Guess what visa Faisal Shahzad came to U.S. on in 2002?

[I D Shukhov]

Hint:  It's a visa needed  to fill desperate shortages of skilled workers.

[Fortune Green]

So did I.  What's your point?

[I D Shukhov]

Do you think America doesn't have enough skilled workers, in software for instance?

[Fortune Green]

Do you think America doesn't have enough skilled workers, in software for instance?

Do you really expect us to believe that, based on the subject of your thread, that was the point you were trying to make?

[The Gorn]

I guess the point is that this bomber was an H-1b who came from one of the most unstable countries that supply groups of these guest workers. That's how I read it.

IMO, the lines blur substantially here because the guy was from an upper middle class family background and from all external appearances he appeared completely "assimilated" into US life.  He had long since gotten out of the exploited - by - body shop mode of living at depressed wage-busting "Ramen" wages. He basically bagged his entire life for a bomb plot. After becoming a US citizen and after starting a family and earning good FT employment here.

IMO, I don't think there's much of any lesson to learn from this situation. There's no standard profile that the guy appears to fit.

[I D Shukhov]

What do you want me to do Fortune Green?  Apologize?  I understand why you are offended having also come to the U.S. on an H1-B visa.  There's understandably a lot of anger about how we've been treated by the government and industry in this country as far as undermining our livelihood.   It doesn't always come out rationally.  I don't think all H1-Bs are terrorists.

[Fortune Green]

There's understandably a lot of anger about how we've been treated by the government and industry in this country as far as undermining our livelihood.   It doesn't always come out rationally.  I don't think all H1-Bs are terrorists.

I D Shukhov, you have my sympathies for continuing to have issues with the H-1B visa program that has been in operation for so many years now.

[I D Shukhov]

There's understandably a lot of anger about how we've been treated by the government and industry in this country as far as undermining our livelihood.   It doesn't always come out rationally.  I don't think all H1-Bs are terrorists.

I D Shukhov, you have my sympathies for continuing to have issues with the H-1B visa program that has been in operation for so many years now.

I'll have issues with it until the law is repealed or I change professions.   It's intended for one thing:  wage busting.

[TRexx]

I'll have issues with it until the law is repealed or I change professions.   It's intended for one thing:  wage busting.

The H1-B visa was specifically designed to protect wages. Visa holders must posses specific skills and must be paid the prevailing wage.  And since the cost of the visa must be paid by the employer, it is cheaper to higher a citizen or resident alien.

Unfortunately, like a lot of legislation, it is enforced poorly, if at all.

[I D Shukhov]

I'll have issues with it until the law is repealed or I change professions.   It's intended for one thing:  wage busting.

The H1-B visa was specifically designed to protect wages. Visa holders must posses specific skills and must be paid the prevailing wage.  And since the cost of the visa must be paid by the employer, it is cheaper to higher a citizen or resident alien.

Unfortunately, like a lot of legislation, it is enforced poorly, if at all.

No, the H-1b visa laws are meant to decrease wages. 

This gives us some insight into appearances and actual intent of laws, doesn't it?  The lobbyists all but write laws and pretty much guarantee that they will never be enforced.  The enforcement is designed to be difficult to do -- unclear, expensive, politically apathetic.   For the lobbyists, laws are meant to get something done -- what they want done -- the last thing they want to do is to provide for enforcement that would undo their work.

[pxsant]

I agree mostly with ID.  Whether it was designed for that purpose or not, the H1b program has been used by corporate Americas as a wage busting tool.

Until financial penalties are imposed, it will continue to be used to kill professional salaries in the U.S.

In recent years though, corporations have found a better way.  That is to create software centers in India or elsewhere and send all software work there.  That way they can get rid of U.S. employees without any legal issues.

Scumbags all.

[The Gorn]

To make things as nasty as possible, the misuse of the H1B program by business is along very distinct ethnic and racial lines. So we US technology people are lead to use labels like curry-eater and probable terrorist. Indians and subcontinent natives are the most exploited groups of H1Bs and as a group have the least ability and probability to assimilate as US citizens.

It's really kind of brilliant. Racism is socially unacceptable in the US so the business community has inadvertently used a particular racial identity as a protective blanket of sorts to neutralize any opposition to H1B.

IE: you hate the H1B program means or implies that you hate brown skinned people of a vastly different culture. It makes all opponents of H1B look like, or can be inferred to look like racists. Your pocketbook and career management issue is transformed magically into your own assholishness and racism. You're a loser because you don't like Indians.

If anyone here wants to challenge this, show me the pools of poorly paid Caucasian Swedish, Norwegian, English, Russian and/or Canadian H1Bs. Nope, the program only exploits Indians and Pakis. If their English is poor and they come from a non European ethnic background, they're in.

Absolutely brilliant.

[Richardk]

People will come here for financial reasons under whatever program is available. They're looking to make money and maybe even get a career. I doubt very few are thinking, "I'll go to a foreign country, work my butt off for nothing, get totally scammed and then go home."

There's no doubt that the H1B program has been abused and is been bad for US workers. Also it's being sidestepped now by sending the work abroad as noted by others.

As for Shahzad, something just isn't right. First, his upper middle class background probably helped get him here but I thought the news said that he got both his undergrad and grad degrees here. So what qualified him for a work visa? Why would his wife and kids want to live in an underdeveloped country? Then there are his poor building skills and finally why such a long wait before trying to fly out?

I'm thinking this guy is either nuts, the worst planner ever or there's something else going on that we haven't heard of yet.

[Richardk]

That's an interesting connection. I often wondered why other countries / nationals didn't see the "gravy train" and try to get on board.

Many already speak English, look more like us and would "fit right in" and maybe that's the problem.

[The Original Henry]

The terrorist link doesn't bother me. At this point we don't even know if this guy was just an easy scapegoat.

Here's the real problem with H1-B, and people from both sides should be howling mad about this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCbFEgFajGU