SF Gate- November 21, 2014

Economists and analysts disagree on how the visa program affects the U.S. economy.

A June UC Davis study found that capping the number of visas leads to a loss of jobs by U.S.-born workers. UC Davis economics Professor Giovanni Peri found that when the number of visas was capped in 2007 and 2008, it affected job growth in various U.S. regions. The tech-rich Bay Area was one of the hardest-hit larger metro areas, according to the study. H-1B visa denials during that period caused San Francisco to miss out on creating as many as 4,219 tech jobs for American-born workers.