While Unemployment Rises, 15 Million OUT of Work & College Graduates Have NO Job Prospects, Obama and Congress Allotting 155,000 H1B & H2B Work Visas

An American Outrage! While Unemployment Rises, 15 Million OUT of Work & College Graduates Have NO Job Prospects, Obama and Congress Still Allotting 155,000 H1B & H2B Work Visas for 2010!
By Marc Chamot

If people are wondering as to why jobs aren’t being filled by Americans, maybe outrageous reasons like these might be the real answer.

Here are jobs that H2B visas are taking away from YOU: Types of H2B Visa Jobs / H2B Work includes:Hospitality workers, Hotels / Motels, Chefs, Resorts and Theme Parks, Ticket Sales, Cruise ships, Construction workers, Maintenance, Janitorial, Ski Resorts, Landscaping, Golf Courses, Water parks, Security, Ride Operators, Restaurants and bars, Warehouse, Retail Stores

While news reports are showing that unemployment has risen in 23 states, and thousands upon thousands of our own college graduates have no job prospects in the near future, our imbeciles’ in Washington are still allotting 66,000 H2B Visas, and 85,000 H1B work visas in 2010 for MORE foreigners to come in and take our valuable JOBS.

This is borderline asinine, folks! Our federal government is still doling out those H1B and H2B work visas to foreigners in large numbers.

American companies are applying for those cheap sources of labor, while Americans are being put out of work and our college graduates have no job prospects. This is the TOTAL DISCONNECT that we’re talking about, and we’re still getting from our federal officials these days, and there is no end in sight.

H-1B Visa and Employment Based Green Card: "The H-1B visa is highly desirable since it allows for "dual-intent"; the applicant may continue to work in the U.S. while, at the same time, apply for a "green card" (lawful permanent residence.) In short, the H-1B is a great way to work, while awaiting approval, of a green card application.

There is currently an annual quota of 65,000. There are also an additional 20,000 visas available, to those individuals who possess a Master’s degree, or higher, from a U.S. academic institution. In 2009, a significant number of H-1B visas remain available. This is a highly unusual phenomenon. The annual quota is usually filled within just a few days, after the visas are initially offered. If you would “

Application For H-2B Visas Re-Opened By U.S
Last Updated: 2009-08-07

"The U.S. has re-opened the applications for H-2B visas to fill temporary non-agricultural positions.

The congressionally mandated annual cap for H-2B visas sought by semi-skilled Indian workers is 66,000, and the government has issued only 40,640 this fiscal year, which ends Sep 30.

"Because of the low visa issuance rate, (US Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS) is reopening the filing period to allow employers to file additional petitions for qualified H-2B temporary foreign non-agricultural workers”, the source said.

The H-1B visas allow foreign nationals to work in U.S for a short period of projects. Whereas, the H-2B visa enable the US nationals to bring foreign nationals to the US to fill temporary non-agricultural positions for which there is a shortage of workers.

The requirement of labour in the areas like construction, health care, landscaping, food service and hospitality can be filled by H-2B visas.

Because of ongoing recession the demand of H-2B visas has been reduced, before, the demand was high.

From past two years, the demand of employers trying to bring foreigners to work permanently in the US has also declined.

The demand for popular H-1B visas among Indian techies has gown down this year.

Till now, USCIS has received approximately 45,000 H-1B visa applications.

The USCIS figures shows the declination in the number of employer-sponsored for work-based green cards applications received by the government, the number is just half of the applications received in previous years.

There were almost 235,000 applications submitted in fiscal 2007, almost 104,000 the following year, and fewer than 36,000 through the first eight months of fiscal 2009.

According to “Department of Labour”, in the fiscal year 2007, most of the applications came from India, Mexico, the Philippines, China and Korea."

For the Fiscal Year 2010 (FY 2010) we are currently accepting applications for H1B visas. "The H-1B is a nonimmigrant classification used by an alien who will be employed temporarily in a specialty occupation or as a fashion model. The filing deadline for H-1B visas for Fiscal Year 2010 (FY 2010) is April 1, 2009. Under current law, an alien can be in H-1B status for a maximum period of six years at a time.

After that time an alien must remain outside the United States for one year before another H-1B petition can be approved. Certain aliens working on Defense Department projects may remain in H-1B status for 10 years.

In addition, certain aliens may obtain an extension of H-1B status beyond the 6-year maximum period. The current law limits the cap of H1Bs to 65,000 as the number of aliens who may be issued an H1B visa or otherwise provided H-1B status. (The numerical limitation was temporarily raised to 195,000 in FY2001, FY2002 and FY2003.)

In addition, all H-1B non-immigrants who work at (but not necessarily for) universities and non-profit research facilities are excluded from the numerical cap. This means that contractors working at, but not directly employed by the institution may be exempt from the cap. H1B Visa renewals and Extensions of stay however do not count towards the annual limits.

Transfers of H1B visas among employers only count when changing jobs from an employer exempt from the limits (academia or research) to one that is not exempt. Therefore, despite the numerical limitations we can prepare and file your case for an extension of stay provided the maximum 6 year has not yet been fulfilled. The maximum allotted visas authorized by Congress are 65,000 new H1B visas per fiscal year with some exceptions.

The first 20,000 H1B visas issued to alien workers who obtained their master's degree here in the U.S. are exempt from the 65,000 cap; H1B visas issued to such individuals subsequent to the first 20,000 are then counted against the overall 65,000 cap.

Some U.S. Senators have proposed increasing the cap, but such legislation is yet to be passed by Congress. Foreign nationals in the U.S. in lawful H1B status who are seeking to extend their visa or change employers are not affected by the annual limit.”

Even President Obama has spoken very favorably about these H1B and H2B work visas, knowing full well that those are 155,000 Americans, most likely college graduates, who are going to be kept OUT from any working opportunities with American companies.

Like these; By Nanette Asimov SF Chronicle: "They feel like failures. Disillusioned, like a runner who trips out of the starting gate.

But many college graduates who've been forced by the worst job market in decades to move back home with Mom and Dad say they also feel, to their surprise, fortunate.

"I've learned to be so grateful," said Genevieve Isola, a University of California graduate who's living in her childhood bedroom in San Ramon and working in a clothing boutique, just as she did in high school.

Isola, 23, earned a sociology degree in 2008 from UC Santa Barbara, part of one of the world's most prestigious university systems. Like most people with a fresh diploma, she saw it as a hall pass to a career in her field. She prowled Internet job sites in search of anything sociology sounding: social worker, youth mentor, classroom counselor.

"You're propelled by all this energy and all this knowledge," she said. "It's a force that can't be stopped."

And then the realities of the recession do stop it, as in brick wall.
There are 7.2 million fewer jobs now than when the recession began two years ago, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Unemployment hasn't been this high in 26 years, with nearly 1 in 10 people out of work across the country.

More returning home
Most of them can't crawl back to the home of their youth, get a hug from long-suffering parents and be served a free hot meal night after night. But plenty of new graduates can - and they're doing it more often, according to a Foster City company called CollegeGrad.com.

They began asking graduates in 2006 if they had moved back home after school. At that time, 67 percent of more than 2,000 respondents said yes. This year it was 80 percent.

Though it's a small sample size, the numbers support anecdotal evidence that as jobs become more scarce, graduates are returning home in greater numbers, said Adeola Ogunwole, who runs CollegeGrad.com.

"It strips away your self-esteem," said Isola, who moved back home in February. "We had this whole purpose, this idea that our education would benefit us and society - and all off a sudden, you're sitting at home searching for a minimum wage job."

Here is yet, just another example of our elected officials’ total disconnects, and their IDIOCIES that we’re getting from these inept Washington D.C. officials. And these politicians keep wondering as to why Americans are getting angry and angrier?

That’s why change is coming soon, and it won’t be the Obama’s and his Democratic/Republican cohort’s type of change, it will be OUR VERY OWN.

Source: H1B Visas for FY 2010 "Employers should also consider that the foreign national who they intend to employ must be in lawful non-immigrant status which must be valid until October 1, 2009 which is the affectivity date of that approved H1B Visa. Should the foreign national not meet this requirement, for example a person in B-2 or Tourist visa may elect to have his/her B-2 tourist visa extended so that they may bridge the gap between the time their authorized stay (I-94) expires until October 1, 2009.

If extending the B-2 tourist visa is not an option, the foreign national may then leave the U.S. and return to their home country before their authorized stay (I-94) visa expires and obtain their H1B visa at the U.S. Embassy in their home country. H1B visas are only issued to foreign nationals employed in a "specialty occupation" or as a fashion model of distinguished merit and ability.

The U.S. Immigration regulations states that a "specialty occupation" is an occupation that requires theoretical and practical application of a body of specialized knowledge and attainment of a bachelor's degree or higher in the specific specialty as a minimum qualification for entry into the United States. Examples of H1B occupations include accountants, engineers, computer programmers, teachers, marketing analyst, etc.

As part of the Labor Condition Attestation all H1B workers must be paid the wages and benefits equal or greater than U.S. workers in the same type of profession or field so that it will not adversely affect the wages and labor conditions for U.S. Citizen workers. H1B workers are subject to a limitation of six years; upon completing six years' employment in H1B status, they must depart the U.S. for one year before commencing new H1B employment but there is a provision under the U.S.

Immigration Law called the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act of 2000 ("AC21" ) which allows H1B workers to extend their employment beyond six years if certain requirements are met. A new memorandum released by the USCIS also clarified that any time spent as an H-4 dependent will not count towards the six-year limitation in H1B status.

This memo also provided that a foreign national who was in the U.S. in valid H1B status for less than the six-year maximum period of admission, but has since been outside the U.S. for more than one year can elect to either: (1) be re-admitted for the "remainder" of the initial six-year admission period without being subject to the H1B cap if previously counted, or (2) seek to be admitted as a "new" H1B alien subject to the H1B cap.

Employers who intend to employ a foreign national on an H1B visa for FY 2010 must begin the process now so that they may timely file the H1B visa petitions on April 1, 2009, the date that filings for initial H1B visas are accepted by the US Immigration Service.

Since the H1B visas has become more and more complex and filings timely is crucial, U.S. employers who intends to employ foreign workers on H1B visas are advised to consult a knowledgeable and experienced U.S. immigration attorney.
But meanwhile, unemployment rates keep on going up and up."

Unemployment Rate Rises in 23 States in September
The Labor Department says Nevada, Rhode Island and Florida in September posted their highest jobless rates on records dating to 1976.

Unemployment rates rose last month in 23 states and fell in 19 as the economy struggled to create jobs in the early stages of recovery.

The Labor Department says Nevada, Rhode Island and Florida in September posted their highest jobless rates on records dating to 1976.

Michigan reported the nation's highest unemployment rate at 15.3 percent. It was followed by Nevada at 13.3 percent, Rhode Island at 13 percent, California at 12.2 percent and South Carolina at 11.6 percent.

There were some bright spots: Ohio and Indiana, two states hit hard by the downturn in manufacturing, reported significant drops in unemployment.

The jobless rate in the Midwest fell to 9.8 percent last month from 10 percent in August. It was the only region where the unemployment rate dropped.