I've been watching developments in the H1B area for the last few months. I have a very vested interest, as I am one of the 150,000 applicants with an application at USCIS. I wanted to share some of my story to show how this potentially affects us and others.
My wife and I both came to the US from New Zealand in 2005 on independent work visas. My wife has a PhD in Neuroscience and works as a post doctoral researcher at Columbia University. Her work involves research towards finding a cure for Parkinson's disease and other neuro-degenerative disorders. I have masters of engineering degree in artificial intelligence and work as the senior software architect for a $500M/yr global corporation that manufactures GPS navigation systems for cars. I have been in this company for seven years both in the US and New Zealand and built much of the global technology team that exists today. I have personally employed people from all over the world, including the US. Diversity in our team is a great strength.
Together my wife and I earn about $160,000 per year which is more then the prevailing wage in our respective jobs. Last year in 2006 we moved the majority of our capital to the US and purchased an apartment in New York. As you may know apartment prices in New York are not insignificant.
I am presently on an L1B specialist knowledge visa, and my wife is on an H1B. Why separate visas? Because this provides some robustness; if something should go wrong we can be together in the US with at least one of us working. I say "at least one" because the fact that you are married does not necessarily mean you can work in the US because your husband or wife is working. Whether you can depends on the subtleties of the different visa categories.
All is not well however; the company that I work for (and effectively started) is being sold, and because I am here on L1B that affects my visa status. In the sale the assets of the company are being transferred and the purchasing company is assuming the immigration liabilities of my current employer. So hopefully since this is happening globally the visa can be simply amended with the name of the purchasing company. However, this is not guaranteed, and to give me a range of future options, the purchasing company is also applying for an H1B visa at the same time. Like the L1B there is no guarantee that this will be approved, especially since this category was oversubscribed on the first day applications for the 2008 fiscal year were received. The entire process is costing around $10,000 with no guarantee of success. It is a very stressful time for people like me where my future path depends on what happens with all the paperwork.
Both my wife and I are highly educated, highly skilled, individuals of considerable means from a first world country. We are here because both ore very specialist careers depend on access to markets or facilities of a very particular type; a type that does not necessarily exist where we come from owing to differences in population size. We are also here because living and working in a slightly different culture affords us a different perspective on the world and enriches our cultural experience. So far I have to say it has been a great experience by and large.
I'd just like to remind readers not to tar all immigrants with the same brush. There is a difference between legal and illegal immigration, there is a difference between skilled and unskilled workers, and there are many reasons why people come to the US. We will play by the rules although the processes and systems in place do not necessarily make this pleasant or easy. We believe that a system based on individual merit rather than generalization would be fair and reasonable. We hope that our contribution to US society is valued and that we can continue to make it.
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I've been watching developments in the H1B area for the last few months. I have a very vested interest, as I am one of the 150,000 applicants with an application at USCIS. I wanted to share some of my story to show how this potentially affects us and others.
My wife and I both came to the US from New Zealand in 2005 on independent work visas. My wife has a PhD in Neuroscience and works as a post doctoral researcher at Columbia University. Her work involves research towards finding a cure for Parkinson's disease and other neuro-degenerative disorders. I have masters of engineering degree in artificial intelligence and work as the senior software architect for a $500M/yr global corporation that manufactures GPS navigation systems for cars. I have been in this company for seven years both in the US and New Zealand and built much of the global technology team that exists today. I have personally employed people from all over the world, including the US. Diversity in our team is a great strength.
Together my wife and I earn about $160,000 per year which is more then the prevailing wage in our respective jobs. Last year in 2006 we moved the majority of our capital to the US and purchased an apartment in New York. As you may know apartment prices in New York are not insignificant.
I am presently on an L1B specialist knowledge visa, and my wife is on an H1B. Why separate visas? Because this provides some robustness; if something should go wrong we can be together in the US with at least one of us working. I say "at least one" because the fact that you are married does not necessarily mean you can work in the US because your husband or wife is working. Whether you can depends on the subtleties of the different visa categories.
All is not well however; the company that I work for (and effectively started) is being sold, and because I am here on L1B that affects my visa status. In the sale the assets of the company are being transferred and the purchasing company is assuming the immigration liabilities of my current employer. So hopefully since this is happening globally the visa can be simply amended with the name of the purchasing company. However, this is not guaranteed, and to give me a range of future options, the purchasing company is also applying for an H1B visa at the same time. Like the L1B there is no guarantee that this will be approved, especially since this category was oversubscribed on the first day applications for the 2008 fiscal year were received. The entire process is costing around $10,000 with no guarantee of success. It is a very stressful time for people like me where my future path depends on what happens with all the paperwork.
Both my wife and I are highly educated, highly skilled, individuals of considerable means from a first world country. We are here because both ore very specialist careers depend on access to markets or facilities of a very particular type; a type that does not necessarily exist where we come from owing to differences in population size. We are also here because living and working in a slightly different culture affords us a different perspective on the world and enriches our cultural experience. So far I have to say it has been a great experience by and large.
I'd just like to remind readers not to tar all immigrants with the same brush. There is a difference between legal and illegal immigration, there is a difference between skilled and unskilled workers, and there are many reasons why people come to the US. We will play by the rules although the processes and systems in place do not necessarily make this pleasant or easy. We believe that a system based on individual merit rather than generalization would be fair and reasonable. We hope that our contribution to US society is valued and that we can continue to make it.