Silicon Valley executives and most mainstream Republicans criticize Donald Trump’s position on the current H-1B program. Yet both political parties over the last 16 years have left the Americans with a deeply flawed program, riddled with a multitude of loopholes and favoring larger multinational and outsourcing IT firms.
H-1Bs aren't for just any prospective employee; they are reserved for specialized talent filling a specialized position. The positions must also, according to the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services), not be replacing jobs of U.S. citizens.
However, if the annual salary being offered is greater than $60,000, all USCIS requirements are waived including that of replacing U.S. citizens. Where can you find a specialized PHD or Masters level skill in IT offering an annual salary of less than $60,000? Nowhere on either coast of the U.S. at any technology enclave.
Of the 85,000 annual H-1B visas issued among 10,000 applicant companies in 2014, roughly 32,000 of the H-1B visas end up being issued to 20 large companies. Within the 32,000 H-1B visas issued,16,000 were provided to several of the largest Indian U.S. outsourcing firms -- Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS. The rest of the...
