October 9th, 2008
H-1B visas rife with fraud, worker mistreatment
Thirteen percent of petitions for H-1B visas filed on behalf of employers are fraudulent. That’s the conclusion of a report by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security, BusinessWeek reports.
A key part of the fraud is loopholes that allow employers to mistreat employees.
. “We shouldn’t forget that the major problem with the H-1B program are caused by massive loopholes that allow firms to legally pay below-market wages and force US workers to train foreign replacements,” says Hira. “Those wouldn’t show up in this investigation because they are entirely legal.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley (D-Iowa) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) have sponsored a bill, S. 1035, to address fraud and legal loopholes in the program.
The idea that H-1B allows tech employers to hire the best minds from around the world is not the reality. The reality is that H-1B visas are dominated by Indian outsourcing companies like Infosys, Wipro and Tata.
