They gotta look for Americans first... just about as hard as folks on unemployment insurance have to look for jobs, that is. Totally pro forma. In this era of telecommuting and worldwide corporate networks, it's also much easier to fill jobs with people living overseas without even touching the H-1B pool. It's difficult to believe that in a land of hundreds of millions of people, nobody is there who would not gladly and competently do what each H-1B is doing and even for the same pay.
"It's difficult to believe that in a land of hundreds of millions of people, nobody is there who would not gladly and competently do what each H-1B is doing and even for the same pay."
I hate to tell you, but companies "want" H1B workers because they have total rule over them. They work them 60 hours a week and give them squat for benefits, and if they whine to the company , the host company just threatens to turn them into the INS and have them deported for any reason.
From a business standpoint, who would you want to hire?
The government doesn`t keep track of these people either. There are a load of "expired" H1B visa holders still in the US and the government doesn`t know where they are?
Its a system that has been completely bastardized.
Agree 100%, ask anyone looking who's got a grey hair or three.