The H-1B visa program provides entrée to the U.S. job market for much-needed STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) professionals, who come primarily from India and China. In 2015 alone, companies submitted 233,000 applications for the 85,000 available spots, and there are an estimated 650,000 employees currently working here on H-1B visas.

Stateside employers like Qualcomm, Southern California Edison, and even Disney, have been accused of taking jobs from qualified U.S. citizens in favor of less expensive (and maybe better qualified) visa holders. Off-shore outsourcing firms, including Infosys, Cognizant and Tata, succeed in securing many open spots through an annual lottery. Other big players like consulting giants Deloitte and Accenture flood the market with visa applications and can pay providers hefty fees to prepare and process them.

Smaller firms are clearly at a disadvantage in the competition for STEM talent. While comprehensive immigration reform has languished in Congress since 2013, it’s sure to be a political football in the 2016 elections.

Fixing the controversial H-1B visa program and immigration reform go hand-in-hand, according to the Workforce.com blog. Read the full post.