Despite stricter immigration policies in the last couple of years, major tech companies have continued to hire foreign tech workers. Demand for international workers remained high, and 80 percent of employers surveyed expected their headcount of foreign workers to either stay the same, or increase, even as employment based visa become more difficult to come by.
California residents may know that H-1B visas are high-skilled work visas. American companies who claim they are in need of specialized labor that is not available in the country back those who receive this category of visa. Generally, this includes a lot of tech workers. American companies state that they hiring international labor because of a lack of pertinent science education in the country-the number of STEM job openings is more than the number of unemployed STEM workers, according to research.
Immigration data shows that America is issuing fewer visas of this category than in previous years. Changes in the law have also made the process of sourcing tech workers more difficult, increasing the cost of hiring them even more. Additional paperwork has been required for a majority of cases, which is twice the number it was required of two years ago.
While companies complain that immigration laws should not have changed so suddenly, it is important for those stuck with temporary work visas to understand how more about their legal status and how they can continue to work in the U.S. without putting their livelihood at risk. For more on employment based visas, it might be helpful to speak to an experienced attorney.
