--- title: Visas for Skilled Workers Under Attack description: US immigration policy is imposing stricter rules for skilled worker visas like the H-1B visa. --- [ info@pollakimmigration.com](mailto:info@pollakimmigration.com)[ 954-250-8335](tel:954-250-8335) [BOOK YOUR MEETING ](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/contact-us/) # Visas for Skilled Workers Under Attack Posted by [ Michael Pollak ](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/author/michael-pollak) November 13, 2009 Recent congressional efforts to create stricter rules for skilled-worker visas are cause for concern for immigration advocacy groups and skilled immigrants.  Despite the intense focus on illegal immigration, visas for skilled workers also are under attack, from Congress and from nativist and union lobbies. [Jagdish N. Bhagwati](http://www.cfr.org/bios/1753/jagdish_n_bhagwati.html), CFR's senior fellow for International Economics and a professor at Columbia University, who also recently coedited the book *[Skilled Immigration Today: Prospects, Problems and Policies](http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Economics/International/?view=usa&ci=9780195382433)* is critical of the policy because it fails to account for the quality of skilled-worker visa holders. He points out that many of these hires are from world-class technological and management institutions in India, Seoul, and China, which the United States has often helped to set up. ![Bhagwati](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/bhagwati2-resized-600.jpg)"Intel, Microsoft--they are looking for the best people they can get," Bhagwati says, and "the Americans who do not get the jobs in competition with the foreign hires tend to be graduates who are at the bottom of the class." Any openness policy is going to be a tough sell for lawmakers right now, but he argues that openness benefits the country economically. Much of the debate at the end of the Bush administration was focused on illegal immigration from Mexico, though it also included the issue of expanding visas for skilled workers, such as the [H-1B Visa](https://www.immigrationgucl.com/h1b-visa/). With a new Congress and a financial crisis, however, the politics has shifted to restricting these quotas, not increasing them. Read more in Toni Johnson's interview with [Jagdish N. Bhagwati](http://www.cfr.org/bios/1753/jagdish_n_bhagwati.html) from [CFR.org](http://www.cfr.org/publication/20732/skilled_immigrants_help_us_economy.html?breadcrumb=%2F). [![Immigration Question](https://static.hsstatic.net/BlogImporterAssetsUI/ex/missing-image.png)](https://info.immigrationgucl.com/immigration-question?&t=38468) Tags: - [Visas](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/topic/visas) [ Share on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/bid/30656/visas-for-skilled-workers-under-attack) [Share on Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/bid/30656/visas-for-skilled-workers-under-attack&text=Visas%20for%20Skilled%20Workers%20Under%20Attack) [ Share on Linkedin ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/bid/30656/visas-for-skilled-workers-under-attack&title=Visas%20for%20Skilled%20Workers%20Under%20Attack) ## Related Posts ![NOT SELECTED IN THE H1-B VISA LOTTERY? ALTERNATIVES TO THE H1-B VISA.](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/h-1b-resized-600-Jan-03-2025-12-31-45-4823-PM.jpg) June 22, 2015 ### NOT SELECTED IN THE H1-B VISA LOTTERY? ALTERNATIVES TO THE H1-B VISA. On April 1, 2015, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) began accepting H1-B visa applications for the 2016 fiscal year (which starts on October 1, 2015). I... [ Read More ](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/not-selected-in-the-h1-b-lottery-alternative-s-to-the-h1-b-visa) ![H-1B Visa Fees Raised by Senate to Fund Border Security](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/@marketplace/OneIMS_com/Legal_Law/images/grayscale-mountain.png) August 6, 2010 ### H-1B Visa Fees Raised by Senate to Fund Border Security WASHINGTON: The US Senate has voted to beef up US-Mexico border security with another 1,500 agents and more unmanned aerial vehicles that scan the frontier for undocumented immigra... [ Read More ](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/bid/49168/h-1b-visa-fees-raised-by-senate-to-fund-border-security) ![The Possible Rescission of the H-4 Visa Rule](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/EAD-for-H4-visa-png.png) June 19, 2018 ### The Possible Rescission of the H-4 Visa Rule The Trump administration recently reconfirmed its intent to rescind the H-4 visa rule on employment authorization to certain spouses of H-1B visa holders. Under a rule introduced b... [ Read More ](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/possible-rescission-of-the-h-4-visa-rule) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Michael Pollak", "url" : "https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/author/michael-pollak" }, "dateModified" : "2025-01-03T12:38:12.051Z", "datePublished" : "2009-11-13T06:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Visas for Skilled Workers Under Attack", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/bid/30656/visas-for-skilled-workers-under-attack", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "//www.pollakimmigration.com/hubfs/Pollack-2017/Image/Pollack-orange-logo.png" }, "name" : "Pollak PLLC" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "LegalService", "department" : [ { "@type" : "LegalService", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Addison", "addressRegion" : "TX", "postalCode" : "75001", "streetAddress" : "5057 Keller Springs Rd, Suite 300" }, "email" : "info@pollakimmigration.com", "hasMap" : "https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pollak+PLLC/@32.958844,-96.8230226,17z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x864e993b29f864ef:0x4b23f3951a7aaedd!8m2!3d32.958844!4d-96.8230226!16s%2Fg%2F11c7_xxcf1?hl=en&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDcyMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D", "name" : "Pollak PLLC - Addison Office", "telephone" : "+1-214-307-5510", "url" : "https://www.pollakimmigration.com/areas-we-serve/dallas" }, { "@type" : "LegalService", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Fort Lauderdale", "addressRegion" : "FL", "postalCode" : "33304", "streetAddress" : "2598 E Sunrise Blvd, Suite #2104" }, "email" : "info@pollakimmigration.com", "hasMap" : "https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pollak+PLLC/@26.1373128,-80.1111488,17z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x88d9015e5c8534cb:0x87dca60227fd9933!8m2!3d26.1373128!4d-80.1111488!16s%2Fg%2F11y7d84z5g?hl=en&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDcyMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D", "name" : "Pollak PLLC - Fort Lauderdale Office", "telephone" : "+1-214-307-5510", "url" : "https://www.pollakimmigration.com/areas-we-serve/fort-lauderdale" } ], "description" : "Pollak PLLC is a trusted immigration law firm with over 100 five-star reviews, serving business owners, executives, investors, and professionals seeking employment- and investment-based immigration solutions. 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