U.S. Scientists See H1-B Visas as Major Issue Against Progress, Says Survey

sparky3887 — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:51:15 +0000

U.S. residents hold a high opinion of scientists, but only a minority feel that U.S. scientific achievements are the best in the world, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Among scientists, a majority said that a lack of funding and difficulties in the H-1B visa process for foreign scientists and students are the biggest impediments to their research. The survey found that 56 percent of U.S. scientists said H1-B visa problems are a major barrier to scientific achievement, while 87 percent said a lack of funding is a “very serious” or “serious” problem. Meanwhile, 17 percent of the U.S. public said that U.S. scientific achievements are the best in the world, and 27 percent said that the U.S.’s advances in science, medicine, and technology were the country’s greatest achievements. However, 84 percent of respondents said that science has a “mostly positive” effect on society, and 70 percent said that scientists contribute “a lot” to society’s well being. The scientific community’s opinions about the public are not as positive, as 85 percent of surveyed scientists said the general public’s lack of scientific knowledge is a problem for science, and 49 percent said that the “public expects solutions to problems too quickly.”

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Demand for H-1B Visas Tumbles

sparky3887 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:09:55 +0000

Applications for H-1B visas are down about a third from a year ago, according to the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. The agency began accepting applications for H-1B visas on April 1, and says the preliminary numbers indicate that petitions from foreign workers with at least a bachelor’s degree have fallen by about half, but petitions from graduates of U.S. universities with advanced degrees are close to reaching the cap for 20,000 visas. Many of the applications from graduates “are likely from people who are already in the workforce and participating in OPT [Optional Practical Training],” says Robert Hoffman, co-chairman of Compete America, a coalition of businesses and universities that wants to increase the H-1B cap. “What the numbers reaffirm is that this is a program that essentially tracks with the broader demand in the economy.” Foreign students can apply for an H-1B visa after they graduate in May, so both visa caps could still be reached for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The government received 163,000 H-1B visa petitions for 85,000 visas at this time last year.

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U.S. Scientists See H1-B Visas as Major Issue Against Progress, Says Survey

Demand for H-1B Visas Tumbles