Houston Immigration Attorney Banerjee Comments On Workers Visas

Houston, TX (Law Firm Newswire) August 21, 2013 – According to a recent report by J. P. Morgan, the U.S. immigration bill, as it currently stands, is worrying Indian companies.

The bill is slated to adversely affect the economy there. The report estimated that the “outplacement clause” in the bill will affect lower-level employees in India, as well.

“The immigration bill favors U.S.-based IT firms,” says Houston immigration attorney Annie Banerjee. “A significant number of IT firms in the U.S. use employees from India, which does not affect the U.S. unemployment rates. According to estimates by The Department of Labor, the unemployment level in the tech sector is roughly 3 percent; under 4 percent is considered a shortage.”

The immigration bill is designed for an increase in H-1B visas to meet unemployment concerns. According to Offshore Insights, with even a 3.5 percent rate of unemployment in tech, there are more than 110,000 people unemployed, but those people encompass a wide range of skills, experience, and geographical location. It is likely that only 50,000 of them are actually actively hireable. The headcount needed to get Indian workers to the required half-and-half ratio by the deadline, October 2016, requires 150,000 U.S.-based hires. That ratio makes it unlikely to meet the numbers needed to follow the requirements of the bill in order to get the Indian worker visas.

Will the bill also pose problems for the U.S.? Some people think so. The president of the U.S.-India Business Council, Rick Soner, has said that the bill “unfairly targets American companies” that are attempting to stay relevant and “globally competitive” as it reduces their global IT contracting services with needed providers and restricts access to much needed international expertise. Restricting American innovation could contribute to the slowing of job openings at a local level, and may force even more companies to relocate their jobs overseas.

Numerous offshore clients with U.S. connections have expressed concern that the bill will adversely affect contracts that top $100 million. Clients are waiting to see what happens with the bill, delaying business development, as they contemplate setting up centers of their own in the lower cost areas of the U.S. or look to seek to establish a partnership with an IT firm in the U.S.

Will more work migrate to India to circumvent possible visa constraints? That remains to be seen, say immigration advocates. Ten of the top 15 internet technology providers located in India are American companies.

Annie Banerjee is a Houston immigration lawyer specializing in helping people become United States citizens. The law offices assist in visas and other legal immigration requirements as well. To learn more, visit http://www.visatous.com.

Law Offices of Annie Banerjee
131 Brooks Street, Suite #300
Sugar Land, Texas 77478
Phone: (281) 242-9139

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