IEEE-USA Calls for Better H-1B Visa Program Policing

Staff Reporter -- Electronic News, 8/24/2006

The frequently-abused H-1B high-tech visa program is in need of better governmental monitoring, according to engineering association IEEE-USA.

Citing governmental reports documenting employers' abuses of the program, the IEEE said Wednesday that many H-1B workers have not been paid wages they have been promised. Because of the Department of Labor's limited authority to investigate such claims, the extent of these violations is unknown.

"It's time to blow away the myth that the H-1B program protects foreign workers," IEEE-USA VP Ron Hira said in a statement. "Many H-1B holders are treated like indentured servants."

The H-1B visa program is a lightning rod for controversy and criticism within the tech industry, particularly from the IEEE-USA. Currently, Congress is considering upping the number of visas granted annually; the government has already reached the limit on high-tech worker visas for fiscal 2007, which does not begin until October 1.

The IEEE said that before Congress considers raising the H-1B cap, it should give the Labor Department broader enforcement authority to investigate claims of workplace and wage abuse.

"Because companies know their use of the H-1B program will never be scrutinized, some exploit H-1B workers with little worry of being caught," Hira said in a statement. "Congress should enact an auditing system for the H-1B program to improve the program's integrity and ensure foreign workers are not exploited."