Putting my frustrations to one side, it seems clear to me that there are problems with the program, there are abuses of the program, and there are people like m

Putting my frustrations to one side, it seems clear to me that there are problems with the program, there are abuses of the program, and there are people like me caught in the middle of it all. However, some of the worst abuses, such as by Indian consulting companies that bring people over and then don't pay them while they are "on the bench" should be solved simply by enforcing the existing rules. Anytime you hear some consultant mention "the bench" there are these types of abuse going on. Both the Australian and Canadian processes look far more sane to me. The Canadian one also runs roughly along the lines you mention. I don't know whether Americans have been deterred from entering the field or not. However, I do know that in my particular subfield there is a distinct shortage of qualified people of any nationality.