H-1B visa is in more demand this year than last – in fact, demand is nearly double what it was in 2016. It is not an immigrant visa, although it does allow for foreigners to work legally in the US for at least two years.
Republican Senators Orrin Hatch and Jeff Flake introduced legislation that aims to increase the annual quota of H-1B visas to around 100,000. It also lifts the cap on the 20,000 visas going to recent graduates of U.S. schools - if the employer agrees to sponsor the applicant for a green card. The bill would also provide a special visa to work for spouses of H-1B holders.
However, it is one of the most controversial immigration topics. The visa program has been widely criticized by US technology workers who have been replaced by foreign workers - or feel their salaries have affected.
According to a survey by Chicago-based Envoy Global (an immigration services firm) on 401 HR professionals and hiring managers, it was found that demand for foreign workers remains high despite stricter federal immigration policies.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they would be hiring more foreign employees at their U.S. offices - up from 50% in 2017 and 34% in 2016.
Richard Burke, CEO of Envoy, stated:
"The survey respondents tell us they need higher skilled immigrants and think Washington should increase the cap for the H-1B."
He added:
"The U.S. issues 85,000 new H-1B visas annually, including 20,000 that go to foreign nationals graduating from Masters or Ph.D. programs in the U.S. A similar number of H-1B visas get renewed each year. We asked if human resources executives would prefer a merit-based immigration system and 77% of them said yes.”
The competition is especially fierce for those who possess high-level skills in technology and Richard Burke said:
"There is a continuing imbalance between supply and demand for talent. The jobless rate is very low by historic standards, and even lower if focused on college-educated workers. But companies are hiring. Employers are bullish about the economy. And driven by the lack of U.S. universities graduating people with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degrees, they look overseas."
Because the demand is so high, employers are offering attractive perks to prospective employees including immigration-related perks. Some 92 percent are offering dependent support - primarily in green card application processing, cultural assimilation and language instruction.
Relocation expenses are being offered by 41% and 39% offer housing costs, with 71% saying they will pay for temporary housing and 32% for mortgage-related benefits.
Seventy-two percent of the 30% offering travel expenses also offer free airfare for the foreign nationals to visit their home countries and 59% also include immediate family members.
Transportation costs/rental cars/company cars and cars for an employee’s spouse are also some of the perks on offer, as are local orientation services and home and school searches.
The ultimate perk for talent from abroad is the chance to attain permanent residency in the United States. Employers are offering green card sponsorship sooner and more often.
Richard Burke said:
"We believe green card sponsorships are going up because of the uncertainty around the H-1B program and other temporary work visas."
Ann Cun - founder and managing attorney of Accel Visa Attorneys, an immigration law firm in San Leandro, California stated:
"I have seen that trend increase in the past five to 10 years. We have an increasingly mobile and global workforce. And if you move individuals around the world, you have to offer incentives in order to entice them to take on life-altering decisions that don't just impact the worker but their entire family."
She added:
"Companies willing to take the additional steps to adopt a formal, proactive program to help promote employees in a way that builds their professional dossier so that they can qualify for a shorter, more expedited priority classification will boost the value the worker feels within the company, strengthen loyalty and increase retention."
