WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- High-skilled foreign workers are paid more by U.S. employers, with major tech companies giving out the most lucrative job offers, according to a study released on Wednesday.
The median salary for workers on H1-B visas has risen to 80,000 U.S. dollars a year, compared with 69,000 dollars a decade ago, according to the study by Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank based in Washington.
The pay rise for skilled foreign workers was coupled by a uptick in demand as well, according to statistics by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as U.S. employers filed for 246,126 cases of H1-B visas in 2009 and 399,349 in 2016.
U.S. technology companies offered the most generous pay when it comes to foreign workers, with Facebook, Apple, Google, Microsoft leading the chart with average salaries topping 125,000 dollars, the Pew study shows.
Cognizant Tech Solution, an IT consulting company based in New Jersey, had more than 21,000 applications approved in fiscal 2016, more than any other U.S. firms.
H1-B is a non-immigration visa granted to high-skilled foreign workers. Employers who wish to hire foreign professionals may apply for the visa on their behalf from the U.S. government.
H1-B visas are currently granted through a lottery-like process. The White House is drawing up a plan to reform the program.
