On Tech Republic a bloger on the Sanity check column gives his reasoning for the Need of the H1B visa program hear is my reply:
Quick, where was Women’s all around gold medal wining gymnast Nastia Liukin was born?
Need a hint:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=621/bio/index.html
She is the perfect H1B example.
First, the only way she got on the team was to beat out hundreds of aspiring native born American Gymnast. Second not all American gymnast hold the skill level she has. Ones ability to perform is based on physical and psychological factors that are different from one person to the next and not easy substitutable. If we play the entitlement game as the H1B detractor, we have to allow a lesser performing native born gymnast fill the spot on the team before we could ever allow Nastia.
The important fact is no one IT engineer or scientist performs at the same skill level. Knowledge is sticky, that is not easy transferable from one person to another. It is conceivable that a person’s skill level, personality, intelligence and other factors would make it impossible for a native to substitute for aH1B engineer or vice versa. To prohibit a company from hiring the best person to fulfill the job is a travesty and hurts us in the long run. Populist entitlements such demand American be hired first is an invitation to meritocracy and violation of rights of the company to trade with whomever the company wishes to. There is no such thing a right to a job.
