{"id":2685796,"date":"2026-10-16T16:42:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T20:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignamerican-universities-are-corporatized-grant-money-factories-that-rely-on-cheap-foreign-labor\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T16:45:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T20:45:11","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignamerican-universities-are-corporatized-grant-money-factories-that-rely-on-cheap-foreign-labor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignamerican-universities-are-corporatized-grant-money-factories-that-rely-on-cheap-foreign-labor\/","title":{"rendered":"Universities Are Grant Money Factories Relying On Foreign Labor"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignamerican-universities-are-corporatized-grant-money-factories-that-rely-on-cheap-foreign-labor%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2685796&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the U.S. visa system for temporary foreign workers, particularly focusing on the H-1B and J-1 visas. It highlights how the H-1B visa was created to bring highly specialized foreign experts to fill skills gaps in American industries, but recent practices show that prestigious universities like Stanford are seeking foreign labor for roles requiring relatively basic skills, such as financial analysis and Excel proficiency, which raises questions about the true intent and necessity of such hires. Stanford\u2019s example illustrates the importation of foreign workers for positions where American candidates are available but allegedly underqualified or overlooked, emphasizing the disconnect between visa use and actual labor shortages.<\/p>\n<p>The article also critiques the J-1 visa program, which permits universities to bring in foreign research assistants temporarily, and points out how some elite institutions are accused of using these programs to undercut American wages and replace domestic talent. Critics argue that the narrative defending these visas as necessary for scientific progress ignores the broader context: many American STEM Ph.D. graduates are unable to find research or academic roles in the U.S., due to an oversupply of Ph.D. holders and a dependency on government funding that incentivizes short-term research positions over stable careers. Data shows a declining percentage of Ph.D. graduates securing tenure-track positions, with many ending up in private industry or postdoctoral roles, frequently enough populated by international scholars.<\/p>\n<p>The article underscores concerns that universities and corporations are driven more by financial incentives than pure scientific pursuit,with examples of domestic institutions hiring foreign workers despite having qualified American candidates.It concludes with commentary from critics and politicians aiming to address what they see as the misuse of visa programs to displace American workers and talent.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>You have to <em>count<\/em>, or none of it makes sense. Remember that Congress <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/10\/02\/vance-slams-h-1b-visas-as-trump-scrutinizes-abuses-in-legal-immigration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">created <\/a>the H-1 labor category in the 1950s to allow temporary labor from foreign experts \u201cof distinguished merit and ability,\u201d after which Congress created the H-1B visa in 1990 to allow visiting workers to do scientific and technical work in the U.S. that requires \u201ctheoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The premise of the H-1B visa is that it allows the rocket scientist who lives overseas to come contribute to American industry for a while, doing highly specialized work that no American is able to do. It was created as a gap-filler, a way of importing brilliant minds for work that requires esoteric knowledge. With that in mind, look at this H-1B application from Stanford University:<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>Stanford University (<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Stanford?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Stanford<\/a>) has just filed a notice of intent to hire an H-1B Financial Analyst<\/p>\n<p>Salary: $149,000<\/p>\n<p>Nobody in California was qualified for this job.<\/p>\n<p>California has the highest unemployment rate of any state. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QUaD0W3qvS\">pic.twitter.com\/QUaD0W3qvS<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Chris Brunet (@chrisbrunet) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/chrisbrunet\/status\/2110110690878931210?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 13, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Since Stanford is specifically looking for a Financial Analyst 3, you can look at the skill level and job duties associated with that category and level by looking for other help-wanted ads for Financial Analyst 3 positions at the same university. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/jobs\/view\/financial-analyst-iii-at-stanford-medicine-children-s-health-4473989093\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Here\u2019s one<\/a>. It requires a bachelor\u2019s degree and an ability to perform \u201caccounting-focused analysis,\u201d with \u201cstrong Excel skills.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s apparently not a single American who has a bachelor\u2019s degree and understands accounting, so Stanford has no choice but to import a foreign laborer to fill in this extraordinarily technical knowledge gap. And, I mean, <em>knowledge of Excel<\/em>? Of course you have to look overseas for so rarefied a skill. May I interest you in buying the Brooklyn Bridge?<\/p>\n<p>At his recent press conference on the abusive corporate use of foreign labor visas, Vice President J.D. Vance mostly talked about this topic: the H-1B visa, the general specialized labor document. And universities are very much implicated in that discussion.<\/p>\n<p>But the other kind of temporary labor visa that he discussed is also important. It\u2019s the J-1 visa, and it allows universities to import foreign laborers for temporary work as researchers, usually in STEM fields.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>Vice President JD Vance on J-1 Visa fraud in Universities:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is where some of America\u2019s most elite universities bring in foreigners again, to undercut the wages of American residents. Now there are nine universities in particular that we believe merit an investigation. Those\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UlG4YYpBkj\">pic.twitter.com\/UlG4YYpBkj<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Vice President JD Vance (@VP) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/VP\/status\/2108216908596003234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 8, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Predictably, Reason magazine published a <a href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/2026\/10\/13\/no-giving-immigrants-research-jobs-is-not-fraud\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">defense<\/a> of the J-1 visa in response to Vance\u2019s press conference, under the headline, \u201cNo, Giving Immigrants Research Jobs Is Not Fraud\u200b.\u201d But they got the whole thing completely wrong, starting with the fact that the J-1 visa isn\u2019t for <em>immigrants<\/em>. It\u2019s explicitly and exclusively <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscis.gov\/policy-manual\/volume-2-part-d-chapter-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a nonimmigrant visa<\/a>, for temporary labor.<\/p>\n<p>They also didn\u2019t <em>count<\/em>, and here\u2019s where we get into the numbers. If you get a STEM Ph.D. at an American university, the one place you\u2019re almost certainly not going to get a job in your field is at an American university. A <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0285550\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2023 paper<\/a> on recent post-Ph.D. academic employment found that, on average across academic fields, \u201conly 25.2% of 2000\u20132013 STEM Ph.D. graduating cohorts are ever observed in a tenure-track position, compared to an average of 42.8% for 1960\u20131980 cohorts.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>See also <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC11075531\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this 2024 paper<\/a> on individuals with engineering doctorates, which finds that about 12.4 percent will end up with tenure-track jobs, and \u201cmost engineering PhD graduates will never secure a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/victor-davis-hanson-are-universities-doomed\/\" title=\"Victor Davis Hanson: Are ... Doomed?\">tenure-track faculty position<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Famously, American universities have an <a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2025\/06\/science-phds-face-a-challenging-and-uncertain-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">overproduction problem<\/a>: They\u2019re issuing far more Ph.D.s than the job market can absorb. As the headline to that linked story says, \u201cScience PhDs face a challenging and uncertain future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While results vary by field, the same is true for postdoctoral fellowships, which are usually understood to be a waypoint on the road to tenure-track employment at a research university. Here\u2019s a chart <a href=\"https:\/\/ncses.nsf.gov\/pubs\/nsf26315\/report\/postgraduation-trends#first-postgraduate-positions-in-the-united-states_academic-employment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">from the NSF\u2019s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics<\/a> on the percentage of Ph.D.s who got postdocs in several fields in recent years:<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Screenshot       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Some of these fields have such good prospects that they almost soar to somewhere near <em>half<\/em>. There are other stories to tell about this chart, and some of these Ph.D. recipients are working in private industry, but <em>many<\/em> people who earn science and engineering Ph.D.s from American universities aren\u2019t finding research jobs in American universities.<\/p>\n<p>With that fact in mind, go look at Stanford\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/facts.stanford.edu\/academics\/postdoctoral-scholars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">page<\/a> on the university\u2019s postdoctoral scholars, which proudly gives you this information: \u201cAbout 66 percent of postdocs are international.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Federalist sent a series of questions to Stanford University about the institution\u2019s use of J-1 and H-1B labor, but we have not received a response.<\/p>\n<p>All of these declining academic prospects for American scientists and engineers arrive in the context of federal grant dependency, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC5206685\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">much-discussed<\/a> \u201cperverse incentives\u201d of an academic climate in which junior faculty live or die on their ability to score money from the government. If you want to be a professor of science or engineering, you have to produce <em>cash<\/em> for your university. Cheap foreign labor arrives in that environment, not in the quest for pure knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>Watch carefully for rhetoric about the university as a great intellectual center for the pursuit of scientific understanding for its own sake, and the need to import foreign researchers simply because of the richness of the expert knowledge they bring to America. Academia is not too pure to respond to financial incentives.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>Taxpayer-funded Indiana University disclosed it\u2019s hiring ANOTHER foreigner on a H-1B visa as a software engineer. <\/p>\n<p>The same university has thousands of alumni with computer science degrees.<\/p>\n<p>As a state lawmaker, I am going to fight hard to end the H-1B scam in our own state\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mORtZLwjq1\">pic.twitter.com\/mORtZLwjq1<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Andrew Ireland (@AndrewIrelandIN) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AndrewIrelandIN\/status\/2107452532628861303?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 6, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<hr>\n<p>      Chris Bray is a senior correspondent at The Federalist and a former infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army. He has a history PhD from the University of California Los Angeles, not that it did him any good. He also posts on Substack, at &#8220;Tell Me How This Ends,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbray.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Count the H-1B visa origins and purpose carefully<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2086,"featured_media":2685797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/something-weird.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[87347,57072,32189,55779,87346],"class_list":["post-2685796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-academia-economics","tag-foreign-labor","tag-higher-education","tag-international-students","tag-university-funding"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/something-weird.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2685796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2685796"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2685796\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2685800,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2685796\/revisions\/2685800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2685797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2685796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2685796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2685796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}