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* GAO Reports on H-1B Program
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  By Jennifer Hopkins, October 28, 2003

  In September 2003, the U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO)
  issued a report reviewing the use of the H-1B program from
  2000-2002.

  The report gives statistics, draws conclusions, and makes a
  number of recommendations.  Some of the findings of particular
  interest in the report relate to the ongoing debate about whether
  H-1B workers are displacing American workers.  According to an
  AILA (American Immigration Lawyers Association) summary:

     "The GAO's findings also underscore the fact that market
     forces drive H-1B usage and that employers do not prefer to
     hire H-1B workers over U.S. workers.  Specifically, the
     report noted that the use of the H-1B program has declined
     consistent with the general economic downturn, with the use
     of H-1B visas for the IT industry dropping by 25% from 2000
     to 2002.  The GAO also found that employers consider the
     costs and systematic processing delays with H-1B petitions
     to be disadvantages to hiring the H-1B workers."

  The entire report can be found on the GAO website at
  http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03883.pdf .  Take a look at it if
  you have the opportunity -- it is quite interesting.

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