I was grabbing a drink yesterday with one of my firm's immigration lawyers, and she told me that due to the Trump administration's changes in policy, it is becoming more difficult for corporations to get foreigners into our country on H-1B visas.
Anyone who is paid the least attention to this issue, and who knows how the system works, knows that corporations have been inappropriately using H-1B visas for years. While the corporations state in their visa applications that they need to sponsor a foreigner at their workplace because they cannot find an American citizen capable of doing the job, everyone knows this is just a ruse. Corporations have been using these visas to bring in foreign workers, many from the Middle East, most from India, particularly in the IT field, to work for them because they will work for about 2/3 of what an American citizen will want. It has driven down the wages of American workers and it has made it difficult for younger workers, particularly college graduates, to get jobs. I have one client that manufactures aircraft related equipment that has a technical staff comprised of approximately 40% foreigners, most from India. Most of these people have skills no different from what any other American trained or educated employee would have. However, under the Obama administration (and Bush as well), corporations would submit their H-1B visa applications simply stating that they couldn't find a suitable citizen for employment and the immigration officials just rubberstamp the applications (at about an 80% rate) and let them in.
The immigration attorney I was talking to told me that now, these applications are being kicked back and employers are being challenged to provide true evidence that they have actually attempted to hire American citizens and have been unsuccessful. This is good to hear.
Anyone who is paid the least attention to this issue, and who knows how the system works, knows that corporations have been inappropriately using H-1B visas for years. While the corporations state in their visa applications that they need to sponsor a foreigner at their workplace because they cannot find an American citizen capable of doing the job, everyone knows this is just a ruse. Corporations have been using these visas to bring in foreign workers, many from the Middle East, most from India, particularly in the IT field, to work for them because they will work for about 2/3 of what an American citizen will want. It has driven down the wages of American workers and it has made it difficult for younger workers, particularly college graduates, to get jobs. I have one client that manufactures aircraft related equipment that has a technical staff comprised of approximately 40% foreigners, most from India. Most of these people have skills no different from what any other American trained or educated employee would have. However, under the Obama administration (and Bush as well), corporations would submit their H-1B visa applications simply stating that they couldn't find a suitable citizen for employment and the immigration officials just rubberstamp the applications (at about an 80% rate) and let them in.
The immigration attorney I was talking to told me that now, these applications are being kicked back and employers are being challenged to provide true evidence that they have actually attempted to hire American citizens and have been unsuccessful. This is good to hear.
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