getting a work visa

[Rogmok]

I have so many friends who are on their one year of practical training, looking for companies to sponsor their visa.

is this really hard to get? or do a lot of companies sponsor international people?

[Craig]

From most of the people I talk to, it seems to be easier to get a job in IT now if you are Asian and need H-1 sponsorship, versus those of us that are Asian and actually have citizenship. There are definitely companies (and managers) out there that will sponsor people that they think they will be obedient and they can hold them on a leash. Going in the front door, I have worked at several of these places before.

[kimpossible]

It's much harder now than it was a few years ago. Double whammy. 911 caused security issues and the crappy economy made it less likely that a company will spend the money required to sponsor a visa.

I've tried circumventing this only to find out it won't work. I was going to create a company and sponsor my cousin but the government requires that you show proof that the company makes enough money to cover the employee's salary in order to sponsor a work visa.

[golden_buns]

so true. After 911 and the dot com crash, getting a job as an international student seeking entry level positions became pretty much impossible.

[lethal]

I used to work in a law firm that specialized in corporate immigration. I was in the NIV side, so I spent all day doing H-1B Petitions.

I'll say this...the firm is really struggling now. The overall job market is bad. I'm not sure if it is worse for NIV workers or people with residency status, but not many companies are hiring new H-1Bs in general now. The costs associated with doing a petition is pretty high. My firm used to charge on the order of $3K in legal fees and there were about $2K in INS fees for each H-1B.

Plus, H-1Bs have to fit in certain specialized categories requiring a professional degree or specialized training. Basically, liberal arts majors are screwed.

HH, if you want to create a shell corporation, it isn't really "that" hard, but I can't advocate committing legal fraud. The penalties are potentially very harsh.

[golden_buns]

LW,
so now that the INS doesn't exist, has the legal procedures changed at all?
And what are some other ways to get the residency other than getting married to a citizen or making a huge business investment?

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by Hello_Hapa@Apr 18 2003, 11:14 AM
It's much harder now than it was a few years ago. Double whammy. 911 caused security issues and the crappy economy made it less likely that a company will spend the money required to sponsor a visa.

I've tried circumventing this only to find out it won't work. I was going to create a company and sponsor my cousin but the government requires that you show proof that the company makes enough money to cover the employee's salary in order to sponsor a work visa.
is there a minimum amount you have to pay the employee? to the best of my knowledge, minimum wage laws only apply to an employee if he is paid on an hourly basis. if he is salaried, you can pay him whatever amount you want. but i'm not 100% sure on that.

[kimpossible]

It's based on the work the employee would supposedly perform as far as I know. New businesses sponsoring visas most likely raise red flags for the IRS and INS. You'd have to have some serious numbers and paperwork to back it up due to audit potential. I support my cousin and all but it's not like she suffering in Japan.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by Hello_Hapa@Apr 18 2003, 02:20 PM
It's based on the work the employee would supposedly perform as far as I know. New businesses sponsoring visas most likely raise red flags for the IRS and INS. You'd have to have some serious numbers and paperwork to back it up due to audit potential. I support my cousin and all but it's not like she suffering in Japan.
and how old is she? is she hot?

[golden_buns]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Apr 18 2003, 01:46 PM
and how old is she?  is she hot?
:lol:
man!! if I was shorter and had boobs I'm sure you'd be giving me a hand on this.

[Craig]

Of course the economy is a problem, another issue is a lot of the firms that used to hire a ton of H1B people were consulting firms. Many hired foreigners because they could treat them worse and most of the seem to have been harder hit and are firing people once they hit the bench. Great revenue model, guaranteed profits.

[lethal]

Originally posted by golden_buns@Apr 18 2003, 02:49 PM
LW,
so now that the INS doesn't exist, has the legal procedures changed at all?
And what are some other ways to get the residency other than getting married to a citizen or making a huge business investment?
INS has split, but it still performs more or less the same functions. There is an enforcement side and a services side. The services side handles visa applications the same as before.

Residency can be obtained mainly through either employment or family preference.

You can PM me if you need info on this.

It can also be obtained if you have a lot of money to invest in a business that will employ something like a minimum of 20 people. There's also the diversity lottery. There's a categorty for outstanding researcher or distinguished achievements in a field.

There are a few ways, but mainly family based and employment based.