"It's fair to say that American companies are likely to file for fewer visas [in 2009]," Robert Hoffman, a vice-president at Oracle (ORCL) and spokesman for Compete America, a lobbying group advocating for more avenues for skilled immigration, said in a Mar. 31 conference call.
"Still, all the [85,000] visas will be needed. If we're going to get out of the recession, we're going to have to innovate our way out. . . Continued use of the H-1B visa program is critically important."
US Unemployment Raises Questions
However, critics of the H-1B visa program, who point to its potential for abuse and fraud, say that with U.S. unemployment rising, it's not clear there is a shortage of skilled workers in the U.S.
Image: A champagne bucket for members to drop off business cards is displayed as a group of laid-off workers meet during a recruitment event at a pub in New York. | Photograph: Eric Thayer/Reuters
Also read: H-1B Visa Dreams Deferred
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