The Politics of Skilled Immigration: Explaining the Ups and Downs of the US H-1B Visa Program

Andrew Kennedy*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    13 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The United States has long been a magnet for skilled immigrants, but its openness to these immigrants has varied considerably over time. Focusing on the H-1B visa program, this article explains why the program’s annual cap has risen and fallen from the mid-1990s to the present. Whereas recent studies of skilled immigration policy have focused on struggles between capital and labor, this article contends that US policy also reflects a struggle between capital and citizen groups — one that has changed considerably over the past two decades. The findings challenge recent work on skilled immigration and US immigration policy.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)346-370
    Number of pages25
    JournalInternational Migration Review
    Volume53
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2019

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