A Congressional hearing, held on Tuesday against the backdrop of a new bipartisan legislative effort to nearly double the number of H1B visas, brought forth sharp differences on the issue among lawmakers, the US tech industry and workers’ bodies, raising fresh uncertainties about the move.
The annual cap on H1B visas, the bulk of which has gone to Indian techies over the past couple of decades, is proposed to be raised from 65,000 to 115,000 in response to demands from the American tech industry which says it cannot find enough qualified professionals domestically.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the Republican Party, which now controls both chambers of Congress, was itself a divided house on the subject. While the new Bill has been sponsored by senior Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, it is being stoutly opposed by another senior Republican – Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley. Grassley, chairing the hearing, argued that Hatch’s Bill (called the Immigration Innovation or ‘I-Squared’ Act of 2015) “only makes the problem worse”.
Known to be a virulent critic of the H1B visa scheme on the grounds that it only displaces American workers, Grassley said the new Bill doesn’t close the loopholes or prevent abuse. “It doesn’t make sure that American workers are put before foreign workers. It only increases the supply of cheaper foreign labour,” he said.
Senator Hatch, however, made a strong pitch for his Bill, which has been co-sponsored by nine Senators belonging to both Republican and Democratic parties. “America and American companies need more high-skilled workers — this is an undeniable fact,” said Hatch, noting America’s high-skilled worker shortage has assumed crisis proportions.
The US industry majors have warned that America could fast lose its tech prowess and competitiveness if it is not able to get high-skilled workers from abroad, given its short supply within the US — a point hotly contested by organisations representing American workers.
Richard Trumka, president of AFl-CIO, the umbrella federation that claims to represent 12.5 million workers, said his organisation supports comprehensive immigration reform, but wants a specific bar on using H1B visas to replace American workers. He brought up the ongoing issue of Southern California Edison that laid off hundreds of its IT workers and then used an outside contractor to hire H1B visa holders.