that should the bill be passed or not.

What are H1B? The H-1B visa program allows American companies and universities to employ foreign scientists, engineers, programmers, and other professionals in the United States. The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa category in the US of A under the Immigration & Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H). It allows American companies and universities to seek temporary help from skilled foreigners who have the equivalent US Bachelor's education. H-1B employees are employed temporarily in a job category that is considered by the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services to be a "specialty occupation". A specialty occupation is one that requires theoretical and practical application of a body of specialized knowledge along with at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent. For example, architecture, engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences, medicine and health, education, business specialties, accounting, law, theology, and the arts may be considered to be specialty occupations.


What's the mess is about? This is from one of the business week report.

Sehgal is one of many international MBA candidates who's caught in a visa bind. With only 65,000 H-1B visas available for professional-level workers across all sectors for the 2008 fiscal year, the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services received 123,480 eligible applications on Apr. 2 and Apr. 3. After a computer lottery, about half the applicants were rejected.

Another Report:
Abhishek has a few options. After completing his degree requirements, he can try his luck in a visa pool for candidates with Master's degrees. That's 20,000 visas above and beyond the H1B - for students who've completed advanced degrees in the US. Citi could also take him for a one-year "practical training" under his student visa and he can reapply for an H1B next year.

The current Law regarding H1B's allows 65,000 visas only. The reality is that if an IIT graduate gets the much hyped foreign placement, it might be that he doesn't actually answers the job.

One such affected student says: "Microsoft hired for US positions (at IIT) and then almost simply dropped their new hires because of the H1b mess (did not even give India positions), Merril Lynch took people to UK, same with Deutsche Bank, Capital One kept few people in India and moved rest to England and Canada.LimeWire opened an India office. This year also many companies are in trouble including Bloomberg".Mai aa raha hu America

So what's the bill? The US senators cum top-shot-business persons (You can count more business persons in White House than non-business ones!) fear that this might lead to deficient supply of immigrant energy of the nation.
Two such senators proposed a new plan. This seeks to increase the number 65,000 to something like 1,2o,000 now and further to 1,80,000. It also allows unlimited number of visas to personnel who hold Master's and higher degree from a US University or any such equivalent.

The two-sided effects? The senators have made them clear. They want more and more servants. More human resource at their disposal. The arrow is shifting. After English, the Americans are our new masters.

However attractive it may seem for the industry of US of A it has a real backlash from the side of an average American citizen. There is a natural fear of 'my job could be at risk'.

The Americans are hotly debating the issue here . One gentleman argues: "Labor is work, not product, and if you are going to stand up and tell the US government you cannot possibly find a US Employee to do the job, and must bring in someone from another country to do it, you should be paying an abjectly high premium".He adds: Look, here is EXACTLY how H1B works the vast majority of the time, and I know this because I’ve been in the meetings where the decisions were being made to do it! List for a job posting offering 50-80% of the market rate for the skill set you need... of course you can’t find anyone with decent skills to take the job.. so you then hire someone H1B and pay them 50-80% of what you should be paying. You weren’t in a situation where you couldn’t find an american to do the job, you set up a situation where you couldn’t find an american to do the job for WHAT YOU WANTED TO PAY... not that there was no american who could do it... so instead of the company being forced to simply adjust to market situations, you give them a trump card to avoid the market forces, using government interference.That’s all you have going on with H1B... its a COMPLETE and total scam, its a short circuit of the market, and to argue its “free market” is repugnant.

Well it may be repugnant but that is life. Skills are important but immigrant labour is attractive because it is willing to work for less. And longer and harder hours, as well.

A study conducted by Centre for Immigration Studies (CIS) tells that 85% of foreigners are paid $13,000 less than an American working in America for the same post and in the same state. This is against the law. But it happens very much. You know that you are being exploited but I can photograph you drinking and enjoying in the sahab ki visa party. Still I see the front page headlines of TOI speaking the issue as -'Chalo America'! Aapka bachpan ka sapna ab poora ho sakta hai. Still I here my friends speak "Mai to India jaisi country me job nahi kar sakta". We still can't get out of our "foreign jaane ko milega" paranoia.

The courtesy argument of there-are-more-research-facilities-in-USA given by the migrated scientists and researchers is as much valid for Dr.Kalam, Homi Bhabha, S.C.Bose as it is for them. Yet we see these two types of peoples taking different paths at a critical point in their life. Now I don't need to justify the argument.

No wonder why we have the tag line of a leading organisation as Building Nations without specifying which nation and having its yearly meeting in US of A and India alternately.

Just imagine we go to past and every single Indian immigrant with the so called label of skilled-worker had not immigrated in the new happenings. What would have been India then? What would have been America then? I agree they develop more skills with them being in America but still they would have been much worth working with India. The new proposal invites more skilled foreigners from India. Hence more skill flowing out from India. Hence India becoming more and more skill deficient. Hence America becoming more and more skill proficient.

As I end this I hope from the youth of India, creation of an India where we shall not need to the go past and reform the things!