Great article from The Economist about the benefits of high skilled migration and how many countries fail to take advantage of it. A choice quote:
> Delays deter not only jobseekers but also potential employers, notes Mr Hernandez. Suppose a firm in America has a crucial vacancy that needs filling right now, and has found the perfect candidate. Alas, she is foreign, so she needs an h-1b visa (for highly skilled workers). The firm must apply to the Department of Labour, showing it has tried to find an American citizen and will not undercut local wages. If the Labour Department approves, the firm must then apply to the immigration authorities, which will sit on the application until the following April, when they hold a lottery. At this stage three-quarters of applications—all for professionals with firm job offers, on average pay of $130,000 a year—are rejected. If the firm is unlucky, which it will not know until May, it has paid an immigration lawyer serious cash for no result.
> If the company wins the lottery, it must wait until the following October to fill the post. Even then, the visa is valid for only three years, and renewing it is complicated. “[G]iven the choice between a prostate exam and sponsoring a work visa, hiring managers will probably choose the former,” suggests Mr Hernandez. An analysis by the Washington Post found that it would be easier for a skilled worker to get a work permit by crossing the border illegally and claiming asylum.
dddd0 on
I wouldn’t call myself “best and brightest” by any stretch of the imagination, but I do have often wondered how exactly relatively many of those which are, did manage to emigrate to the US, considering the bigly hurdles in and randomness of the entire process.
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Great article from The Economist about the benefits of high skilled migration and how many countries fail to take advantage of it. A choice quote:
> Delays deter not only jobseekers but also potential employers, notes Mr Hernandez. Suppose a firm in America has a crucial vacancy that needs filling right now, and has found the perfect candidate. Alas, she is foreign, so she needs an h-1b visa (for highly skilled workers). The firm must apply to the Department of Labour, showing it has tried to find an American citizen and will not undercut local wages. If the Labour Department approves, the firm must then apply to the immigration authorities, which will sit on the application until the following April, when they hold a lottery. At this stage three-quarters of applications—all for professionals with firm job offers, on average pay of $130,000 a year—are rejected. If the firm is unlucky, which it will not know until May, it has paid an immigration lawyer serious cash for no result.
> If the company wins the lottery, it must wait until the following October to fill the post. Even then, the visa is valid for only three years, and renewing it is complicated. “[G]iven the choice between a prostate exam and sponsoring a work visa, hiring managers will probably choose the former,” suggests Mr Hernandez. An analysis by the Washington Post found that it would be easier for a skilled worker to get a work permit by crossing the border illegally and claiming asylum.
I wouldn’t call myself “best and brightest” by any stretch of the imagination, but I do have often wondered how exactly relatively many of those which are, did manage to emigrate to the US, considering the bigly hurdles in and randomness of the entire process.