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News

• Donald Trump, zingers and all, emerges as sharp H-1B critic

  Businessman Donald Trump's plan for the H-1B visa is to make it harder and more expensive for tech companies to replace U.S. workers with foreign help.

• Lawmakers propose new visa for foreign tech entrepreneurs

  Two U.S. House Democrats are proposing a new visa for immigrants who can obtain "significant" venture capital funding for a business, or can otherwise establish a business that creates some jobs.

• In Scott Walker's state, Democrats seek outsourcing penalties

  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, one of the polling leaders in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, is still a cipher on offshore outsourcing and the H-1B issue. But Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced anti-outsourcing legislation that could shed light on Walker's views, if the bill makes it to his desk.

• The Takeaway: The war over H-1Bs heats up

  Microsoft is among the companies supporting a bill in Congress that would, among other things, raise the limit on H-1B visas from 65,000 to 195,000 and eliminate a cap on people who get an advanced degree in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM). The company has also talked about a "skills gap" in the U.S. that makes raising the cap H-1B visa workers important.

• Microsoft, Rubio, Sessions and the H-1B ground war

  Microsoft's argument that the U.S. faces a shortage of people with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills isn't helped by the <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/article/2945047/microsoft-windows/microsoft-said-to-plan-more-staff-layoffs.html">7,800 layoffs it announced last week</a>.

• A California backlash rises over foreign IT worker replacements

  California lawmakers have taken steps to attack the use of foreign labor to replace U.S. workers. One effort seeks to use the state's regulatory powers to prohibit utilities from shifting jobs overseas. Another legislative attack calls on federal agencies to investigate the H-1B program.

• Obama's trade win brings H-1B unease

  There is wariness about President Barack Obama's push for new trade agreements that's likely to grow with the Senate's final approval Wednesday, by a 60-38 vote, of fast-track negotiating authority.

• IT workers replaced by foreign labor may regain federal benefit

  As Southern California Edison (SCE) began replacing its IT workers with foreign labor, several IT employees asked the U.S. government for help. They submitted an application for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), and explained why they believe trade played a role in their job loss.

• Who should get the blame in IRS breach?

  If cybercrime is visualized as a river, its headwaters may be in a doctor's office in places such as South Florida. It's here where a cellphone photograph of a medical form filled out by a patient can be sold for a minimum of $10.

• Meet Bernie Sanders, H-1B skeptic

  The H-1B visa issue rarely surfaces during presidential races, and that's what makes the entrance by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) into the 2016 presidential race so interesting.

• Labor Department says it can't investigate So Cal Edison's H-1B use

  A request by 10 U.S. senators to investigate <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/article/2879083/southern-california-edison-it-workers-beyond-furious-over-h-1b-replacements.html">H-1B visa use at Southern California Edison</a> (SCE) and other companies is meeting resistance at the U.S. Department of Labor.

• U.S. gets 233,000 H-1B petitions, a new record

  The U.S. received 233,000 H-1B petitions this year, believed to the highest number ever, and almost three times the number of available visas.

• 10 U.S. senators seek investigation into H-1B-driven layoffs

  Ten U.S. senators, representing the political spectrum, are seeking a federal investigation into displacement of IT workers by H-1B-using contractors.

• N.C. primed for mega tech backlash over Indiana-like bill

  North Carolina is considering "religious objection" legislation similar to Indiana, a move that could raise the stakes for the tech industry firms battling these laws.

• Ted Cruz, the presidential candidate who wants to increase the H-1B cap by 500%

  It's going to be hard for the Republicans to field a presidential candidate as enthusiastic about the H-1B visa as U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).