FREE DOWNLOAD: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Report - Characteristics of H-1B Specialty Occupation Workers

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has filed its annual report to Congress on the numbers and characteristics of "H-1B" visa petitions in Fiscal Year 2009 (October 1, 2008 - September 30, 2009). H-1B visas cover several hundred distinguished fashion models and special employees for the Department of Defense, but the vast majority -- over 200,000 -- are for "specialty workers." Specialty workers have to have at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent. For the most part, H-1B workers can stay for three years and extend that stay for three more. Especially in the recent tough economic times, H-1B workers raise concern that U.S. workers are being replaced with foreign workers unjustifiably.

The USCIS report covers many points. Key ones include: The number of petitions received was down about 15%, and approvals were down about 20%. About half of the approved petitions were for workers born in India, and about 40% for computer-related positions. Most workers whose petitions were approved were between 25 and 34 years old. Half were to be paid less than $64,000 annually, half more. This was a $4,000 increase in the median salary over fiscal year 2008's.

The report includes text and 17 tables, giving more detailed breakdowns of who was approved, for what kind of job, where they came from, what their educations were, and so on.

Please click on the link at the top of the post to view or download the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Report - Characteristics of H-1B Specialty Occupation Workers