Many employers giving up hope on H-1B program to hire top talent.
AB Wire
Despite the record 236,000 petitions received this year by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for the quota of 85,000 H-1B visas available, it was only a one percent increase from last year, compared to the previous year’s 35 percent jump, according to Visanow, a website, technology platform and administrative services company based in Delaware.
The change in percentage numbers is a reflection of US employers getting tired of the restrictive and cumbersome process to employ high-skilled foreign labor, said Visanow, in a press release.
According to a recent Visanow Immigration Trends 2016 survey, more than 40 percent of employers say sourcing foreign nationals is very/extremely important to their hiring strategy.
Dick Burke, president and chief executive officer of Visanow, said in a statement: “Legal immigration is a vital tool for U.S. businesses and plays a major role in helping our country remain competitive in a global economy. However, this year’s 1 percent increase in petitions the USCIS received, compared to last year’s 35 percent year-over-year increase, isn’t an indication of waning demand, but rather reflective of what we heard from certain companies — that many of them are giving up hope on the program after years of being turned away.
“In light of this, our customers increasingly speak of the need for sensible reform of the H-1B visa program. Such reform could include raising the cap, prioritizing companies that are hiring directly and penalizing those companies that are found to abuse the program. Additionally, the program could focus on geographic areas of economic need or particular industries of national importance, such as clean energy, health care and cybersecurity.
“Fortunately, there are still potential options for employers whose H-1B petitions are not selected, including the TN visa, E-3 visa, H-1B1 visa and L-1 visa, among others. Employers should evaluate with their immigration services provider alternative solutions, which may be appropriate for certain employee cases,” he added.