Computer programmers in the US have reacted with shock and disgust to a video, posted on Youtube.com this month, in which immigration lawyers discuss legal ways to avoid employing expensive US citizens.
In the video, posted by professional body the Programmer’s Guild, attorneys from Cohen & Grigsby discuss how companies can circumnavigate laws that oblige them to offer jobs to US citizens first, before offering the job to a foreign national.
One technique is to place advertisements in inappropriate newspapers, at times when they can expect to receive few legitimate applications. This allows companies to employ cheaper labour from abroad and secure green cards for their new employees.
The Programmer’s Guild claims that technology companies including Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Oracle employ this practice.
Further reading
Book review – The New Division of Labour by Frank Levy and Richar J Murnane
