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Abstract

The United States has long been a magnet for skilled immigrants, but its openness to these immigrants has varied considerably over time. Focusing on the H-1B visa program, this article explains why the program’s annual cap has risen and fallen from the mid-1990s to the present. Whereas recent studies of skilled immigration policy have focused on struggles between capital and labor, this article contends that US policy also reflects a struggle between capital and citizen groups — one that has changed considerably over the past two decades. The findings challenge recent work on skilled immigration and US immigration policy.

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The Politics of Skilled Immigration: Explaining the Ups and Downs of the US H-1B Visa Program

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