H-1B and L1 visa issuance to Indians good indicator of thriving bilateral ties: US

[OhioChick]

16 Jul, 2011, 06.59PM IST,PTI

WASHINGTON: Though it has hiked fee for H-1B and L1 visas popular among Indian professionals and companies, the US has said it continues to issue these visas to a large number of Indians which is a "good indicator" of the thriving bilateral ties.

"US visa issuances to Indians are another good indicator of our thriving relationships," said Robert Hormats , Under Secretary for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs, who would travel to New Delhi and Chennai next week along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to attend the second Indo-US Strategic Dialogue.

For the past four years, Indians have received about half of all H-1B visas issued worldwide, and more than 44 per cent of all L1 intra-company transfer visas, he argued.

"650,000 Indians traveled to the United States in 2010, an 18 per cent increase over the year 2009," he added.

More: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/nri/visa-and-immigration/h-1b-and-l1-visa-issuance-to-indians-good-indicator-of-thriving-bilateral-ties-us/articleshow/9248484.cms

[somone]

1. And the ideal relationship is when U.S. companies replace all American workers with Indians

:sarcasm:

[roxiejules]

2. US workers file discrimination suit

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x614674


Eighteen IT workers in California have filed a lawsuit against their former employer claiming they were replaced by H-1B workers from India and then laid off in violation of the state's anti-discrimination laws.

In the lawsuit, the 18 workers say that IT managers at Molina Healthcare Inc. increasingly catered to the Indian workers while leaving U.S. workers, mostly security analysts and programmers who earned at least $75,000 a year, feeling excluded prior getting laid off last year.

"They just wanted to fire the Americans, and that's what happened. It wasn't a downsizing, it wasn't an outsourcing, it was bringing in foreigners onto American soil to replace American workers. That the scheme and it's going on around the country," said Otto.

The lawsuit says that on Jan. 14, 2010, one day after the U.S. Department of Labor approved Cognizant's application for 40 H-1B workers, Molina fired 40 programmers, security analysts and managers. It also claims that the wages for the H-1B employees were approximately 50% less than that paid to their American counterparts.

[msongs]

3. not the CHANGE we HOPEd for from the obama administration, well HIs kids will always be able to

get jobs, being who they are and all.

[JDPriestly]

4. H-1B visas should not be issued to people from other countries

unless we have a shortage of qualified workers here. We don't have a shortage of qualified workers. We have a shortage of jobs.

These visas are inappropriate and should not be issued.