H1-B Visa Argumentative Essay

American citizens face a dearth of well-paying jobs and secure employment in the scientific and technology sector in the twenty-first century. Many American workers accuse H1-B visa as the most significant factor behind the lack of current employment opportunities. However, as is usual with most financial situations, the furor began with the national economy. The growth of a globally-connected economy propelled American businesses to move many domestic operations to foreign countries with lower labor costs (CITE). Unfortunately, the spread of offshoring jobs from low-skill manufacturing to high-wage technology and scientific jobs has reduced the human capital level of the United States (CITE) A combination of political, economic and technological

“The bubble began in overinvestment in IT and spread to much of the stock market” (qt in Galbraith and Hale 6-7). The exponential growth and interest in online companies created a demand for technically oriented workers that could not be met by the American workforce. H-1B visas were instrumental in importing the talent needed to build the current digital world. The American workforce has doggedly trained and studied to become skilled in high-demand technical fields. However, American companies continue to employ H-1B visa workers because of the reduced labor costs. In fact, “the program specifies the minimum wage for any H-1B visa holder at only the 17th percentile of the prevailing rate for the job category” (Gwynne 6). The increase in profit generated by cheap skilled labor is very attractive to tech companies. Silicon Valley has used much of the capital gained from the tremendous cost savings of H1-B visas to lobby members of Congress in an attempt to raise the cap on the visas. The White House has proposed changes to the H-1B visa to allow spouses of sponsored workers to immigrate and allowed to work in the US as well. “Outsourcing is damaging to U.S. workers and the American economy,” Apter said. “We need laws that promote U.S. job growth, not encourage it to leave our shores.” (IEEE-USA). One such law was added to the H-1B law in 2000 as part of an

Employers state that the U.S. still lacks enough employable technically skilled workers, and H-1B visas allow American businesses to compete in and increasingly competitive global marketplace. However, with the number of skilled U.S. workers increasing in all areas of the workforce, there is no longer justification for the use of foreign employees to perform jobs so sorely needed by American workers. H-1B visas holders are now displacing American worker by working for lower wages and fewer benefits. The visa holders are being abused by the system as well. Immigrant workers are held virtual prisoners by companies who treat them as little more than indentured servants. Serious reforms are needed to ensure that American jobs and workers are not tossed away in the name of cost reductions and increased profits for corporations. Legal protection needs to be enacted that protects H-1B visa workers from exploitation and indentured servitude. The visas were created for businesses that needed highly skilled immigrants to work for them, not for a source of entry-level immigrant workers laborers leased out to aggressively competitive companies. H1-B visas should not be allowed to legalize discrimination towards American workers and make it almost impossible for companies that hire Americans to compete in the global