The H-1B visa program allows American companies and universities to employ foreign scientists, engineers and programmers in the United States.
The maximum duration of the H-1B visa is six years (ten years for exceptional Defense Department project-related work). Those H-1B holders that wish to continue to work in the US, and haven't obtained permanent residency status, must remain outside of the U.S. for one year before reapplying.
The program has been criticized domestically for allegedly displacing American workers, as a form of corporate welfare and by the source countries for encouraging brain drain. However, advocates claim the program (and similar ones operated by other technologically-advanced countries) provides an incentive for companies not to move their operations abroad. Earnings remitted by foreign workers are a major source of income for some developing countries, easing their burden of debt.
External links
Anti-H1B websites
