H-1B Visas: Necessary? Or Evil? (The Angle)

H-1B Visas: Necessary? Or Evil?

H-1B Visas: Necessary? Or Evil?

The immigration reform bill may have been killed off (at least for now) by the U.S. Senate, but the issues that have spurred the debate live on.
While much of the public debate over immigration has focused on illegal immigrants, border fences and guest-worker programs, a smaller but just as heated debate has raged over whether to increase the number of visas for high-skilled workers–including architects–allowed into the country.
Currently, 65,000 of these visas – called H-1Bs – are issued each year for foreigners with expertise in information technology, architecture, engineering, mathematics, science, medicine and other professional avocations. However, the demand for these visas is so high that the entire supply of H-1Bs for the upcoming year was exhausted in a single day last April. The Senate immigration bill would have increased the number of H-1Bs made available each year to up to 180,000.

While advocates of lifting the H-1B cap say that more of the visas are necessary to ensure an adequate high-skilled workforce in the U.S., particularly in Silicon Valley, opponents say that H-1B visa-holders take jobs away from Americans and that some companies abuse the process (there even have been allegations of firms bringing in workers on H-1B visas to train them so that the firms can ship work back to them when the workers return home).
The debate over H-1Bs in the design profession has been no less intense. Some argue that a shortage of licensed professional architects in the U.S. requires firms to look for talent overseas–and that if firms aren’t able to bring architects in from abroad, they will simply farm the work to offices offshore. Other argue that an increase in H-1Bs will make it harder for American architects to find work, that quality will suffer, and that the security of high-profile facilities will be compromised.

The immigration bill may be dormant for the time being, but the issue is not going away. How do you feel about H-1B visas? Are they good for the profession, or a danger? Is the current cap hurting the industry, or having little effect? And are there other ways to increase the workforce?

Posted by Tracy Ostroff on July 5, 2007 12:53 PM | Permalink

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Comments (29)

Allan H. Gold:

It is near impossible for our small company to find qualified architects or engineers to employ on a full time basis. Our competitors make similar claims. If the universities are unable to provide more qualified professionals, it seems to me that we should give some thought to allowing skilled professionals to enter the country in order to alleviate the short supply of qualified/experienced architects and/or engineers.

Posted by Allan H. Gold | July 5, 2007 4:51 PM

Posted on July 5, 2007 16:51

Audrey Matlock:

Raising the cap on H1B visas is necessary for the growth of firms in the US. The majority of qualified people that I have hired in the last two years have required H1B visas. Without these hires, my firm would have be forced to turn down work and would not have been able to grow and prosper.

Posted by Audrey Matlock | July 5, 2007 4:58 PM

Posted on July 5, 2007 16:58

andrew johnson:

To choose a title evil or necessary, automatically suggests that a person who isn’t an American citizen working in the US is nothing more than a commodity with little value beyond a certain skill set. As our work becomes more global, so too does our workforce. If we, as professionals, have limited experience working with other professionals from around the globe, we only limit our own abilities. Working in San Francisco, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many professional who work in the States under an H1 visa, and I have grown as a professional because of these relationships. My own experience might be different than others, but I’ve found that the professionals with the H1 visa tend to be very bright and extremely hardworking. In my estimation, they tend to set the bar much higher in their work ethic and abilities. In addition to their direct contributions, they help bring a global perspective to each project and to the office. If we only work with others from our own community, we’ll never have the opportunity to appreciate a problem from a different point of view. If your concerned that someone with better skills than you is taking your job, you shouldn’t disqualify the individual; you should work on making yourself a better professional.

Posted by andrew johnson | July 5, 2007 5:10 PM

Posted on July 5, 2007 17:10

J.J. Payyapilly:

Well, my comments in this regard are that the AIA should take a leading stand in neither making it 'necessary' nor condemning it as 'evil' while forming an opinion of this category of design professionals. Ideally it should be in the best interest of Architectural / Planning firms or organizations to have global in-house diversity during every stage of design and production of any project that calls for creativity and so also for brainstorming sessions, which is considered as a great asset. Typically, an H-1B architectural / planning professional would be someone with atleast a Masters degree by default, and who generally has a strong passion for creativity and is willing to go an extra-mile to achieve excellence in design and productivity, and partake in the best of on-going architecture and planning process that goes around his / her life-time. Conventionally, he /she is looked upon as an instrument of the Supreme Architect in the process of Continued Creation, and normally has very little time, energy, or interest for unprofessional character that goes against the professional code of ethics stipulated by the AIA or simply just common sense. If this being the case, then the professional should be judged solely on the strength of his/her resume / qualifications, and a fair opportunity should be provided without prejudice to this category of folks who are again, as I said before are most-likely on-track in the process of pursuing the 'American Dream' working towards their citizenship and a life away from their home country just as the early Europeans who migrated to America. There is no need to deify these folks nor victimize them, instead an open-mind without prejudice could help, as they are folks who are also trying their best to help the local economy in big or small ways in their creative manner, who generally go through discrimination that maybe inherent socially. What the AIA can possibly do is to provide support for new and existing professionals by stressing on institutional equality principles both in small firms and large organisations, so as not to tolerate abuse, discrimination, and unwanted over-control of these creative folks, which typically is common and highly visible in the industry. Another effort in distribution of this workforce is to set-up an online system or a centralised system, to hire, train and retain professionals for seriously understaffed cities, or states or rural areas,which is kind of a similar practice done in the medical profession. I urge everyone who reads this article to have respect and treat your fellow human professional with human dignity and tolerance; you'll never know who will be tomorrow's Frank Gehry, or Daniel Libeskind, or simply put it as an individual-self, without deification. I hope you find this informative, and this could help you make the right judgement. Thanks for reading!

Posted by J.J. Payyapilly | July 5, 2007 6:31 PM

Posted on July 5, 2007 18:31

Yes, there is one solution. Either stop professional development and upliftment of the rest of the world, or ask other countries to stop speaking english. Well, as a design professional I have only one thing to add, instead of debating on the way we do business, it would only be beneficial to the industry if we learn how to use our resources effectively and make our project delivery better for the sake of our client...whether those resources are in US or in India, how does it matter.

Posted by G | July 5, 2007 6:36 PM

Posted on July 5, 2007 18:36

Dmitriy Shenker, AIA:

If we really control quality level of H1B entrants, we could get more skilled designers. While this is not the only prerequisite to the better architecture, but it is very important one. Or we believe no improvement is needed in the field? Look how many famous American architects were born abroad!

Posted by Dmitriy Shenker, AIA | July 5, 2007 7:08 PM

Posted on July 5, 2007 19:08

Michael S. Adams, AIA:

Clearly a non-issue. The ultra-lib AIA should pay attention to important issues instead of wasting time and money on this stuff.

Posted by Michael S. Adams, AIA | July 5, 2007 9:11 PM

Posted on July 5, 2007 21:11

Richard Tobias:

The visa system - H1B and other designation, are extremely important for the health of architectural practice here in New York City. Young architects from around the world assure the profession of divergent skills and views of 'the good' in architecture. This is critical to the creative processs. The current caps on quantities and the escalating bureaucratic difficulties (and cost) in processing existing and new visas are hampering vibrant design.

Posted by Richard Tobias | July 5, 2007 10:24 PM

Posted on July 5, 2007 22:24

Samuel Hepford, AIA:

The architecture profession is an extension of the construction industry and subject to the same economic instability. Employment is readily available or scarce depending upon factors completely unrelated to professional skill or longevity. The result is skilled architects leaving the profession for stable more rewarding positions in government or other related industries. The idea that foreign architects are taking the jobs of the US born is a fallacy since attrition creates a constant demand new blood. I think that H-1B visa issuance should not be limited by an arbitrary quota. Rather it should be strictly reciprocal and based on the number of applications made from the respective countries. For example, if 4,000 British architects applied for H-1B visas and 3,000 American architects applied for and were granted UK work permission, only 3,000 H-1B visas would be issued to the Brits. The number if visas issued would be adjusted annually based on demand. The same principle should be applied to all countries. The number of Americans wishing to relocate to the receiving country would govern the number of H-1B visas issued to citizens of that country.

Posted by Samuel Hepford, AIA | July 5, 2007 10:25 PM

Posted on July 5, 2007 22:25

Howard Wong, AIA:

In many nations, Architects have high societal stature---equivalent to physicians, lawyers, bankers, CEO's and such. American Architects lack commensurate status and incomes. Palpably, architectural firms emphasize younger professionals---a reflection of the downward pressures on operational costs and thus salaries. H-1B Visas would further exacerbate downward pressures on wages in the archtitectural profession. We need to focus on home-grown systemic problems---to benefit the broadest possible base of American Architects.

Posted by Howard Wong, AIA | July 6, 2007 2:34 AM

Posted on July 6, 2007 02:34

Jonathan Hamm:

As with many professions in our society the best way to attract new American born talent is to increase the compensation package. Many of my classmates dropped the architecture program when they discovered the abhorent pay.

Posted by Jonathan Hamm | July 6, 2007 8:23 AM

Posted on July 6, 2007 08:23

John Campbell:

It is amazing to see how this country seems to have taken a U-turn in respect to welcoming qualified professionals. Why? We badly need them. It is extremely hard to find good quality experienced architects and designers. They also provide a more worldly insight than the often narrow minded US centric viewpoint which adds to the design quality.

Posted by John Campbell | July 6, 2007 8:34 AM

Posted on July 6, 2007 08:34

Jim Smith:

I believe that we will need more foreign architects in the coming years, and support increasing the number of H-1B visas.

Posted by Jim Smith | July 6, 2007 9:00 AM

Posted on July 6, 2007 09:00

Ron Weaver:

Our experience indicates foreign immigrants,trained as architects are on average smarter,harder working and more interested in career advancement than their U.S. contemporaries.That sounds like the story of our country I learned in high school.I cannot imagine a future where the best and brightest are restricted in coming to this country.

Posted by Ron Weaver | July 6, 2007 9:18 AM

Posted on July 6, 2007 09:18

John Fizzle:

I am conflicted on this one. First, I was laid off by an architecture firm at the same time they were renewing for a H-1B visa holder that had similar experience and education. There was no justification for hiring abroad if they were laying off US citizens and I believe that this was an illegal act. But not wanting to burn bridges, I did not object. Secondly, the people that were working at this firm on H-1Bs were all talented and good people. Some of them are my friends...including the one that took my job. I would prefer to not see an increase in the H-1B cap.

Posted by John Fizzle | July 6, 2007 9:39 AM

Posted on July 6, 2007 09:39

Patty Karapinar:

We and our neighboring firms are extremely busy and have a continuous problem with recruitment of enough qualified people. We currently have three architects working here on visas. They bring new ideas and experiences to share that enrich our own work and experience. It took us over a year of INS scrutiny to get each of them over here, while "illegals" flock across our borders daily - a huge inequity for good people who follow the law.

Posted by Patty Karapinar | July 6, 2007 11:41 AM

Posted on July 6, 2007 11:41

Greg Stock AIA:

I am not sure if it is only the healthcare architecture business, but we are desparate for architects and interns. We continue to turn down work, and work long hours of overtime to turn out our projects. I have friends in other Florida firms who also have had ads posted for 6 months or more trying to fill positions. We pay well, besides being a respected firm with a low incidence of turn over. Currently firms are merely stealing healthcare experienced staff away from each other and there is still a shortage. I believe we need to raise the limit for architects.

Posted by Greg Stock AIA | July 6, 2007 12:00 PM

Posted on July 6, 2007 12:00

Ignacio Correa-Ortiz, AIA, AICP:

An architect’s contribution to society is his or her specialized knowledge in creating spaces and buildings. Because knowledge is the interconnection of learning and reasoning, it is enriched by diversity. I was an H-1B Visa holder, now I’m a US citizen and my son is a seventeenth-generation American. This was not my plan, it is the plan life had for me. I’ve met architects from as diverse places as Algoma, Wisconsin and Gaborone, Botswana, each as invaluable as the other. I believe that evolution in American society cannot happen in the vacuum: as we cannot close and lock the doors of America to others, neither we can close the doors of the world to ourselves. I did not become an American citizen to be in the winning team. I did it because I want to represent our democratic values and to contribute to the world and the US in my capacity of architect and urban designer. I’m fortunate to have been able to help plan for development in places such as Rwanda, Guatemala, Malaysia, Chicago, Tampa and Winnebago, Nebraska. So, if you ask me if H-1B visas are necessary or evil, I have to answer of course they are necessary, and no, you cannot say that an inanimate permit can be evil. There are some who want to vilify our need for diversity, but history will prove them wrong. Ignacio Correa-Ortiz, AIA, AICP

Posted by Ignacio Correa-Ortiz, AIA, AICP | July 6, 2007 12:55 PM

Posted on July 6, 2007 12:55

Yew-Hoe Tan AIA, LEED AP:

I support increasing the cap on H1-B visas because I went through this process 17 years ago and it has allowed me to become a successful architect in the Bay Area with a prestigious architectural firm. Born and raised in Malaysia, I received all my higher education in the US and am now a US citizen. In a global community, I challenge the notion that there is a distinction between foreign and local. Architectural firms should seek the best qualified professionals wherever they can be found and the H1-B process helps to facilitate this.

Posted by Yew-Hoe Tan AIA, LEED AP | July 6, 2007 1:11 PM

Posted on July 6, 2007 13:11

Patricia Barnard, A.I.A.:

It seems to me that the problem lies in the "training" young professionals receive from our architectural programs. Some years ago I attended Harvard University's Design Studies Program (a post-professional program). While there, I observed architectural students in their studios. No emphasis was given to real world problems: meeting deadlines, costs, accurate documents, etc. Yet, these young people were going to be unleased as "highly qualified professionals". If our architectural schools would take a long hard look at what and how they are teaching, blending pure design (the fun part) with down-to-earth practicalities (the hard part) I believe the U.S. could turn out more than enough qualified professionals to meet the needs of design firms.

Posted by Patricia Barnard, A.I.A. | July 6, 2007 1:33 PM

Posted on July 6, 2007 13:33

Jose Baella, Assoc. AIA:

I believe there are two important issues here that everyone seem to comment separately. The first and most improtant is the quality of architectural education provided by all the universities in the US. Programs seem to get stuck in the "Design Process" on extremly unrealistic projects year after year. Hence, when the young professionals graduate,they are clueless about real life architectural issues and the real design process. I believe schools should encourage real office practice ("apprenticeship") in their programs from design 1 to 12. Maybe firms should take the initiative to approach schools and sponsor this type of opportunities for the young students. Second, We should also consider that there are many foreign students in our university programs too, and if well trained, they would be a much better alternative than hiring (under the H1-B) a person that has had his/her training completely abroad and whom has language and/or communication issues, not to mention construction methods, building codes, culture, etc. In regards of blaming the lack of H1-B hires as being a cause of farming out work. I know for a fact that some corporations consider this alternative because of the bottom line overhead cost, not because of staffing issues. It is cheaper to pay 10 guys in India to do bad CAD (using pirated software) than 2 good full time people doing good CAD here. This hurts our marketability and economy. We all have started one way or another by drafting, either by hand or CAD. We all started our architectural training that way. If we slowly eliminate that process, how can we expect to train the future American professionals? and what are we expecting of the future of American architecture? Enough said and thank you for your time.

Posted by Jose Baella, Assoc. AIA | July 9, 2007 9:30 AM

Posted on July 9, 2007 09:30

Louis Carballo:

My personal experience with the H-1B visas is that I was used by a BIG firm to further its greedy practice of hiring architects as cheaply as possible. I applied at the firm and a week later received a detailed questionnaire asking, among other things, how much I wanted to earn. I answered all the questions including asking for a modest salary of $24,000 per year (this occurred eighteen years ago when salaries were a lot less than they are today). I didn’t get the job, but approximately a month later I received a letter from an agency of the Federal Government; I do not remember the agency, perhaps it was the then Immigration and Naturalization Service. In this letter they stated that the firm had applied for an H-1B visa for an individual whom they wanted to hire. The justification for the request for the visa was that the firm was “unable to find a qualified individual” for an appropriate salary – and wanted me to verify that I had asked for a salary of $24,000. About a month later I found out the individual hired by the firm was a person who had attended school with me, who was here on a student visa. In other words, the BIG firm had found someone who was willing to do the work for less than I, and was willing to manipulate the system to hire that person at a lower salary – and not hire me, a qualified individual – who is also an immigrant but who is a naturalized citizen who could do the work and expected, therefore, to be paid a decent wage.

Posted by Louis Carballo | July 9, 2007 11:51 AM

Posted on July 9, 2007 11:51

Reynolds White:

We are the most underpaid profession in the country! It takes an average of +/-12 years to become licensed. In the '80's a "White Paper" on the "Status of the Profession" indicated that we needed to restrict the licensing of architects much like the Medical Doctors had to do in the '30's. We have licensed interior designers, and PE's are trying to cut into the profession. Why would anyone want to bring in more people to cut our salaries?!!

Posted by Reynolds White | July 9, 2007 6:28 PM

Posted on July 9, 2007 18:28

John Giubilo, AIA:

There is no shortage of architects, as anyone who has been unemployed in recent years can attest. There are, however a smaller percentage of architects who are willing to work 80 hour weeks, while getting paid for 40. The younger generation is much more aware of qulaity of life issues, irregardless of whether they have a family with children. I'm afraid this whole immigation reform bill is just one more effort to marginalize human beings as commodities, (drafting machines) and I do not support it. I worked for one such firm many years ago who often hired foreign designers, not yet citizens, at no salary. The principals of the firm argued that they were being fair by allowing the immigrants an opportunity to work in the US and gain some useful experience.

Posted by John Giubilo, AIA | July 13, 2007 9:15 AM

Posted on July 13, 2007 09:15

Clyde K. Warner, Jr FAIA,PE,CSI:

We should remember what happened to the British when they let the doctors come in supposedly to do good and then turned out to be terrorists. With the present immigration laws how do you really know who is good or evil until it is too late. I am not in favor of being a "nice guy" to everyone just to get cheap labor. We may all have good intentions but not all immigrants do.

Posted by Clyde K. Warner, Jr FAIA,PE,CSI | July 13, 2007 3:37 PM

Posted on July 13, 2007 15:37

Stephen M. Long, AIA:

The cap on H1B visas should probably stay where it is. With the immigration issue, a balance must be maintained with allowing some legal immigration into the U.S., while simultaneously exercising moderate enforcement of laws that help keep Americans from having their jobs and opportunties taken from them by less law-abiding people. In my experience in architecture firms, especially in the early 90's, there were some immigrants who were beneficial, conscientious, professional architects, and good to work with. More recently, I have unfortunately encountered more immigrants who did not seem to know how to behave themselves, or respect their colleagues. When those colleagues are law-abiding American citizens, immigration laws become an important regulatory issue. Maintain the visa cap where it is.

Posted by Stephen M. Long, AIA | July 16, 2007 11:47 AM

Posted on July 16, 2007 11:47

M G Grew, AIA:

Five years ago I had an employee with an H1B who was highly educated in architecture in his home country. Being a friend of a friend, I agreed to sponsor and hire this architect because I did have an open position in my small firm of about 8 persons at that time. This was one of the worst business decisions I made. While having much design talent and desire, I lost a ton of money on him because of his lack of experience in our methods of construction, having to follow codes and regulations he was unfamiliar with, having difficulty blending his foreign sensibilities with domestic styles, and not really grasping the way we do business. The learning, training, and patience was too hard and too long and frustrated me and my other employees. After a full year I had to let him go. I don't think my situation can be applied throughout the profession. In fact, I am glad to read of lots of good experiences with H1B's and the need for them. I just recommend great care be exercised and that a firm understand all that goes with hiring someone who may not have a good understanding of how business is conducted here. I have not seen the shortage of architects others have written about but that could be because of the smaller size of my practice now with 10 employees and no international work.

Posted by M G Grew, AIA | August 30, 2007 10:44 PM

Posted on August 30, 2007 22:44

Jack Almonacid:

Dear M G Grew I don´t understand, what is really the problem with foreigner architect in a prestigious office of architecture ?. I think that this field have knowledge like universal knowledge and this is a good reason for which it is beautiful. Seem to me that the problem is in the business and not in the codes or the architecture like it is. I try very hard for many years to go to USA to work but this option today is truly impossible. But look You: Christian, 20 years of experience in any kind of building, master degree in city management, professor an architecture, theorists and a good guy too, what is really the problem?. Jack

Posted by Jack Almonacid | September 21, 2007 6:35 PM

Posted on September 21, 2007 18:35

Carole Wedge:

We find that an increasing number of talented graduates from American schools require an h1b visa to remain working in our firm for any substantial period of time. The talent gap is real. To compete globally - we need to make it possible to keep talent in our firms. Our federal approach to this issue needs to be much more progressive for US firms to compete in the international marketplace. Please have the AIA advocate for increased numbers of H1B visas. Best, Carole Wedge Shepley Bulfinch

Posted by Carole Wedge | November 26, 2007 9:53 PM

Posted on November 26, 2007 21:53

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