Paid for by Lee Whitnum 2008
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Save the American job and you save the American economy.
Eliminate policies that line the pockets of immigration lawyers at the expense
of the American middle-class. Congresswoman Rosa Delauro (D-CT) has a
solution that I applaud, Bill 2504 restricts the L1 visa but it is not enough.
Let's work to eliminate the H-1B, E1, E2 and E3. There is no shortage of
educated workers here. Alan Blinder estimates that 14 million white collar
jobs will be lost in the next ten years unless we do something about it.
STRICTLY ENFORCE THE H-1B VISA! Too many H-1B visa status
holders are destroying middle class opportunity. Currently 65,000 are
allowed in annually but loopholes allow so many more. That's 5,000+ well
paying jobs lost to Connecticut annually. There is no shortage of technical
talent here. This Youtube clip finally brings to light what people in the
software industry have known FOR YEARS. Immigration lawyers and
recruiting firms are lining their own pockets at the expense of the American
worker.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TCbFEgFajGU
recruiting firms and law firms making money, not to mention cheap
labor for American companies. Their lobby groups are very strong. I lobbied
with the American Engineering Association down in DC but no one listened.
Here are the facts: There is an overwhelming number of competent,
qualified people here in the USA.
Here's the math:
300,000 American college graduates with college technical
degrees annually.*
65,000 H-1B visas are allowed in.
365,000 new technical employees annually
The number of new technical jobs annually: 120,000.** That leaves an
annual surplus of 245,000 kids here who can't find a job in their field. This
could be your child. And some politicians (Senate bill, S 1639) now want to
double the amount of H-1B visas to 115,000! Don't they know the dot.com
era is long over. Estimated loss to Connecticut: 8,000 well paying jobs
annually. Protect our kids' future.
Unfortunately the H-1B visa is part of General Agreement on Trade in
Services (GATS) and eliminate it will be tough but, we can eliminate the
loop-holes. Since both H-1B and L-1 are "dual-intent visas," holders of
these visas are frequently transferred to EB-1, -2, or -3 visas and no longer
counted against the 65,000 cap. I'd like to fight to remove remove the
dual-intent option for these visas, making them only temporary visas -- that
would reduce the numbers and not violate the treaties. It would also reduce
the cumulative build-up of US jobs lost to foreign job applicants that these
visas currently allow.
