'3 headed monster': Expert reveals how H-1B visa program is crushing American college graduates
As the Trump administration makes moves to change the H-1B visa program to benefit American-born workers, Skillstorm CEO Justin Vianello backed those efforts in an interview with Fox News Digital...
By Fox News · Fox News
As the Trump administration makes moves to change the H-1B visa program to benefit American-born workers, Skillstorm CEO Justin Vianello backed those efforts in an interview with Fox News Digital while offering his expertise on other issues that need to be addressed with work visas. Vianello told Fox News Digital that one of the "biggest challenges" with the current H-1B system is the "impact" on college hiring, particularly with computer science and computer engineering graduates. Vianello explained that the unemployment rate for college graduates with those degrees is significantly higher than the average for all college graduates and there is a "concerning" level of unemployment with college graduates in IT. "So that basically means they didn't need degrees for the jobs that they're currently in, being significantly under employed," Vianello said. "How does the H-1B visa program impact that? Well, firstly, rough estimates are that there are about 730,000 H-1B holders in the U.S. and about 550,000 dependents. Most of them, in excess of 70% of them, are in IT." TRUMP’S H-1B VISA REFORM PLAN NEEDS TO PUT AMERICANS FIRST Vianello went on to explain that data shows H-1B visa holders are paid "significantly less" than their counterparts doing equivalent IT roles, which gives them a leg up with employers who are looking to pay less. "I think it gets a little more broadly than that," Vianello said. "In addition to competing with H-1B visa holders, college graduates, especially in IT, are also competing with OPT visa holders. This is optional practical training, basically an extension of the F-1 visa, which is a student visa, which allows you, if you're a STEM graduate, to work in the U.S. for three years following your graduation." "Now, the OPT visa holders don't pay Social Security or Medicare taxes, so they're automatically 15% cheaper, and they are typically paid 42% less than their U S counterparts. So as a college grad, you're fighting this three-headed monster. Y…