The L-1 Visa and American Interests in the 21st Century Global Economy: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Immigration

Original publisher: Washington: U.S. G.P.O.: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 2004. OCLC Number: (OCoLC)54829710 Subject: Foreign workers ... Show synopsis Original publisher: Washington: U.S. G.P.O.: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 2004. OCLC Number: (OCoLC)54829710 Subject: Foreign workers -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- United States. Excerpt: ... 11 While I believe there are flaws in the current L - 1B visa pro-gram, NACCB and I remain strong supporters of business immi-gration. During the talent shortage that this country experienced in the late 1990 ' s and into 2000, which was particularly acute in technology-related positions, NACCB supported an increase in the H - 1B visa cap. While most of the consultants I place with clients are U.S. citizens or legal residents, I do place H - 1B consultants brought in by other firms. NACCB and I believe that responsible business immigration contributes to U.S. competitiveness and is an essential business tool in a global economy. As this Subcommittee considers the current L - 1B program, I would hope you would consider some modest changes that will allow the legitimate use of the L - 1 visa to continue, but eliminate the current abuses of the visa. NACCB has provided you in our leg-islative changes, those changes that we would like to see. Some have called for more drastic measures such as prevailing wage requirements and annual caps. NACCB and I believe that these measures are neither necessary nor advisable. Given the dif-ferences in pay scales between the United States and many other nations, prevailing wage requirements would exclude the entry of many executives, managers and individuals with substantial knowledge of proprietary processes that contribute to U.S. competi-tiveness. Likewise, annual caps, which are notoriously difficult to set with any degree of accuracy, would potentially restrict the le-gitimate use of the L - 1 visa without addressing the problem. By limiting the use of the visa for the purposes for which it was origi-nally intended through modest statutory changes, the abuses can be eliminated without overly restricting the movement... Hide synopsis