Immigration And The Labor Market: Nonimmigrant Alien Workers in the United States.

There is widespread interest concerning the entry of alien workers into the American work force. Some view foreign workers as a solution to problems with the size or capability of our work force, while others see them as a threat to the job security of U.S. workers. Approximately 136,000 aliens became employment-based immigrants during the period 1984-89, and the U.S. economy was also affected by the admittance of nearly 293,000 temporary nonimmigrant alien workers during the same period. The Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Affairs of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary asked GAO to study class H-1 and L-1 nonimmigrants. An H-1 nonimmigrant is an alien of distinguished merit and ability who is admitted temporarily to perform services of an exceptional nature. An L-1 nonimmigrant is an alien employed by an international firm who is entering the United States to work for that same employer as a manager, executive, or in a specialized knowledge capacity. GAO developed five study questions 1 What are the existing patterns of nonimmigrant employment 2 What are the functions of nonimmigrant workers in the businesses employing them 3 To what extent are nonimmigranti jobs permanent, temporary, or indefinite 4 To what extent are nonimmigrants becoming immigrants, and what proportion of total legal immigration do they represent 5 How is the Immigration Act of 1990 Public Law 101-649 likely to affect the future populations of nonimmigrants