If we don't use all of the visas, it just confirms our case. We were not looking for cheap labor but instead labor that could be brought in when all other U.S. recruitment tactics fail. While Harris expressed sympathy for these workers, he also cautioned that such moves by the government would undermine the purpose of H-1B visas and the ITAA's long held belief in what role the visas were meant to serve. There is a conflict with the sense of entitlement that a lot of H-1B visa workers think they have. Harris sees the visas as any another type of contract.
Workers come here for a set amount of time to do specific projects.
Pushing for them to stay now could undermine the agreement the ITAA and others made with Congress when trying to up the visa total in the first place. While the U.S. may lose out by watching some of its recruited talent return home, Harris is bullish on what the country has done to train its own workers. Additionally, the return of H-1B workers to their native lands could help the U.S. in the long run, Harris argued. Workers returning to India, for example, could use experience gained in the U.S. to form companies that boost technology in their home country and also use contacts made in the U.S. to form powerful, global partnerships. A stronger technology economy in India can increase the consumption of U.S. products, leading to more jobs for workers here.