Critical Issues in the U.S. H-1B Visa Program

June 22, 2022: Critical Issues in the U.S. H-1B Visa Program The H-1B Visa Program is a temporary (nonimmigrant) visa category that allows employers to petition for highly educated foreign professionals to work in “specialty occupations,” and current research shows that H-1B workers complement U.S. workers and expand job opportunities for all. In this panel, discussion centered on how foreign workers fill a critical need in the U.S. labor market, particularly in the science, technology, engineering and math fields – commonly referred to as STEM – and how with a low statutory limit of visa numbers available, demand for H-1B visa numbers has outstripped the supply in recent years. Speakers: ● Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, 8th District of Illinois, U.S. House of Representatives ● Gaurav Khanna, Assistant Professor, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy ● Çağlar Özden, Lead Economist, Development Economics, The World Bank Moderator: Dean Caroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy