[9thLife]

The libertarian-leaning me believes an American employer should be able to hire pretty much anyone he or she wants to hire.

Yeah, no. If you want to hire Indians, open a branch in India. In America, hire Americans.

[impimp]

Change H1-B awards to salary-based instead of lottery-based and then almost everyone would be happy except for a few people on Freerepublic.

[proxy_user]

A much better solution would be to base H1B visas on salary. The highest salaries would get priority for visas, and an H1B visa would be a permit to work in the US for 3 years, so H1B holders could change jobs with no penalty if they wished.

This would wreck the whole current business model, but that’s the idea.

[BitWielder1]

I'd much prefer qualified working people coming here than the current uncontrolled inrush of welfare cases and criminals.
Productive people add to the economy.
An H-1B immigrant already has a job before he comes here, he may take up a position, or one is created for him, but he produces, consumes and pay taxes and somewhere up or down the supply line, more jobs are created as a result.
It's not a problem.

[central_va]

How about whole we can this disgusting program. America for Americans. You want kids to study stem in college? Eliminate this program. Yes wages may go up a little in the short term but in the long term America is a stronger better nation.

NO OTHER COUNTRY ABUSES THEIR CITIZENS LIKE THIS!

[C19fan]

Ted Cruz supports increasing the number of HB1 visas by a factor of five.

[King Moonracer]

How about if you have one H1B you can’t layoff employees. They are meant as a stop gap, not a replacement.

[indthkr]

bump

[I am Richard Brandon]

The San Diego area has a group of industries supplying the ethnic needs of the H1-B workers in Qualcomm.

[asinclair]

Along with the idea that 50 percent of the employees can't be H1B, how about a requirement that an equal ratio of vice presidents, department heads, managers, and supervisors be H1B employees as exists at the lower levels. What's sauce for the goose...

And while we are at it, how about CEOs and CFOs being H1B hired by the board of directors. Isn't there a shortage of [cheap] top management?

[zeestephen]

For those who think Ted Cruz is a Conservative on immigration please remember:

(1) 2012 - Campaigned in Texas to increase the number of legal “guest workers” for ranchers and farmers.

(2) 2013 - Introduced an amendment to the Gang of Eight Amnesty that would have increased the number of H-1B Visas by 5 times.

(3) 2013 - Introduced a second amendment to increase Green Cards by 650,000 per year - in other words, 650,000 new permanent work visas every year.

[zeestephen]

Re: “workers had to agree to train their replacements and to not criticize the utility in public.”

The “non-disclosure” agreement is why so few American engineers will criticize the H-1B program.

Almost all large corporations hand out a pretty decent severance package when the H-1B’s walk in the door.

The Americans have only two choices:

(1) Train the H-1B’s and don't complain - then get a good reference (”eligible for rehire”), up to 18 months of pay, maybe educational benefits, and free professional job placement services.

(2) Refuse to train or publicly complain - no reference, minimal severance pay, no educational or placement services.