H-1B Specialty Occupation Visa originally designed to help U.S. firms find talent, now divides companies seeking IT talent from the skilled U.S workforce.

.... 'Executives are being told by their hiring managers that there are not skilled workers in the U.S. and they must seek H-1Bs to fill positions,' says Terri Morgan, a principal at Wudang Research Association who says she has encountered issues when seeking IT employment from U.S. companies, such as IBM. 'There are a whole host of us out here that have really good skills and know the culture, but maybe we don't have one item on the check list HR is seeking. H-1B applicants know how to manipulate the system and companies know how to make it appear as though they exhausted their options here.'

.... Yet for IT workers, many of whom say there are currently many challenges they face in getting hired by a U.S. company, the program can only been seen as having a negative impact on the American economy as firms look to hire less expensive, foreign workers for jobs that could be filled by U.S. citizens. ....

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