US kills hope for Indian software pros
Arthur Pais in New York
For computer programmers from India, Hong Kong and Taiwan, who were hoping to arrive in America by New Year with $ 60,000-a-year jobs, there is bad news.
Despite the backing of the computer industry and the personal endorsement of Bill Gates, the legislation to allow nearly twice as many programmers and other highly skilled immigrants into America died in congress this week, thanks mainly to the lobbying by liberal senator Tom Harkin.
A presidential hopeful a few years ago, Harkins is a strong champion of domestic workforce and has consistently criticised American firms setting up factories abroad to cut costs.
Though Harkin, a Democrat from Iowa, is not particularly a friend of India, his blockade of a vote on the legislation is not aimed at India, his aides say.
The house had passed the measure last month, 288-133, but Harkin blocked a vote in the senate. With both houses working towards adjournment, it is unlikely the bill can make it through congress this year, sources say.
The senate leader expressed frustration at the weekend with Harkin's opposition, but failed to persuade Harkin to change his mind.
The proposal, backed by high-tech companies, would raise the limit of the H-1B visas granted each year to skilled workers from abroad. Only 65,000 visas are now granted, and this year's allotment ran out in May. The bill would raise the annual cap on the special visas to 115,500 for the next two years and to 107,500 in 2001.
The ceiling would return to 65,000 in 2002, the Associated Press said.
Though President Bill Clinton had originally threatened to veto the bill, his administration agreed to a compromise version, which would establish a fee for each visa to generate money for training programmes for US workers. This was to appease the conservative and anti-immigrant political leaders who believed that most of the high-tech programmers would stay back in America, by marrying or accepting offers from local firms.
The original version of the legislation passed the senate earlier this year.
Harkin and other opponents of the measure contended the industry is exaggerating the problem, wanting to save millions of dollars a year by hiring foreign workers. Industry sources say that if Americans took up the jobs that have been going to Indians, each programmer would get at least $ 40,000 more.
Harkin cited a number of high-tech companies such as Motorola which are already laying off US workers.
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