H-1B holders earn more than Americans

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NEW DELHI: H-1B visa has often received flak for fall in American salaries. In fact, anti-H-1B visa activists have often complained that say the programme depresses American IT workers' salaries and robs them of jobs.

However, a recent research from the University of Maryland claims that foreign IT professionals on H-1B visas earn more than their American counterparts.

The research which examined the IT salaries using data from online salary surveys conducted from 2000 to 2005, found that foreign IT professionals earned 8.9% more than American citizens.

According to a report in ComputerWorld, Hank Lucas, professor of information systems at the University of Maryland's Robert H Smith School of Business, and assistant professor Sunil Mithas found that those on temporary visas, such as the H-1B and L-1, were paid 6.8 per cent more than those with US citizenship, and green card holders took home 12.9 per cent more than their American-born counterparts.

After adjusting for educational qualifications, work experience, and other individual characteristics, Lucas and Mithas found that IT professionals without US citizenship earned 8.9 per cent more than American citizens, says the news report.