"You'd be hard-pressed to make that argument," says Ron Hira, an assistant professor of public policy at the Rochester Institute of Technology and an outspoken critic of the program. "There may be a small number of very specialized positions that can't be filled by the U.S. workforce."
Under the current system, the number of high-skilled workers allowed in each year on temporary work visas is capped at 65,000, with a further 20,000 for those with advanced degrees.
Compete America, which also represents Intel, Google, Microsoft, and others, has advocated for the cap to be increased to at least 115,000.
Microsoft has been among the most vocal champions of increasing skilled immigration into the U.S., with Bill Gates testifying before Congress several times. The company's stance has attracted heat from critics of the H-1B program, especially as Microsoft announced it would lay off some U.S. workers.
Image: Passports with U.S. visas are seen at the U.S. embassy in Bern, Switzerland. | Photograph: Ruben Sprich/Reuters. (Inset) Ron Hira
Also read: Tighter U.S. Oversight Comes to H-1B Visa Program
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