From my recent reply to a comment on a story about the future of jobs in America:

[TomClement said]"US law prohibits paying H1B visa holders less than what an equivalent US Citizen would be paid."

Yes, this keeps salaries from falling, but... by preventing shortages of people to fill jobs, the H1-B program prevents salaries from rising. Programmer salaries in the US have been stagnant for some time now, and just aren't as attractive as they once were. Long term, fewer Americans enter programming, so we need MORE H-1Bs.

Worse than the effect on American jobs are the implications for H1-B holders. They're basically indentured servants. You can't quit your job or change employers without being sent back to the country you worked so hard to leave. So you work 70 hours a week, and your employer starts asking the citizens who work with you why they aren't putting in that kind of time.

So American programmers are working longer hours for the same amount of money. H1-Bs are being treated in ways that citizens wouldn't put up with. How does that benefit either group?