Issues

Immigration:

Despite an unemployment rate of well over 8%, lawmakers in the 112th Congress are still being encouraged by the high-tech industry to increase to the number of high-tech guest worker visas through the H-1B and L-1 visa programs. IFPTE remains opposed to any expansion, citing the displacement of workers and the inherent unfairness of the program toward visa recipients. There is also a new effort to ‘fast track’ green cards for foreign students receiving graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields from U.S. universities. IFPTE is particularly concerned that Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) may introduce a comprehensive Immigration reform bill that could include language to allow for the ‘stapling’ of green cards to graduate degrees of foreign students graduating from U.S. universities. IFPTE would oppose such an effort.

Also, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) has introduced a bill to replace the Diversity Immigration Program, which awards visas through a lottery system to people from nations with low immigration rates, with a program to award green cards to those who have achieved an advanced degree in a STEM field. Issa’s bill will essentially allow up to 50,000 foreign students in the United States to exchange their student visas for green cards. IFPTE is on record as opposing this legislation and will continue to monitor it throughout 2012.

Alternatively, IFPTE will continue to advocate for the 2009 Marshall Framework for Immigration Reform which advocates that guestworker programs like H-1B should be “improved,” not expanded. With respect to H-1B in particular, Marshall says that, “Public support for indentured foreign worker programs often comes from employers’ unsubstantiated claims of labor shortage. The proof commonly proffered by employers of indentured H-1B computer and other technical workers is the exhaustion of the available visas for the year on the first day they become available. This clearly is not evidence of a labor shortage, but of a strong demand for indentured workers who can be paid well below prevailing wages.” Along with the larger labor movement, IFPTE has endorsed the Marshall report and will continue to advocate for it.