H-1B visas used by firm to create low-cost workforce, U.S. alleges

[primavera]

47. They get audited

The petitioning employer has to prepare and submit salary documentation and wage memos describing in detail how much everyone in a comparable position earns and, if they earn so much as a dime more or less, they have to explain why. Those documents are both submitted to the Department of Labor for their analysis and approval before the immigration service will issue the H-1B and the employer has to make those same documents available to the public for open inspection at any time, along with contact information for the Department of Labor so that any concerned person may report the employer.

I think a lot of people underestimate the role of geography in assessing the availability of qualified employees. Here in New Orleans where I live, a great many of the city's inhabitants are born, raised, and die here without ever leaving. They love where they live, their families are all here, their friends are all here, they own property here, they have no desire to give it all up and go someplace else for employment. And, sure, Louisiana universities produce qualified graduates with computer science degrees, but Microsoft is in Redmond, Washington, not in New Orleans. Apple is in Cupertino, California, not in New Orleans. And New Orleanians don't want to move to Redmond or Cupertino. Migrant workers in this respect have a huge advantage: they've already decided to leave their homes to obtain professional experience elsewhere, so they're perfectly content to go wherever it is that the employer needs them to be.