Does the H-1b Visa Program Discriminate Against Women?

Does the H-1b Visa Program Discriminate Against Women?

“The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to hear testimony Monday afternoon arguing that the H-1B visa program, which covers highly skilled temporary foreign workers, often in high-tech fields, discriminates against women. Karen Panetta, the vice president for communications and public awareness for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in the United States of America, will testify that “the vast majority of H-1B workers are men,” according to her prepared remarks,” the New York Times reports.

Sen. Paul Seeks Border Security Guarantees

“Despite press reports, it appears Sen. Rand Paul’s immigration proposal is strikingly different from existing proposals in one critical respect: It does not confer immediate legalization on the estimated 11 million immigrants currently in the country illegally,” the Washington Examiner reports.

“The Gang of Eight proposal, although still not in legislative form, would create a three-step process for reform. The first step would be immediate legalization for all those here illegally, provided they do not have a serious criminal record. The second step would be increased border security. And the third step would be a path to citizenship.”

“Paul, according to top aides, would begin with border security, without immediate legalization. Under his proposal, the border would have to be verified secure by some government agency and then — this is a key step for Paul — voted on by Congress on a yearly basis.”

Senate Negotiations Stall on Guest Workers

“Members of the Senate’s Gang of Eight say they are on track to reach a deal on immigration reform by the end of March, despite skepticism and sniping among outside groups. Sources familiar with closed-door talks between the four Democratic and four Republican senators said members hope to unveil a bill when the Senate returns from a two-week recess in early April,” The Hill reports.

“Some in the business community have questioned whether the AFL-CIO really wants a deal that would set up a guest-worker program to help employers fill jobs when they cannot find enough citizens who are interested in the positions. ‘They don’t really want a guest-worker program, that is my reading,’ said Tamar Jacoby, president of ImmigrationWorks USA, a federation of small-business owners. ‘When they talk about how they would constrict and constrain a guest-worker program, it’s clear they’re not interested in a guest-worker program.'”