The high-priced corporate lobbyists walking Capitol Hill corridors have some new buzzwords: innovation and “the best and the brightest.” They demand that Congress bring in more workers from Asia in order to maintain American innovation supremacy. They argue that U.S. workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics are in short supply and we 1nust now import foreign engineers and scientists, that is, allow the multinationals to bring in an increased or even unlimited number of H-lB visas.
Their argument lacks evidence: Economics 101 teaches that shortages in labor or goods produce higher wages and higher prices. In fact, wages are stagnant, which proves that we have no shortage of engineers or computer techies. In 2005, we graduated 271,000 students with bachelor’s or master’s degrees in science and engineering who are citizens or legal residents. The dean of Duke University Engineering School says that 40% of his graduates do not get engineering jobs. Bill Gates and other 1nultinationals simply prefer to hire Asians, particularly from India, who work for lower wages.
Professor Norman Matloff examined the H-lB record and discovered that H-lB visa recipients are mostly employees of ordinary talent doing ordinary work. Most of them work at Levels I and II, described by the Department of Labor in terms used for apprenticeship jobs, while very few H-lB workers are at Level IV, the level of expertise whose description is associated with innovation.
The lobbyists also argue that international math and science test scores show that Americans are weak. That can’t be used as evidence because India and China refuse to participate in those tests.
Professor Matloff absolutely dispels the myth that our tech industry owes its innovation to math geniuses coming from Asia.
This post originally appeared at https://phyllisschlafly.com/national-sovereignty/the-racket-of-h-1b-visas/
John 38 Andy Schlafly 
Phyllis Schlafly