An Indian-origin founder in Canada has commented on the rampant attacks on H-1B visa holders in the United States, explaining that the situation is more complicated than MAGA portrays. Vijayan Swaminathan, a Canadian-Indian tech leader, says it’s not as simple as millions of Indians randomly waking up one day, booking a flight to the United States, and starting taking jobs that are meant for Americans.“These are not random people picked off the street,” Swaminathan said. “They are often engineers who have spent years working on the products that the company relies on.”“In many cases, U.S. companies themselves spend years and millions of dollars setting up offshore development centers, either directly or through partner companies. Some projects become so deadline-driven and market-sensitive that bringing in one or two engineers who already understand the systems, architecture and business logic becomes the fastest and most efficient option,” he said.
Ask your company why it hires Indians
When Swaminathan objected to Texas whistleblower Sara Gonzalez’s vitriolic hatred of H-1Bs, he said there was a legitimate question as to why a certain job was not going to Americans but to Indians. But the question should be directed at the companies making the hiring decisions, not the individuals who left their families to come to the United States — a process that is often initiated by U.S. companies.
Americans love Indian mangoes
Swaminathan said Americans love Indian mangoes and butter chicken, and the rest of the world loves Hollywood and American innovation, and that’s what should happen in globalization. “H-1Bs who come to the United States may have grown up watching Hollywood movies. After watching the movie and going home, maybe they will go to Pizza Hut or KFC with their families to celebrate the weekend and contribute to American businesses long before setting foot in the United States. Little does he/she know that the so-called ‘American Dream’ is not meant for brown people from India,” he wrote.
