"Do Not Abolish H1-B Visa" Petition

Date: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 12:33 PM

JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER

www.ZaZona.com

These articles characterize Rep. Tom Tancredo as a right-wing
anti-immigration zealot. As we know, Tancredo is merely trying to
protect jobs for American citizens. That's not zealotry, it's just
common sense. Indian hysteria over the movement to abolish nonimmigrant
visas is reaching a high pitch. Expect to see many more of these
reactionary articles if the bills by Tancredo and DeLauro pick up
momentum.

Following the Rediff article there is an online "Do Not Abolish H1-B
Visa". Notice that they intend on sending their Petition to their
greatest ally in the U.S. - George W. Bush.

You can counter their Petition by signing the "Petition to Abolish
H-1B."

The "Petition to Abolish H-1B" is far more effective than online
petitions. That's because mailed petitions are collected in Arlington
and delivered to members of Congress. Online Petitions, like the one
below, are usually ignored by Congresspersons. Unfortunately Bush may
lend them a sympathetic ear.

Insure that the pro H-1B petition will be ignored by drowning their
message with your signature on a mailed petition.

Go here to sign a Petition - and yes, you have to stamp it and mail it!
http://www.zazona.com/H1BPetition/

I don't manage the Petition, I just administer it on my site. If you
have any questions, direct your email to:
PetitionContact@ZaZona.com
The Petition Contact may be out of town for a couple of weeks so if you
don't get a reply be patient.

http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/jul/16bpo.htm

US may eliminate H1-B visas

Aziz Haniffa in Washington DC | | July 16, 2003 | 13:08 IST

The United States may do away with H1-B visas delivering a knockout
punch to Indian IT professionals wanting to take up jobs in the US.

A bill moved by right-wing Republican lawmaker Tom Tancredo in the US
Congress to eliminate H1-B visas has every chance of being enacted,
said sources.

Tancredo, a right-wing Republican lawmaker from Colorado, is known for
his vehemently anti-immigration views.

India and Outsourcing: Complete Coverage

The sluggish US economy, the uproar over outsourcing and the rising
unemployment rate have fuelled the need for steps to keep American jobs
from being lost to countries like India, said senior aides to Tancredo.

The aides, including one who drafted Tancredo's 15-line bill proposing
the elimination of all visas allowed under the H1-B category, said that
"the high-tech industry itself which fought so hard for the expansion
of the number of IT professionals allowed into the country are
projecting that the technology job outlook will remain soft and that
more jobs will be outsourced overseas to countries like India, so why
do we need this category at all."

"It is no secret that American workers in the technology industry are
losing their jobs to the upsurge in outsourcing, so the Congressman
strongly believes that this category (H1-B) has to be done away with to
protect the few American jobs and American workers remaining in this
industry," they said.

"You bet we are going to push like crazy to make sure this bill
progresses and ensure that all those who are for it and against it are
counted when we finally try and get a vote on it," one of the aides
said.

Tancredo is also chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform
Caucus.

Other Congressional sources, belonging to the Congressional Caucus on
India and Indian Americans, believe that Tancredo's bill -- which
follows those by Republican John Mica of Florida and Democrat DeLauro
of Connecticut to restrict the intra-company L-1 visa category -- is a
move to gain political mileage and to exploit the rising tide of
anti-immigration fervour in the US.

But these sources acknowledge that it is tough to argue against the
case made by the likes of Tancredo, Mica, DeLauro and others eager to
jump on the bandwagon, when the IT industry itself is bemoaning a
decline, first by the bursting of the Internet bubble and now due to
massive outsourcing by American IT giants.

They acknowledged that US lawmakers are acquiescing to the intense
lobbying by labour unions and anti-immigrant groups who argue that
American workers are displaced by these imported workers and that this
program has only benefited the vested interest of companies in the US
bent on depressing wages paid to American workers by substituting
foreign employees.

India traditionally has accounted for the bulk of H1-B visas issued
over the years -- almost 50 per cent -- when the IT industry in the US
was booming.

When the IT industry was in full bloom, thousands of Indian highly
skilled IT professionals came to the US on this visa, initially issued
for three years and extended to a maximum of six years, during which
time, the workers usually would be sponsored for their immigrant visa
(green card) by their employers.

In the last two years, many Indian and other foreign workers had been
laid off, with many of them returning home, but the few living for
months on their savings have begun to compete resolutely for permanent
jobs.

Currently, the number of H-1 B visas allowed has been reverted to the
original 65,000 annually, from the peak of 195,000 a year, which was
approved by Congress three years ago when the industry successfully
lobbied for this increase following an acute shortage for technically
skilled professionals.

A new study by the Information Technology Association of America
predicted that the technology job outlook would remain soft in 2003 and
said that the demand for IT professionals is at a historic low as more
and more positions are outsourced overseas.

The ITAA study said that failing a dramatic turnaround in the national
economy, a recovery in the tech sector in 2003 will most likely
continue to be a 'jobless' one.

It said a survey it had undertaken after contacting 400 hiring managers
from IT and non-IT companies nationwide showed that demand for hiring
IT workers is at a historic low of only 493,000 positions over the next
12 months. This is down from 1.6 million at the start of 2000 and less
than half of the predicted 1.1 million positions needed at the start of
2002.

The ITAA said that 67 per cent of those interviewed said they thought
the hiring demand would stay the same or decline over the next 12
months.

It said companies were also moving more positions overseas, with 12 per
cent of IT companies and 3 per cent of non-IT companies saying they
have already opened up overseas operations.

The ITAA said large IT companies were most likely to say they have made
this move. Twenty-two per cent have already moved work offshore and
another 15 per cent of IT firms say they will move jobs overseas in the
next 12 months. Four per cent on non-IT firms say the same.

In terms of supply of H1-B workers to the US, the latest report by the
National Association of Software and Service Companies said that India,
which accounted for 77,000 H1-B visas in 2001, provided only 33,000 in
2002, and the total was expected to drop to 30,000 or less in 2003.

The US immigration authorities have said that this year, despite
non-technical professions like nursing and teaching also being issued
H1-B visas, the quota is yet to be filled and is unlikely to top the
quota limit when the fiscal year ends.

The aides to Tancredo said the ITAA study and a recent Gallup poll
which indicated that nearly half of the American population wants
reduced immigration levels 'vindicate our efforts to do away with this
category and sharply curtail immigration.'

The Gallup poll that was conducted from June 12 to June 18 found that
47 per cent Americans believe immigration levels should be reduced,
with only 13 per cent wanting them increased. Thirty-seven per cent
have said they should be maintained at current levels.

Tancredo aides said, "We will shortly call for a hearing in the
Judiciary Committee and then we hope to push for a vote both in the
Committee and in the full House."

But as of now, they said, they did not have any co-sponsors, and
refused to disclose whether Tancredo's bill would be married with the
bills to restrict L visas introduced by Mica and DeLauro.

http://www.sulekha.com/petitions/petition.asp?shortcut=/h1b

Do Not Abolish H1-B Visa

Petition Statement

Sponsor: V. Anand
The ire against H1-B Visa in particular and the successful Indian
American community in USA has now reached a feverish pitch.

A Republican Congressman from Colorado, Tom Tancredo, has introduced a
15-line bill proposing to eliminate all visas under the H1-B category,
created in 1952 to provide the US economy with technically skilled
foreign workers.

This marks the culmination of a series of attempts to blame Indian
Americans for the increasing unemployment in USA -- particularly
amongst technical professionals.

Republican Congressman, Tom Tancredo has always had pronounced
anti-H1-B views which you can hear at http://www.americanpatrol.com. He
says H1-B and L1 Visas are "...CHEAP LABOR PROGRAM."

For instance you can read Tancredo's full quote here:

Washington (June 18) -- When my colleagues get a letter from a
constituent who has been displaced by foreign workers, they should
write back to them and say, 'It is the policy of this government to
displace you, to move you into a lower economic income category,
because we believe in cheap labor and we believe the politics of open
borders helps our party."

Read more of Tom Tancredo on H1-B

This is blatantly untrue. H1-B and L1 Visas have powered the stupendous
growth in the American high-tech sector in particular. The H1-B Visa
provided skilled professionals that powered the Information Revolution
led by America.

American economy was slumping in the late-80's and early 90's due to
the Japanese Manufacturing prowess.

The Information Revolution that powered America's growth and its
leadership status was enabled to a large extent by H1-B professionals
-- irrespective of whether they had a part in the Silicon Valley
startups or established organizations like Microsoft and NASA.

America should not abolish the H1-B Visa law that helped mitigate
crucial skill shortages. Even today, India graduates several times more
Computer Science professionals than America. Several of them work far
harder than their Caucasian colleagues -- given the fact that they are
immigrants in an alien country wanting to prove themselves.

This resolute hard work of Indians should NOT be penalized by scrapping
the H1-B Visa.

American economy needs H1-B professionals. Calling Tancredo's latest
bill as "an anti-immigration, anti-tech move disguised as an economic
stimulus", Gopal Raju, chairman of the Indian American Centre for
Political Awareness says:

"This move is patently unfair and will not help unemployment. Rather it
will cripple the high-tech and other technical industries and undercut
the American hi-tech industry's ability to be a competitive global
leader."

Sign this 'Do not abolish H1-B Visa' Petition. Spread it amongst your
friends and relatives circles. Ensure that everybody gets to know about
this anti-immigrant move that is unfair to both H1-B Professionals and
the American Economy.

Sign this petition and Spread the word!!

H1-B should NOT be abolished.

This petition along with the list of signatories will be submitted to
the following:

George Bush, US President
APJ Abdul Kalam, President of India
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India
Congressman Tom Tancredo
Editors of 50+ major global media including (Times, New York Times,
Times of India, Hindu, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, Hindustan
Times, India Today, Outlook India, CNN, Fox, USA Today, Reuters, AP,
Boston Globe, Indian Express and more all over the world.)
Influential lawmakers in the US Congress and the Indian Parliament

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Rob Sanchez is board member of NAEA - www.NAEA.US

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