Foreign workers hired as banks failed

"Major U.S. banks sought government permission to bring thousands of foreign workers into the country for high-paying jobs even as the system was melting down last year and Americans were getting laid off, according to an Associated Press review of visa applications." Frank Bass and Rita Beamish of the Associated Press reported that visa applications submitted by banks increased by nearly a third in 2008 as the economic crisis worsened. The average salary for positions filled by foreign employees was $90,721.