Lomcevak » H-1B

USCIS To Use Lottery To Grant H-1B Visas

Rick — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:19:49 +0000

Kelly Brewington, Baltimore Sun reporter:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.visas02may02,0,412835.story

Multiple H1-B Visa Petitions

Rick — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 13:55:20 +0000

Some accuse me of not having enough faith in my fellow man, but I think they’re wrong. I mean, it just never occurred to me that there would be multiple H-1B applications for the same worker! It figures. So the government’s stepping in.

Check this article, Employers Prohibited From Filing Multiple H-1B Visa Petitions For Same Worker, from Information Week.

Sort of related, my business has been receiving an increasing number of calls lately from firms interested in helping me with my “H-1B issues”. The callers invariably have heavy Indian accents. My toll-free number reports ANI, and sometimes I’ll reverse lookup the telephone numbers of the callers. It’s interesting how many come from high-density residential housing, according to Google Earth. Hmmm.

Anyway, as a rule, the offers are politely declined…

H-1B Visa Petition Race Right Around the Corner

Rick — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:21:05 +0000

Last year, less than a day had elapsed before the ‘limit’ was hit. What’s it gonna be this year? An hour? Part of an hour?

America is going to Hell in a handbasket, I tell you.

Go read this:

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/03/spring_is_in_th.html

Sidestepping the H-1B visa limits

Rick — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:40:56 +0000

The H-1B issues have been a hot-button thing for me for quite a while. Go read this piece in Info World.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/12/28/52FE-underreported-visas_1.html

Microsoft To Sidestep H-1B Visa Caps

Rick — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 13:33:50 +0000

Microsoft, it seems, frustrated with the results of its lobbying efforts, is sidestepping the H-1B visa caps. This fall it plans to open a software development center in nearby Vancouver, British Colombia. Assuming that they can secure employment authorization from Canada, Microsoft will staff the SDC with 200 programmers from China, India and other non-US markets. That’s “highly skilled people affected by immigration issues in the U.S.” according to a Microsoft statement. They may also open to IT workers from Canada even foreign workers whose US visa is expiring. 200 workers doesn’t sound like much, but there’s “room to grow,” according to Microsoft.

How long until others follow Microsoft’s lead?

All this hot on the heels of the Cohen & Grigsby video excerpts assembled by the Programmers’ Guild, as reported by Information Week and other outlets.

Cohen & Grigsby made a response, of course, but the cat was already out of the bag and, frankly, I think that their response was very weak indeed.