Recently released federal statistics indicating that Indian outsourcers received many of the visa petitions granted last year seem to have given a fresh impetus to the controversy, with critics such as Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Richard Durbin of Illinois charging that companies like Infosys and Wipro are abusing the programme and are undermining the American economy. How do you react to the criticism?
Data we received last year from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services showed that Indian 'outsourcing' companies used less than 14 per cent of H-1B petitions issued in 2006 for 'initial employment' [new hires]. The total number of approved petitions for new hires for these companies was approximately 15,000.
Even if these Indian companies received no H-1B visas last year, all of the H-1Bs still would have been used up on the first day of filing, since the demand for skilled labour is so great among US companies and the quota is set so low.
In context of 150 million people in the US labour force, the idea that these 15,000 people represent a major threat to the US labour force is kind of silly.
Mostly these individuals work on contracts that likely improve the efficiency of American companies, at least that's why US companies would contract with these Indian companies or their competitors.
Image: The US Capitol Building is seen in Washington, DC, on April 11, 2008. | Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
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