Some H-1B workers underpaid, federal auditors say

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I'm an H-1B Worker (Please put away the guns for a sec

I can understand some of the opinions posted here regarding H-1B workers. However, it may be useful to consider the perspective and experience of an H-1B worker:

I came to the US as a student, graduated at the top of my class, and have been working here for a few years. I am also a single mother of a US citizen. I have greatly contributed, not just to my employer's bottom line (a nonprofit), but also to the community in which I work. When I got my job, I interviewed like every other job applicant--I was not selected for being an H-1B. When I got the offer, I let my employer know I would need sponsoring and I received the advertised wage at first.

Exploitation has come in the form of advancement. Even though my employer needs me, they are also aware that I need them to be able to provide a stable home for my child. Hence, I have been the hardest worker for an almost stagnant position and salary. I have been trying to change jobs, but it has been next to impossible to find an employer who will sponsor me. Most in my non-tech field consider it a hassle. (I can here some of you cheering

I understand that many of you see us as "the enemy," but we should not be penalized for corporate greed. Not all H-1B's work for big companies; I chose to use my degree to help build and revitalize American communities. My salary, like most in the nonprofit sector, is nothing to write home about. I don't expect all to understand, but if I were to pay a $500 monthly INS fee, for example, how then would I raise my child? As a US citizen, he is, I believe, jut as entitled to quality of life as you are. I can't be certain, but some of you are second- or third-generation immigrants, i.e., your parents or grandparents came here as foreign workers, etc. You may then understand what we go through. Not your problem, I know, but a lot of H-1B workers are like me.

OK, so maybe you don't care for the "we're people too" argument. As a commenter noted, some companies are perpetually understaffed. They are unable to find enough qualified US workers to fill all vacancies and therefore need H-1B's. Aside from sparking controversy, H1-B's do contribute to the US economy. We also pay taxes like you do and do not "burden the system." And though I'm not one to give much weight to Bush's ideas, he rightly identifies a decreased interest in science. Foreign workers have helped fill in the resulting gaps and helped keep America the world's leader in science and technology. Eliminating the foreign worker program, as one commenter would have it, would most likely be devastating to the US economy. And yes, it would seriously bump up outsourcing.

So while you may not like H-1B's, or paint us as the reason for everything wrong in the job market, we're not on a free ride and do make valid contributions to this economy.

And we're also some of your best friends. You'd miss us if we all got shipped out

Posted by: BeObjective   Posted on: 06/25/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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