Washington (PTI): Several organisations and individuals, including lawmakers, are seeking drastic curbs on issuance of the H-1B visas to hire skilled workers from abroad, though the industry, government and a large section of the US Congress seem to think otherwise.

The H-1B visa programme has no serious safeguards to protect American workers from being replaced and is abused to employ cheap foreign labour, said Tom Tancredo, a Congressman. The visa limits cannot be justified now when so many skilled Americans are unemployed, he said, referring to the 6 per cent unemployment in the US.

In the next 10 years, the US will be losing 800 IT jobs daily due to offshore outsourcing, Tancredo said.

News.com, a tech news website, recently reported that Wipro told its investors that its ability to compete and serve clients in the US may be impaired if immigration laws are changed, making it more difficult to obtain visa.

from: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050822/asp/nation/story_5141158.asp