Cutback in H-1B Visas Did Not Raise Employment for Natives

>"Since the cap was tightened in 2004, firms hired between 20 and 50 percent fewer new H-1B workers than they might have hired had it remained at 195,000 visas per year."

> "The researchers find, however, that the reduced pool of foreign workers did not lead firms to hire more Americans, and conclude that this suggests "low substitutability between native-born and H-1B workers in the same skill groups."

Note this:

"On the employer side, the lower cap favored larger firms with greater experience navigating the bureaucracy of the visa program and with in-house legal teams that could handle the paperwork...

... Smaller firms simply could not afford to spend money applying for visas when they were not sure whether they would obtain one."