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The H1-B Message Board

Wed Apr 11 23:27:11 2001
Name:Pankaj Chugh
Email:p0c0890@yahoo.com
Views:It is not just the H1-B, all of the immigration rules need to re-looked at. It is a matter of great shame that legal immigrants have to go through physical, emotional and mental torture because of rules that clearly are not even humane forget about being in favor of the immigrants. It's time for a change

Wed Apr 11 23:27:23 2001
Name:anonymous
Email:anon@hotmail.com
Views:Well, this is the testing time for all H1B holder. I think Indian American assoisiations which boast of such a huge political influence over washington political circles should address H1B workers concerns. We pay significant part of every pay cheque for social security, but what kind of social security we have. The day we lose the job, we have no choice but either spend our own savings to stay here or leave the country. I am not sure when our social security cut from our pay cheque helps. ravindra

Wed Apr 11 23:32:20 2001
Name:fasikhan
Email:fasiha_khan@hotmail.com
Views:go back to india till situaion improves

Wed Apr 11 23:32:47 2001
Name:Srinivas
Email:svuppula@email.com
Views:If it is not fair to leave AMerica when you lost job, It is also not fair to stay here illegally too. Companies here needed people when required and they don't need now. We didn't come here on some ones mercy....they needed skill people and we are here and if they don't need now we don't need them too. Lets make India stronger with whatever we learned here so far.

Wed Apr 11 23:35:53 2001
Name:Prasad
Email:prasad@hotmail.com
Views:I don't think it is a big deal, when i came to US 3 years back i know that i have to leave someday and now the problem is with the guys who are still in so called american dream. As everybody know the american policies are use and throw, hire and fire, last. so no hard feelings !!! Come out the dreams boys !! Time to pack our bags !!

Wed Apr 11 23:40:16 2001
Name:Maria
Email:maria26@yahoo.com
Views:I think H1B workers should be allowed to stay and look for a job for some specific length of time before they are asked to leave.

Wed Apr 11 23:41:33 2001
Name:Kiran Kumar
Email:bkkk@rediffmail.com
Views:I am an indian citizen residing in US: It is absolutely unfair that we are the first to loose our jobs but it is the part of the deal, I think the moment we arrive here the message resonates loud and clear, "we can be dumped any day" and i think to be fair to those companies there is no other option left. As far as going back to india is concerned, it is longer the matter of personal choice, the impending threat of status expiry is what compels many to return back. Thats the reason perhaps one should believe "No country is as good as MY country"

Wed Apr 11 23:41:46 2001
Name:Indrajeet Mohile
Email:indrajeetmohile@hotmail.com
Views:There is absolutely no reason for the Indians to waste their valuable time in America, any further. Their home country is a land of opportunities and they would really be doing an honourable deed by coming dowm to their home country and serving their mother land. It is rather disgraceful to spend ones entire life as a second citizen. Money makes a ghost out of you and it is this maddening lust for money which makes our Indians go to the USA and make a Big Fool out of themselves. If you have it in you then come back and serve your mother country which can turn out to be the super power of the millenium and then it would be those whites who would be wanting to come to a country which is full of cultures and dignified traditions as they themselves lack these basic ingredients. THEIR LIFE IS FRESH BULL-SHIT. If you want to know what life actually means, then come down to INDIA. I take this opportunity to invite those whites who really need to understand what life is all about. Indrajeet

Wed Apr 11 23:49:43 2001
Name:Hitesh Shah.
Email:shah_hitesh@usa.net
Views:Hi, This is a really good question and brain eating to all who are working in US on H-1 status. I am not saying that company should not lay off anybody or give all advantages to H-1 holders. But this is not fair either to send H-1 holders back home or give them 10-15 (nobody is sure yet, what's the procedure, if company cancel thier H-1 status, how long that person can stay in US officially). Even no body knows in how many days that person needs to get another H-1 sponserer and file for them. One thing is sure that it should not be like that if Green card holder can stay here without job, than why not H-1?

I agree that US government cannot give unemployment to H-1 holder but they should not insist H-1 holders to go back home. As they have already left thier job at back home.

We all should request US government to change certain things in US law "if possible" and also I would request all people to let everyone know, what is the law for H-1 holders? How long they can stay officially in US once they loose thier jobs. Thanks

Wed Apr 11 23:49:43 2001
Name:Sanjay Kawatra
Email:master3637@hotmail.com
Views:It's terrible! I have 4 months left on my 6yrs of H1 and I was laid off. My green-card processing has gone back to zero. I've been offered a job as of yesterday but I have to apply for a fresh H1 since transfer is not allowed because I've been off the payroll for about 35 days. Looks like I'll have to leave the US for 12 months because it doesnt look like I can extend my H1 beyond the 6 yrs

Wed Apr 11 23:55:02 2001
Name:Sheeba Stan
Email:sheeba_st@yahoo.com
Views:It is terrible that indian workers are forced to leave U.S after having worked for this country. They should have legal rights to stay and find another, atleast for a period of 3 months.

Wed Apr 11 23:55:16 2001
Name:Farooq Mohammed
Email:imaginations@hotmail.com
Views:The H1-B workers should to allowed to look for another job irrespective of time it takes to find one. Though we are not the citizens of US, we still pay all taxes and greatly contribute to the US economy, still we are the ones who suffers most. You have a job and everything is going fine and one ugly day your company is out of business or fires you. Now you lose your status, even if you get pass through the interviews for new jobs, you get stopped by new companies HR dept. or lawyers to get latest paystub without which your H1-B will be not transferred. No doubt that you have the necessary skills but you cannot transfer your visa since you cannot produce a latest paystub. Now you have no income to run your home. Since you are not a citizen of US, you can't even claim unemployment though you pay soical security tax. And during this time if you or your family members get sick, you have no insurance. ????. My friends, do you agree with me that we live a life filled with mental torture, worrying about jobs, layoff, INS, etc. We are being treated as a use & throw object when in fact we are highly reuseable. If all H1-B's act as one force, we can cause ripples in the IT industry. We should strongly propose and get more relaxations in maintaining our status.

Wed Apr 11 23:56:06 2001
Name:key monrey
Email:key@hotmail.com
Views:All H1B's have to go back to their own countries.

Wed Apr 11 23:57:47 2001
Name:Vikas Sundar
Email:vsundar1@hotmail.com
Views:We have been treated like prostitutes with AIDS and expected to go back to our Village! I came one year ago and in the process of settling down. I have lost even the savings I had in India. Got laid off two months ago and am packing bags to come home for Good. Never ever setting my foot in the country where they treated us like king when they needed us and like untouchables when they don't. The company that laid me off just deactivated my card to the building. 20+ phone calls and no response from HR. Just a letter in mail after a week or so saying you are not needed and and a severence pay that would barely cover the cost of plane ticket!!

Wed Apr 11 23:57:59 2001
Name:Ranganadh Kanala
Email:ranganadh@rediffmail.com
Views:I have come here 2 months back. Presently, I am on bench. Looking at the scenario, I am afraid, I may loose my job, in a couple of weeks. If that happens, how long I can stay back in USA and what are the options left?

Thu Apr 12 00:07:25 2001
Name:Shelly
Email:bs@hotmail.com
Views:Every Company thinks of their benefit - They hire people when they need them, they fire them when they dont ! I work for one of Big 5 Consulting companies. I have seen people being hired in Kilos( Bulk) and now they are being fired with an undercurrent of thought : You are a indispensable Liability. The fate of laid off H1 B workers can be said in 1 sentence: Its a Blessing in disguise for India!

Thu Apr 12 00:10:41 2001
Name:sridevi
Email:phani_sridevi@hotmail.com
Views:hi I want to know how secure are those who still have jobs? Bye sridevi

Thu Apr 12 00:14:02 2001
Name:Babu Mehata
Email:baba57@yahoo.com
Views:Yes I think it is fair to ask H1 B people to leave Looking at the salries these people make in ranges of 100K per annum , at least in the valley, they are bound to be thrown off when company has to do a cost cut. Dont forget the money they made in the past in the days of IT boom in 1999. They made that much since they were taking the "risk", now being laid off is the "business risk" and hence is fair enough.

Thu Apr 12 00:14:53 2001
Name:harish kranti
Email:harish kranti@hotmail.com
Views:Its bad but not to loose heart so soon things are going to brighten up as certain tax cut measures taken by the USpresident may bounce back the stockmarket in the near future.

Thu Apr 12 00:16:59 2001
Name:Milind Shah
Email:milindshah@yahoo.com
Views:H-B are temporary workers. They are expected to leave on demamd. However they should get enough time( probably 3 months) to look for another job before they have to leave US.

Thu Apr 12 00:23:06 2001
Name:Sirish Venkatagiri
Email:sirishcv@hotmail.com
Views:As long as the Old Economy in India faces little competition, IT will not find an attractive market within India. This also precludes development of packaged software in India, as most packages are developed based on meeting the needs of demanding clients. If India wants to stop brain drain, we must move away from protectionism. Expecting another country to look out for you is unrealistic. H1-Bs have little choice but to continue with the uncertainty, or move to other countries, where the overall experience is likely to be even less favorable than it is in the US.

Thu Apr 12 00:33:44 2001
Name:dharamjit singh panesar
Email:dharamjit4@hotmail.com
Views:it is no piont to send those IT professional back to india or back to their resp. country. they should fight for their right to stay there there is no fun to come back and find a new jobback here i my self am a MIT AND I FEEL THE SCOPE OF INFORMATION TECH. IS HUGE BUT NOT IN INTERNET MARKETING IN ANOTHER 2 YEARS FROM NOW 90% OF THE SITES HAS TO CLOSE DOWN DUE TO FINANCE REVENUE PROBLEM. B2B CAN SURVIVE ACC. TO ME.

Thu Apr 12 00:35:58 2001
Name:sunil
Email:sshirguppi@yahoo.com
Views:How bad will it get ???

Thu Apr 12 00:39:21 2001
Name:AD
Email:prizmaweb@yahoo.com
Views:The layoff scene is indeed not good. In the boston area there are about 30 companies which were listed as having either laid off or stopped hiring. However I disagree that the H1B people were the first to be asked to leave. In fact, I see that many H1B's have been retained for their technical skills while non technical people have been asked to go. Currently the web consulting business is in very bad shape.

Thu Apr 12 00:39:22 2001
Name:C Baliga
Email:cbaliga@rediffmail.com
Views:IT is not just IT. Indian Engineers toiled hard in Defence contracts in US and UK during 1980's and 1990's and were first to lose their jobs. It never became an issue. I am suprised why when IT industry falls there is hue and cry!! There is always ups and downs in all kind of industry. The talent must be brought back home with respect and provide some sort of government plan to absorb such person affected by this sort of set backs. I shall appreciate if a contingency plans are made by government of India with memorandum of understanding with companies to relocate our talented work force into our system.. Chaitanya

Thu Apr 12 00:40:26 2001
Name:Sharad Kumar Singh
Email:sharad_x@yahoo.com
Views:The people in US on H1B are just in horrible conditions. There is always a sword hanging over your head - that can fall anytime . The situation here that we are facing today is designed by the Indians who have spoiled the complete industry.

Thu Apr 12 00:46:10 2001
Name:?????
Email:venus151@goplay.com
Views:This is really a serious concern, But we overlook the misadvantage taken by a lot of contracting companies and professionals that get professionals who do not have adequate technical knowledge and/or experience and coming to the hitech industry here and create problems to themselves and their families and also to the professionals that have put in hardship to gain expertise in the tech fields, the talented professionals are affected because of the volume. This can be taken care of before getting here, get the right people. I think the people taking this misadvantage should not be here, this will the make life easier and progressive to a lot of fellow indians and also to the hitech industry back in india. But as everyone knows, the indian H1b industry is dominated by these manipulative people, and i think this is a greater concern than the US economy.

Thu Apr 12 00:48:05 2001
Name:safz
Email:safz@rediffmail.com
Views:should be able to continue the stay here for at least 3 months

Thu Apr 12 00:49:42 2001
Name:Sunny Deol
Email:sunnyd@deols.com
Views:When the H1 boom started every tom, dick and harry was able to come to the US, of course aided by body shoppers whose only motive was to make profits, but now it is crunch time so it is more a matter of the survival of the fittest. Now the clients will be more demanding in getting their moneys worth, so only the really good developers will be able to pursue the American dream. And as for the other tom, dick and harrys, see u in India(yes i am also going back, did u really think i belong to the former category). I think I will go back to farming(fortunately my grandpa left some fields, but with WTO coming into effect even that is risky), cause I hear the IT job market is not good in India too.

Thu Apr 12 00:49:47 2001
Name:Pruthvi
Email:pruthvi@yahoo.com
Views:Hello all, I am a H1B worker here myself and i read the interview with the INS spokesperson on rediff. Let me say this, the people at INS don't really care about the new situation with us or care about us period. The comments were so vague and unclear that you can't make anything out of it!. My suggestion to all the fellow H1B workers is to make money when you can and do what you feel is right but have a very good immigration lawyer! seriously.

Thu Apr 12 00:52:29 2001
Name:Prasad
Email:prajam@hotmail.com
Views:Yess its sad that many people have to leave.But remember we are temporary workers we are hired for a temporary job.We feel more pain bcos we are used to a very very secure working enviornment.We are very dependent on that security. People are more hit bcos all their "financial" plans or investments they have made here and in India will have to suffer but I guess its our bad judgement that we make permanent plans on temporary jobs.We tend to get married to the company/recruiter/place we work in or work with this is one more thing. But I am sure people will get good jobs in india and get better prepared to take on the multinational enviornment soon making its presence felt in india and most importantly they can play a very big role in shaping their work enviornment in India to better levels well enough to be at par with the big guys.Also its not the end, they soon could be invited back.

Thu Apr 12 00:54:02 2001
Name:praveen varaganti
Email:dbsys4215@hotmail.com
Views:I think it unfair as immigrants particulary Asians are the victims of IT cut down. Govt. should give them some more time to stay in US to maintain legal H-1B status

Thu Apr 12 00:59:12 2001
Name:Sachin
Email:ps_sachin@hotmail.com
Views:INS should think about the 6 year limit on H1 VISA.

Thu Apr 12 00:59:21 2001
Name:sreedhar
Email:sreedhar7@123india.com
Views:As the saying goes "Every coin has two sides", so has happened with IT. One thing should be remembered that if one goes to an foriegn land ,he is just a outsider and people take u for granted .We could have done the same way if we were in those peoples (US )position. I think that they have to just wait for some days and see what's the scenario.If nothing happens it would be better to come back to the motherland and try to jobs here.

Thu Apr 12 01:00:30 2001
Name:Jaya
Email:jravi_bangalore@yahoo.com
Views:About how many indians with H1B have lost their jobs as of now?. has anyone kept a count?. Basically the steps to be taken will be based on the number which gives way for the possibility of a more concrete solution. Otherwise I feel we would be talking in isolated abstract terms

Thu Apr 12 01:04:59 2001
Name:aziz
Email:anzio9@hotmail.com
Views:as an H1b holder you are caught in the middle. One hand people tell u that the H1 is a visa for a specific purpose and if the purpose is no longer there why should you? On the other hand by letting you convert to an immigrant status, an implicit we need u so we are letting you convert to a resident is there !! A typical trying to have your cake and eat it to. Let you think u can become a resident, tax you fully and then when the tough get going, so do u !!! Either give us some protection or say that you cannot convert to an immigrant status from H1 and end this farce

Thu Apr 12 01:06:35 2001
Name:Subhash Tejas
Email:roshan_lop@hotmail.com
Views:I dont get it still.How long a bachelor who has just car loan can stay in USA and find another job after being laid off?

Thu Apr 12 01:09:15 2001
Name:Manoj
Email:manojrg@yahoo.com
Views:Think of it first what is the problem ????? and then ask ..okay ....... Manoj

Thu Apr 12 01:09:43 2001
Name:SATISH
Email:vickyrao1234@rediffmail.com
Views:If i get laid off.how many days do i have to get a new job,i suppose 10 days. Lets assume my company lays me off but they dont cancel my visa can i stay in usa or will be in illegal status

Thu Apr 12 01:11:32 2001
Name:venkat
Email:venkat_mangula@hotmail.com
Views: if the person is highly skilled then there is no need to leave america. still he can find better opportunities here itself.

Thu Apr 12 01:13:06 2001
Name:TimePass
Email:timepass@hotmail.com
Views:Does anyone if any company is hiring?

Thu Apr 12 01:14:34 2001
Name:Virendra Kumar
Email:kvirendra@yahoo.com
Views:I have been hearing it again and again that H1-B workers are the first to be laid off, but nobody ever mentioned any reason for that.

Thu Apr 12 01:37:02 2001
Name:shalini
Email:bansalshalini@yahoo.com
Views:they should allowed to find another job

Thu Apr 12 01:38:48 2001
Name:Jehangir Unwalla
Email:junwalla@yahoo.com
Views:it is a sorry state of affairs. These people have left their family and friends and sold off stuff in india to start a new life here and now they are being asked to go back is not fair.

Thu Apr 12 01:39:28 2001
Name:abdul rasheed
Email:abdul.rasheed@gs.com
Views:Hi All, i do agree with you guys. But i think if a person comes to US thru some Indian MNC like Infosys etc he/she is quite safe. These companies do green card processing and even in the worst case your job would be secure. Cheers RASHEED

Thu Apr 12 01:40:15 2001
Name:John Doe
Email:johndoe@yahoo.com
Views:Is anybody on H1 still left in USA?

Thu Apr 12 01:46:01 2001
Name:Suchin Asuri
Email:suchinkj@yahoo.com
Views:H1B is just a license. Too much is being attached to it. But looking at the IT market, and its contribution to the society and business, what is happening now is bound to happen. Not just this time, but in future too. What needs to be addressed now is to synchronize "needs" and "technology". If there are no buyers from internet, that dotcom did not see it when it conceived the idea. But what it really saw was a fascination in the dotcom world. We need to be talking about resetting the IT share in the market, instead of crying over loss of work, as of now. Its just a temporary brake. No industry can survive if it doesn't know what to do next!! If industry survives, employees survive. But one has to contribute to the other in these times. Lets not just wait and watch, but do something to re-energize. Suchin Asuri San Jose, CA

Thu Apr 12 01:55:10 2001
Name:Paul
Email:satishe@yahoo.com
Views:H1B visa holder coming back to India if they lose their job is extremely unfair. People cannot just uproot themselves from a place where they have lived for so many years and head back home for no fault of theirs. The Govt must make some provision for these people to stay and search for another job. It shouldn't be like " Hire when you are doing good and Fire when the chips are down ". US Govt must take a more humane approach to them people and strong influencial Indians in the US must drive for laws to protect these people. The govt created these jobs because they saw a lack of resource in US and it is their right and obligation to these people to be given atleast a chance.

Thu Apr 12 01:56:20 2001
Name:Jay
Email:abcd@xyz.com
Views: This country is dynamic and people here are individualistic . This nature and attitude of the people here leads to insecurity in bad times especially for Immigrants. The time they do not need you , you are out . The time they need you , you get good salaries and start boasting of this country . As regards lifestyles this is one of the worst places to be . I have many friends in bay area and do not think they enjoyed here except for the Satisfaction of earning big money . If you are referring to the crowds which go to the Night clubs frequently then You are right.

Thu Apr 12 01:58:04 2001
Name:Mukesh
Email:mgos72@hotmail.com
Views:what are the rights of a laid off H1B worker? Is it binding on the employer to pay airline ticket back home and a severence package. Is it legal for consulting companies to reduce or stop pay for consultants on bench. Can a company be sued if it fails to pay regularly to its on bench employees.

Thu Apr 12 01:58:24 2001
Name:Arup Choudhury
Email:xarup@hotmai.com
Views:Hello : Please do not take me otherwise and I really do not want to hurt anybody or I am not questioning anybody's ability. But I feel lot of people came from India who are really not up to the standard. Lot of people has gone into the Computer study center and learnt something and then came to US when the market was hot without knowing lot of inside of the basic of Computer Science. So it is natural when market is going down those are the people getting the stick. Please believe me I am not obnoxious or I may loose my job tomorrow but I really feel there are lot of IT proffesional from India who are nowhere near the standard in both computer education and ability. And there is an unfortunate craze in India to think US is heaven all the problem will get solved once somebody reach US. It is not. It still needs lot of hard work and determination and skill to succed here. But unfortunately whatever Indian workforce I have worked with is really below par, not willing to work hard and doing all kinds of politics and corrupting the work environment. I believe this is an eye opener and this thing should have happened sometime or other.

Thu Apr 12 01:58:30 2001
Name:C.V. Kannan
Email:cvkannan@att.net
Views:No, it is totally unfortunate that H1-b workers are told to leave the country. First & foremost, Companies getting in people from outside should make sure that there are projects vailable to sustain the candidate for a long duration . For those already on project being laid off, the consulting firm must have either a provision of taking the people back after sending them on long vacation or compensate atleast a quarter year's salary. After all these consulting firms make a fortune out of the consultants.

Thu Apr 12 02:00:54 2001
Name:Sam
Email:ss@yy.kk
Views:We are "temporary workers" but at the same time high-tech too. Isn't it a pity that we are treated like daily wagers back home? But that is the reality and we have to accept and live with that. A couple of months ago, I have a friend who could not find a job for a year and have to leave the country on most unfortunate circumstances. Also, the Indian "body shoppers" should take some of the blame too. There is also our own government. Should India's relations improve with US in future it may change. I was just looking at the VISA fees for Indians. It is atrocious we pay such fees but I can only blame our govt. Even Pakistan does not have to pay a dime for a VISA. So laid off workers, suck your thumbs and take the next flight out of the country. Sooner the better.

Thu Apr 12 02:01:26 2001
Name:pankit
Email:pankti15@hotmail.com
Views:Hi guys, I would just like to say to all of u only a few lines regarding these.The truth is and u need to face it that the great dream of urs-USA & US companies has used u guys and will continue to till u are available to be used by them.When they won't need u,they would throw u guys like a piece of crap.These using H-1B techies is worst than china's forced and low waged and no freedom labour camps. urs truly, pankit

Thu Apr 12 02:05:07 2001
Name:Ameet Ubhayaker
Email:ameet.ubhayaker@crossworlds.com
Views:Talking of fairness, how fair was it for the worker himself to forsake his plum job in India, where he was making a minimum of 12k, whereas engineers of different disciplines toiled away in their sectors for lesser rewards?? There was no complaint then. Now for the deserters. How many of you are not computer science engineers? I am not. I am a mechanical engineer working as a software engineer in the Valley. Was it fair to desert your own discipline and then label this field, which offered you this opportunity as unfair?? Now to the point of real unfairness. It is unfair that the H1-B worker has to pay social security tax, when he is not eligible for the benefits thereof. It is unfair to just let go a person, who was a major revenue earner, who stood by the organisation, spent sleepless nights to make those stupid releases, met deadlines etc etc. Hardly believe them to expect a firang worker to produce that kind of output. Finally 10 days is a dicey period. I believe that the H1-B guy deserves at least a month. I mean, no worker who the country needed so badly becomes obsolete in 10 days. Even the F1 boys are aloowed to work for 1 year before they are obliged to leave. The solution. Keep at least 1 H1-B handy. i.e. ctrl Z, bg. Or keep speaking to ur network to have at least a job handy unless u have the unpleasant prospect of seeing those boxes in ur cubicle.

Thu Apr 12 02:06:15 2001
Name:Ashish Kumar
Email:ashishkmr007@yahoo.com
Views:There is no problem for the talented lot and for those who feel " Life is a Challenge" Only those suffer who want to make fun of the serious bussiness and are unable to sustain in tough waters. Good luck to all !!!

Thu Apr 12 02:10:42 2001
Name:Sandeep Kapur
Email:skapur@bigfoot.com
Views:It is truly upsetting to hear about all the folks being sent back. With the economy taking a beating like it is, there is bound to be some shakeout. I'm not sure if I totally agree that it is largely the H1B workers that are bearing the brunt of the downturn (are there any statistics on this?). I think the layoffs are fairly evenly spread, though maybe more noticable for the non-immigrant workers since they are affected in a much bigger way. My question at this point will be - what is the quality of workers that are being forced to go back? We are all aware that with all the excellent talent that has come across from across the globe, there has also been an influx of people who do not meet good standards and have mainly been camouflaged by the talent of their peers. Of course, by that, I do not mean that it is fair to force the workers to pack their bags and head home. Opportunity should be provided for them look for alternatives and find other jobs. I think under the current visa rules, one has to leave the US within 7 days after losing employment. Maybe that should be extended to around 3 months. There is definitely a downturn in the economy. However, the severe sharpness of this down curve is only due to hype - the same kind of hype that made everything look pretty and bright months ago is now showing its other side. That is just how the US economy behaves. Eventually, things should level out and I'm sure the demand for foreign workers will rise again, though probably not as unrealistic as they were till some time back.

Thu Apr 12 02:11:12 2001
Name:H.K.
Email:hkhk@india.com
Views:This situation in US is going bad day by day. Personally I feel that the software professionals who have returned to India, should either look for greener pastures in Europe, South East Asia or put their capabilities into use for bringing up India's infrastructure. Use the skills and expertise in India. One thing is for sure - these Americans can show their true colour like this anytime again in future if their economy nosedrives into gutter in future. Already the econmy has half gone in gutter - the rest has to sink in next couple of months....

Thu Apr 12 02:11:36 2001
Name:Indian
Email:srikrisna@hotmail.com
Views:US means bussiness. So is this provision of HI-B visas to get the needed talents when the companies in US are need for them. Their pay is attractive and so is one willing to be here. Everyone who lands is US is aware of the fact that the "honeymoon" may end if the job is terminated. It was about taking that chance, quite like investing in the stocks. If the trend continues, it will get worse..meaning more job cuts and more H1-B people returning. That is life..welcome to capitalism and globalization and learn to keep heart and take a challenge. with best wishes...

Thu Apr 12 02:17:15 2001
Name:Rajasekhar
Email:rsekhar_b@hotmail.com
Views:It is the wind blowing opposite direction, when we H1-B workers had demand we had the say, like we use to give 1 week notice, and not even inform the employer while switching over the new employer, at an average of each H1-B worker has more than 1 H1-in process. Now the employer/end-client has a problem in basically running the business, it is high time that the scale has to be balanced. The only quality and skilled people can only stay during this time of swing. people who have (claimed) skills only in resume will be definitely affected.

Thu Apr 12 02:32:51 2001
Name:Nidhi
Email:sri_ nidhi@rediffmail.com
Views:This is not fair..they want us when they need and when we need...they lay off....Why should we help them when they need.

Thu Apr 12 02:42:35 2001
Name:nehal
Email:nehalsomaiya@hotmail.com
Views:let me clarify at the onset that i m a housewife on h4 visa who sits at home twiddling her thumbs.. but nonetheless feel that i 've a rite to express my opinion . i feel very cheated due to the laying of indians 1st, when the problems arose.it feels like in our very language 'kaam khatam ho gaya to kalti'( use & throw ). on more practical terms...let's face it ! there is a problem . what do we do ? i feel going back home is not the perfect solution 'cos if so many of us were to go back then the already weak job market cannot consume all of us & even if it can ,it will not to able to absorb us at the level of our expectations. feel we shud stay back here for some time...look for some other lesser paying job depending upon the individual circumstances & see if things work out ...this cud also be a temporary phase.give this phase sometime ...say 6 mths...& then see. survival of the fittest shud be our motto & when tuff times come the tuffies get going ! another thing we also cud do is go back home with our savings rather than wait & watch & in the meanwhile spend away all our savings too !!!!! if things don't work out !!!!!!!then what ? i guess each of u shud take this in ur stride , take a rational decision ... think things out practically rather than get morose or down or depressed & worsen matters futher for urself. remember God is with us all the time & tho some of u may not completely agree with me ( like my husband hee hee )HE really takes care of us. take care & all the very best nehal

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