http://immigrationreform.com/2012/0...-programs-to-drive-down-wages-study-confirms/ 1st paragraph of article A new study found that skilled guest workers in the U.S. on temporary visas increase their annual earnings by an average of $11,860 when those workers acquire green cards. The reason for this is that a legal permanent resident (green card holder) has the ability to switch employers without losing residency status, which greatly boosts that employee’s bargaining power. Referring specifically to H-1B guest workers, Sankar Mukhopadhyay, co-author and associate professor of economics at the University of Nevada, and an immigrant from India, said that “Employers know they have these workers over a barrel…[guest workers] aren’t going to demand a raise…even if they deserve it, and they aren’t going to move on to another company, because they know doing those things will jeopardize their chances of getting their green cards in time.”