Offshore firms took 50% of H-1B visas in 2013

[OhioChick]

Source: Computerworld

Government data shows who is really using the visas

April 1, 2014 06:20 AM ET

WASHINGTON - The U.S. today began accepting H-1B visa applications for the next fiscal year, with heavy demand expected. The visas will likely all be claimed by end of this week, and a major share of the H-1B visas will go to firms that use visa holders to displace U.S. workers.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data, provided to Computerworld, is very clear about who are the largest users of H-1B visas: Offshore outsourcing firms.

The U.S. makes 65,000 H-1B visas available each fiscal year under its base cap, with an additional 20,000 set aside for advanced degree graduates of U.S. universities. On April 1 each year, it accepts visa petitions for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

The IT services firms among the top 20 H-1B users accounted for a little more than 50% of the annual base visa cap of 65,000. This is for initial visas approved in the 2013 fiscal year, not renewals. This percentage excludes some other top 20 H-1B users, such as IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, Intel, Google and Oracle.

Read more: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9247241/Offshore_firms_took_50_of_H_1B_visas_in_2013

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Chart of top H-1B users at link.

[pnwmom]

1. Yup. And this is how they keep salaries down while always saying there's a shortage. nt

[Thor_MN]

6. Market forces indicate massive shortage of executives, not workers.

Simple supply and demand. If there were a shortage of workers, their salaries would be going through the roof. With worker salaries stagnant or declining via inflation, it's impossible there is a shortage.

On the other hand, executive salaries are skyrocketing. Maybe a Visa program for Executives is in order?

[antigop]

2. Are we surprised? nt

[amandabeech]

3. This is really, really disgusting. nt/

[Skittles]

4. f*** them, f*** them all

[DeSwiss]

5. ''Offshore outsourcing firms.''

- What are they and who owns them?

Companies have often used a mix of captive offshore centers and outsourcing deals with offshore service providers to meet their global IT and business process needs. In recent years, however, some mature outsourcing customers have embraced hybrid models that, theoretically, deliver the best of both worlds.

With the build-operate-transfer model, customers partner with an offshore outsourcer who builds a service center, runs it for specified number of years, and then transfers ownership to the customer.

The idea is that it's a less risky entrée into the captive space; the customer pays the provider to do all the heavy lifting from construction and setup to hiring and training, paying an operating fee and eventually a buyout fee for those benefits. MetLife set up such a deal with EXL and now owns the offshore center itself. The model minimizes upfront investment and increases speed to market, says H. Karthik, vice president of sourcing consultancy Everest Group. MORE

K&R