Communications of the ACM
H-1B Visas Allow U.S. Companies to Thrive
Credit: CIO
Deborah Collier serves as the Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs for Citizens Against Government Waste.
Technology companies rely on an educated and qualified workforce to continue to operate and innovate.
Enabling technology companies to continue to provide products and services both now and in the future requires an even more highly educated and skilled workforce in the STEM-C fields. Everyone would like these jobs to be filled by Americans. But, when companies are unable to fill their job openings with enough qualified U.S. citizens, they must rely on foreign workers to fill the void using the H-1B visa program.
The number of visas issued under this program is capped at 65,000 visas with an additional 20,000 visas for foreign professionals who graduate with a Master's degree or doctorate from a U.S. institution of higher learning each year. That is completely inadequate to fill the 275,000 applications or registrations filed by hundreds of companies that need these workers.
Despite the demonstrated need for workers through the H-1B program and the insufficient numbers that are permitted, some longstanding opponents of both legal and illegal immigration are using the high unemployment rates stemming from the coronavirus pandemic and mandatory business closures as an excuse to keep these necessary workers from entering the country.
From Citizens Against Government Waste
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