H1B nightmares: From software to calculus

[Faisal_Aslam]

http://www.timesofindia.com/today/25inte2.htm

NEW YORK: At Denville station in New Jersey, 32-year-old Sugata (name changed) is waiting for the train to take her to New York City. Till a month back, she used the same platform to get to her workplace in a technology consulting firm. Now, she is proceeding to a new part-time assignment--as a waitress in a NY restaurant.

Sugata is one among the thousands of H1B visa holders who have been laid off due to the weakening economic conditions in the US. From coast to coast, the story is the same. The dream is dying. Skilled Indian workers who were considered champions by the Silicon Valley, are struggling to survive in the post-dotcom economy. A number of software professionals who came to write programs, now survive by teaching trigonometry, baby sitting or discoursing Vedic scriptures at local community centres.

``I have to pull on till I get my next job,'' says Sugata who had come to the US 18 months back. In addition to being a waitress, she spends three hours at the local day-care centre. Although Immigration & Naturalisation Service (INS) allows Sugata to transfer her visa to a new company, she isn't allowed to do any part-time work. So, Sugata has to find a new employer fast...or return to India.

While Silicon Valley-based Immigration Support Network (ISN) has advised H1B visa holders ``not to panic'', it is becoming tough for Indians--especially those who came to the US to work on Web applications over the last two years--to find jobs in a tight labour market.

Take the case of Daniel Murugan. ``My employer has given a month's time to pack up. My parents are with me. I am desperately looking for a break,'' mourned Murugan who worked for a technology consulting firm in San Francisco.

Valley giants like Intel, Cisco, Sun Microsystem, HP among others have announced thousands of layoffs which include many H1B workers. According to the INS statistics released last month, only 16,000 new H1B visa holders came to the US in February this year compared to 32,000 in the same period last year.

There is also a growing consensus among the special interest lobbying groups to question the flaws in the visa system--especially for H1B workers. Indian American entrepreneurs like Kanwal Rekhi have said that H1B workers have become slaves of companies. ISN has said that its goal is to get freedom for H1B workers and completely remove the role of companies (employers) from the H1B process.

``The situation is not worse for Indian workers. But is not also rosy. People easily move from one job to another taking pay cuts,'' says Kiran Pasricha, who heads CII in Washington.

Meanwhile, green card and H1B visa holders working for Indian companies like Syntel, Infosys, and TCS among others, are opting to take full-time employment rather than being contracted to work for an American company.

``I have taken permanent employment with American Express by taking a 20 per cent pay cut,'' says a Phoneix-based software professional. ``Although, permanent job in American Express doesn't guarantee all time employment, I can be sure of my job for the next quarters,'' he added.

But what disturbs new entrants to the US is the unreal picture portrayed by Indian recruiters. ``You can proceed to work in the US as long as you are ready to pack your bags to return to India,'' says Rachna Garg. Or else, at least be prepared to teach calculus to American kids.

[relawson]

First, in the interest of being fair and full disclosure I will post my bias: I was recently layed off from a technical company that employeed many H1B Visa holders (some were also layed off but not all). I am a caucasion American with no personal bias against any race or people. My wife is Japanese and INS is of course a pain in my neck.

------
There are many issues with the H1B Visas that bother me. First of all, American workers are adversely affected by allowing many people from another country to come and take over our best paying jobs. We went to school and were promised rewarding careers in the tech industry, the H1B Visas are part of a broken promise and the raised caps were a product of lies.

What lies? Well, the tech industry of course inflated the demand for technical workers so they could get cheap labor that would work like slaves and never bat an eyebrow when being taken advantage of. There are now plenty of unemployed workers with H1B visas that know exactly what I am talking about because they were also told the same lie.

Corporate America has clearly taken advantage of not only American workers but many Indian H1B visa holders (I don't blame the H1B holders, I of course would jump at the opportunity if I was in your shoes). During this time of economic slowdown, they are allowing a steady stream of H1B holders entry into our country and are still giving away our most treasured jobs to people who don't know what is in store for them and that have an uncertain future in this country.

My message to the US Government: Protect our jobs and our borders.

My message to large players in the Tech Industry: Shame on you for selling out your own country. Shame on you for lying to American and foreign workers.

My message to American workers and those legally working in this country: Unionize while you still have jobs; it is time to push back.

My message to Indians and others applying right now for H1B visas: Your company will take advantage of you, you will work so many hours your family never knows if you are coming are going. Your children will probably only see you tucking them in bed. You will live in fear of being deported not from our government or citizens but by the very company you work for.

[Faisal_Aslam]

My message to the US Government: Protect our jobs and our borders.

I feel what you are going through as you are layed off.
Two of my friends are layed off too and both got new jobs after search of many months too. I am still in job (lucky). I am on H1B and I am from Pakistan. I think now days to be in job is "survival of the fittest" and also lot of luck.

We can not do something about our luck but we can prove that we are the best, to keep job for longer period.

Good luck for your job search.

Faisal Aslam

[Edited by Faisal_Aslam on 31st August 2001 at 05:37]

[Haroun4u]

Quite an interesting read

All I can add to this is that Business see's itself as to gain maximum profits in the shortest amount of time and the result of this is what has happened now.

When a service is in demand a company will bend over backwards and influence governments to allow them to bring in people from any source.

Once a recession hits that particular industry job cuts are inevitable, to maximise a comapnies survival. No matter who u are where u come from it's a fight for survival and companies do not care about the fall out.

u might feel that u have lost a job while someone from another country still holds a job? thats upto to the company who see's it fit to employ someone who they can maximise and benefit from pound for pound.

[call_ashik]

Hi friends,

Only a few weeks ago i also met a person in an interview where he was next to me. He was from New York and was working on Java Servlets and JSP with 70,000 USD per annum! Now he was laid of and returned to Dhaka. This bull-sheet WTC attack has taken a lot people's hard work, potentials or future....

What's the sense of killing innocent people, why not the army persons is any...

[tanvirahmad]

Originally posted by call_ashik
Hi friends,

Only a few weeks ago i also met a person in an interview where he was next to me. He was from New York and was working on Java Servlets and JSP with 70,000 USD per annum! Now he was laid of and returned to Dhaka. This bull-sheet WTC attack has taken a lot people's hard work, potentials or future....

What's the sense of killing innocent people, why not the army persons is any...

It is a shame. But I guess now people will have to prove that you are the best. I don't think that any company will want to loose a efficient and experienced worker. At the end of the day it is their business and money and they will invest it on the right person. May be I am wrong. But even then you will be totally satisfied that you have tried and did not leave any stoned unturned.

http://www.bddeveloers.org.uk

[Magik]

Originally posted by call_ashik
Hi friends,

Only a few weeks ago i also met a person in an interview where he was next to me. He was from New York and was working on Java Servlets and JSP with 70,000 USD per annum! Now he was laid of and returned to Dhaka. This bull-sheet WTC attack has taken a lot people's hard work, potentials or future....

What's the sense of killing innocent people, why not the army persons is any...

Well I dunt completely agree with the attack but think of it this way, US kills thousands of civillians without a second thought just inorder to kill a single culprit they are after. And what chance do people actually have of atacking the US army, they will also get no where near teh white house (no chance). I guess the attack on WTC was just a message or a sort of stand against them. But yea the attack did trigger a lot of racism and caused many to suffer, which is sad.