In the boom times of the late 1990s, U.S. corporations turned to foreign workers to fill highly skilled jobs, particularly in technology. Now foreign workers are being blamed for displacing their home-grown counterparts.
Last week, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., introduced a bill crafted to close loopholes in employment visa laws, which he said allow companies to hire foreign employees and outsource them to other companies.
“We must make sure that our immigration policies dont have a backlash effect on displacing American workers,” Chambliss said. “[The bill] will end the practice of companies who are displacing American workers.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee last week took a look at the role of temporary work visas in the current economy.
The technology industrys use of H-1B visas dropped approximately 75 percent last year, with initial H-1B visa applications falling to 26,659 from 105,692 in 2001, according to the Department of Homeland Security Office of Immigration Security.