US immigration urged to increase H1-B visa allocation
April 08 2009 by Robbie Ragless
US think tank, the Heritage Foundation, has called upon the US government to increase the allocated number of H-1B visas to 195,000 in order to boost taxes and help economic recovery.
Although there have been fears that H1-B visa holders may take jobs that US citizens could be doing, the Heritage Foundation says this fear is unfounded and that attracting skilled foreigners to work in the US is extremely beneficial to the economy.
Currently, 65,000 H1-B visas are allocated each year. The number has reduced over recent years despite massive oversubscription from companies that want to recruit talent from abroad.
The Heritage Foundation report says the notion that US workers are displaced by foreign skilled work-visa holders is a “popular myth.” They claim, “raising the cap for H-1B visas will not steal American jobs but will help promote economic growth and generate much needed tax revenue.”
The report suggests that if a quota for one year is met, it should automatically increase for the following year, and thus, unused US visas can be used the following year if demand falls.
The foundation concluded: "allowing the appropriate levels of high skilled workers into the United States helps the American worker, the economy, and America's federal budget."
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