H-1B's: Are They REALLY All That Great?

The H-1B wars continue.

The Lucas-Mithas research deviates from the findings of other studies investigating the effect of temporary visa programs on the salaries of U.S. IT professionals. According to Lucas and Mithas, H-1B visa holders earned an average of $75,358 from 2000 to 2003, compared with the average U.S. citizen's salary of $66,836. (The InformationWeek survey did not ask about visa status in 2004 and 2005). But according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), the median salary for H-1B visa holders in computing professions during the 2000 to 2003 period was just over $50,000.

So is USCIS' database (the comprehensive one) wrong and an online survey right? We doubt it. Online surveys determine American Idol winners, folks....

But the best one is the "H-1B's create 5 jobs for every one they take..."

Some researchers find the general premise of the study

...persuasive, even if the study didn't prove it. Duke University statistician David Banks said correlation can't prove causation, but he did think the study "corroborates the idea that H-1B visas support job creation." It does so, he says, by contradicting the theory that companies seek foreign workers to replace domestic ones.

Umnhhh...yah, but Banks is also on the payroll of a big-time immigration lawyer.