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US technology companies have come under fire for their treatment of employees. From long hours to poor pay, the industry has a lot to answer for.
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The H-1B visa
Since the 1990s, the H-1B visa has been the most common way for US tech companies to hires foreigners. The visa is supposed to help American companies recruit highly-skilled workers from other countries when they can’t find enough qualified Americans to fill the role. But the program has come under fire in recent years, with some saying it’s being abused by companies who use it to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labor.
The H-1B visa process
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in occupations that require the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge, including but not limited to, computer science, engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences, biotechnology, medicine and health care, education, business specialties, accounting, finance, and many other high skills fields. If you are an H-1B visa holder, you may be able to bring your spouse and/or children with you on an H-4 visa.
To be eligible for an H-1B visa, you must hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in your field of specialty from an accredited US institution of higher learning or its foreign equivalent. You must also have at least three years of experience in your field of specialty. If you do not have a bachelor’s degree or higher in your field of specialization but you have at least 12 years of progressive experience in your field of expertise, you may be eligible for an exemption from the degree requirement.
If you are applying for an H-1B visa to work in a “specialty occupation” as defined by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), you must demonstrate that you meet one of the following criteria:
You hold a US bachelor’s or higher degree required by the specific specialty occupation;
You hold a foreign degree equivalent to a US bachelor’s or higher degree required by the specific specialty occupation;
You hold an unrestricted state license, registration or certification which authorizes you to fully practice the specialty occupation and be immediately engaged in that specialty in the state where the license, registration or certification was granted; or
You have been working lawfully in the united states for at least 3 years in a row immediately before filing your H-1B petition under another status and your job qualifies as a “specialty occupation” (for instance if your job requires technically qualified personnel as evidenced bydegrees from an accredited institution).
The H-1B visa quota
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. Tech companies have come to rely on it to hire workers in fields such as computer science and engineering.
The H-1B visa has an annual quota of 85,000 visas, with 20,000 additional visas set aside for workers with a master’s or higher degree from a US institution of higher education.
The quota has not been increased since it was established in 1990, even though the demand for tech workers has exploded. As a result, the H-1B visa has become increasingly difficult to obtain.
In recent years, the quota has been met within days of the applications being accepted. This has led to a lottery system being used to select which applications will be processed.
This system disproportionately benefits larger companies, who can afford to submit more applications and have a greater chance of their applications being selected. It also disadvantages highly skilled workers, who are more likely to be rejected due to the lottery system.
The H-1B visa quota is one of the many ways that US tech is failing its employees. The lack of available visas means that many highly skilled workers are unable to work in the US, even if they have an offer from a US company.
This puts American companies at a disadvantage in the global market for talent and makes it harder for them to compete with their international counterparts. It also creates an unpredictable situation for businesses that rely on H-1B visa holders, who may not be able to renew their visas or may be forced to leave the country at short notice if their application is not selected in the lottery.
The L-1 visa
The L-1 visa is a visa that allows companies to transfer workers from their foreign offices to their US offices. The visas are good for up to seven years, and there is no limit on how many L-1 visas a company can have.
The L-1 visa process
The L-1 visa is a visa that allows US companies to transfer employees from foreign offices to their US offices. The L-1 visa is valid for up to 7 years and can be renewed for up to 3 years at a time.
There are two types of L-1 visas: the L-1A visa and the L-1B visa. The L-1A visa is for executives and managers, while the L-1B visa is for workers with specialized knowledge.
To apply for an L-1 visa, the US company must first file an application with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The application must include evidence that the foreign employee has been employed by the company for at least one year out of the past three years, and that they will be employed in a managerial or executive position in the US.
After the USCIS approves the application, the foreign employee can then apply for an L-1 visa at a US consulate or embassy. The employee will need to submit evidence of their employment, as well as evidence that they meet the requirements for an L-1 visa.
Once the visa is approved, the foreign employee can enter the US and begin working for the US company.
The L-1 visa quota
The L-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows foreign nationals who are employed by an international company with operations in both the United States and abroad to temporarily transfer to the United States in order to continue working for the same employer. In order to qualify for an L-1 visa, the foreign national must have been employed by the international company for at least one year within the three years preceding their application.
The L-1 visa has a yearly quota of 85,000 visas, which includes both new visas and renewals. This quota was put in place in 2004 in order to prevent abuse of the L-1 visa program. The yearly quota is divided into two tranches:
• The first tranche, which is known as the “maintenance of status” tranche, is reserved for individuals who are currently in the United States on an L-1 visa and are seeking to extend their stay. This tranche includes 40,000 visas.
• The second tranche, known as the “change of status” tranche, is reserved for individuals who are applying for an L-1 visa from outside of the United States. This tranche includes 45,000 visas.
The OPT visa
The OPT visa is a visa that allows international students to work in the US for up to three years after graduation. However, many US tech companies are failing their employees by not providing them with the proper working conditions pay, and benefits. This is causing many employees to leave the US and return to their home countries.
The OPT visa process
The OPT visa is a United States work visa that allows foreign students to stay in the country and work after graduation for up to one year. The OPT visa program was created in 2008, and since then, it has been expanded twice. In 2016, the OPT program was extended from 12 months to 36 months for eligible STEM students.
The OPT visa process can be complicated, and it often takes months for students to receive their visas. The first step is to apply for an employer-sponsored H-1B visa. If the H-1B visa is not available, the student can apply for an OPT visa.
Once the student has been approved for an OPT visa, they can begin working in the United States for up to one year. After the one-year period is up, the student must either apply for another work visa or return to their home country.
There are a few things to keep in mind when applying for an OPT visa:
– Students must have a job offer from a US employer before they can apply for an OPT visa.
– The employer must be willing to sponsor the student’s OPT application.
– The student must have graduated from a US college or university with a degree in a science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) field.
– The student must have maintained their status as a full-time student throughout their studies in order to be eligible for an OPT visa.
The OPT visa quota
The OPT visa quota is the maximum number of visas that can be issued in a fiscal year. For FY2019, the quota is 85,000. This includes both new and renewal visas.
The J-1 visa
The J-1 visa is a work visa that allows foreigners to work in the United States for a set period of time. J-1 visa holders are typically young people from other countries who come to the United States to work in the tech industry However, many of these workers are mistreated and taken advantage of by their employers.
The J-1 visa process
The J-1 visa process is long, complicated, and often unfair to employees. It can take months to complete, and is often used as a way to force immigrants to leave the country.
The J-1 visa was created to allow foreign students and scholars to come to the United States on a temporary basis. However, the process has become increasingly difficult and bureaucratic, making it hard for many people to come here even temporarily.
The main problem with the J-1 visa process is that it is very long and complicated. It can take months to complete, and is often used as a way to force immigrants to leave the country. The J-1 visa process is also unfair to employees, as it can be used as a way to get rid of them if they don’t meet certain standards.
The J-1 visa quota
The J-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa issued by the United States to research scholars, professors and exchange visitors participating in programs that promote cultural exchange, especially to obtain medical or business training within the U.S. All J-1 visa holders are required to return to their home countries for a period of two years after their program in the U.S. has finished.
In order to obtain a J-1 visa, an applicant must first be accepted into a program by a sponsoring institution such as a university, hospital or company. Once the program has been approved by the U.S. Department of State, the applicant can then apply for the J-1 visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad.
There is an annual quota of 30,000 J-1 visas that are allocated between the different categories of exchange visitors. For example, in 2017 there were 5,600 visas available for medical residents and interns, 4,700 for au pairs and 1,400 for camp counselors. The State Department allocates the visas among the different categories based on demand from U.S. sponsors and feedback from past participants in each category
