The H-1B high-tech visa programme is in need of better governmental monitoring, according to engineering association IEEE-USA.
Citing governmental reports documenting employers' abuses of the program, the IEEE said that many H-1B workers have not been paid wages they have been promised. Because of the Department of Labor's limited authority to investigate such claims, the extent of these violations is unknown.
"It's time to blow away 
the myth that the H-1B program protects foreign workers," IEEE-USA v-p Ron Hira said in a statement. "Many H-1B holders are treated like indentured servants."
The H-1B visa programme is a lightning rod for controversy and criticism within the tech industry, particularly from the IEEE-USA. Currently, Congress is considering upping the number of visas granted annually; the government has already reached the limit on high-tech worker visas for fiscal 2007, which does not 
begin until October 1.
The IEEE said that before Congress considers raising the H-1B cap, it should give the Labor Department broader enforcement authority to investigate claims of workplace and wage abuse.
"Because companies know their use of the H-1B programme will never be scrutinised, some exploit H-1B workers with little worry of being caught," Hira said in a statement. "Congress should enact an auditing system for the H-1B programme to improve the programme's integrity and ensure foreign workers are not exploited."