Amazing that there are people who think unfilled American jobs are some sort of a national treasure instead of a national disgrace. Every American qualified for a job who seeks one has got one currently. Thanks to Trump, there are more job openings than qualified applicants.
Like anything good things are sometimes abused by some unscrupulous characters. When that happens, the appropriate response is for law enforcement authorities to hold the culprits accountable, not limit the good things. H1B visas, on the whole, do more good than harm.
I understand the sentiment against H1B visas when unemployment in the U.S. is high and qualified Americans have to compete with visa recipients. So I support calibrating the issuance of H1B visas prudently to strike the right balance. It's not a case of always good or always bad.
Right now, however, U.S. is myopically restricting H1B visas which harms the U.S. economy and U.S. long term interests. I just met an MD Phd interviewing for a residency who is not applying to many hospitals because they won't sponsor him for an H1B visa. How is this helpful?
With an ageing population, do we need less doctors or less qualified doctors? Are there qualified American doctors who are 'not getting a job' because of H1B visas? This is bureaucracy and politics run amok.
We need immigration reform that encourages the right kind of legal immigration. We need to eliminate illegal immigration, but we also need to increase legal and skilled immigration -- for America's own good. Legal immigration is not charity, it is enlightened self-interest.
Much more on this topic in the enclosed thread that I started writing almost two years ago.
