When the recession hit in 2008,Congress and big tech employers mostly shelved the idea of creating more H-1B visas to combat what some described as a skills shortage.This year,however,proposals for overhauling work visa programs have re-emerged as demand for H-1B visas has strengthened.
The federal government begins accepting H-1B applications for the coming fiscal year on April 1.And this year,the number of applications for fiscal 2013,which began Oct.1,exceeded the annual cap of 85,000 visas in 30 days.At the height of the recession,it could take as long as 10 months to hit the cap.
Plans to loosen visa restrictions are being put forth in Washington,including a proposal from Microsoft,whose employment circumstances have changed for the better since it laid off some 5,000 people in 2009.
When the recession hit in 2008,Congress and big tech employers mostly shelved the idea of creating more H-1B visas to combat what some described as a skills shortage.This year,however,proposals for overhauling work visa programs have re-emerged as demand for H-1B visas has strengthened.
The federal government begins accepting H-1B applications for the coming fiscal year on April 1.And this year,the number of applications for fiscal 2013,which began Oct.1,exceeded the annual cap of 85,000 visas in 30 days.At the height of the recession,it could take as long as 10 months to hit the cap.
Plans to loosen visa restrictions are being put forth in Washington,including a proposal from Microsoft,whose employment circumstances have changed for the better since it laid off some 5,000 people in 2009.
Microsoft executives late last month said that the company has about 6,000 open jobs in the U.S.and is creating new positions faster than it can fill them.
In remarks delivered at the Brookings Institution in Washington,Brad Smith,Microsoft's general counsel and executive vice president,cited the company's workforce needs when he made a case for new types of H-1B visas and permanent employment visas.
Smith proposed that Congress should help employers find qualified workers by adding 20,000 new H-1B visas and an equal number of green cards for people with jobs tied to science,technology,engineering and math--the so-called STEM fields.
Microsoft's novel plan would require that companies pay the government$10,000 for each new"supplemental"H-1B visa and$15,000 for a STEM green card visa.The proceeds--estimated at up to$500 million a year--would be invested in education,particularly STEM programs.
Smith said that 3,400 of Microsoft's job openings are for researchers,software developers and engineers.
"Our nation faces the paradox of a crisis in unemployment at the same time that many companies cannot fill the jobs they have to offer,"Smith said.
He warned that if the positions can't be filled locally,"we risk these jobs migrating from the U.S.,creating even bigger challenges for our long-term competitiveness and economic growth."
Smith said Microsoft currently spends 83%of its R&D budget in the U.S.
Microsoft's visa plan will likely get support from groups that are advocating for skilled immigration.
Meanwhile,there's support in Congress for plans to expand the green card program for foreign students who earn advanced degrees in this country.Backers of such a policy argue that it's advantageous to keep those advanced degree holders in the U.S.because they could be IT and business innovators.
Lawmakers probably won't take a close look at Microsoft's proposal until the next Congress is seated.
Ron Hira,a public policy professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology,took issue with Microsoft's claim that there's a scarcity of skilled IT workers that's due in part to a decline in the number of college students pursuing computer science degrees.
"Why are kids not going into IT?Because of industry employment relations,"said Hira."Is there a shortage of people going to medical school or even law school or investment banking?No,because smart kids know that[those are]reasonable career paths."
In the late 1990s,the number of computer science grads doubled,and Hira believes it could double again."Why not focus efforts on that instead of importing guest workers?"he said.
