What is the best source of government data on the H1B program (e.g total visas per year, count by industry / job function, nationality of recipient counts)? Also, do you know of any original sources / documents which discuss the future of the program and how it will be assessed whether there is enough talent domestically in a given field of work. Thanks
I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA
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Re: I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA
#22What's the typical fully loaded cost for a company to bring someone in on an H1B or similar visa, in terms of attorney time and application fees and whatnot?
There is some range depending on the size of the U.S. workforce and whether the petition is filed with premium processing. A rough range for a company with less than 25 FTEs would be $4,000 to $5,500. For a company with at least 25 FTEs, add $750 and if the petition is filed with premium processing, add $2,500.
What is premium processing?
Re: I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA
#23Have any YC founders previously opted for 'citizenship based on investment programs' such as St. Kitts & Neves etc?
I haven't seen that with any YC founders but other clients of ours have opted for foreign citizenship investment programs and they seem to have worked well.
Re: I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA
#24What are you seeing in terms of impact of the Canadian Open Work Permit for U.S. H-1B Visa Holders? Has there been a large volume of talent moving to Canada from U.S. tech centers? Edit: It looks like the 10,000 person cap was already hit [1]. Do you think there is a huge demand beyond the 10k cap? [1] https://www.canadavisa.com/h1bowp.html
Might need to ask a Canadian immigration attorney. I’ve reached out to a few in the family and will report back if they have anything to say.
Edit: sorry. Got the “not that kind of lawyer” response. They do refugees.
Re: I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA
#25Tangentially related Q: in the USA there are “illegal” immigrants who have moved into the country. I worry about human rights abuses against these people. What are the methods available for these people to become citizens if they so wish?
Re: I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA
#26Given recent industry layoffs, is there less demand for H1B visas? Ie, is it a better time for applicants to get one through?
The H-1B lottery this year was riddled with fraud - so much so that USCIS will be conducting a second lottery soon - but it appears that there was no reduction in the numbers despite layoffs in certain industries.
Re: I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA
#27Is a J-1 more likely to be approved than an H-1B? What criteria need to be met to get a J-1 visa approved? I know people working ordinary jobs with these fyi.
Re: I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA
#28Given recent industry layoffs, is there less demand for H1B visas? Ie, is it a better time for applicants to get one through?
The H-1B lottery this year was riddled with fraud - so much so that USCIS will be conducting a second lottery soon - but it appears that there was no reduction in the numbers despite layoffs in certain industries.
Where is there opportunity for fraud in the H-1B system? Fake / Shell companies sponsoring workers?
Re: I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA
#29Are there cases where someone without any university degree has been able to obtain H1B visa? E.g. by having years of experience but no degree.
This was my path, so it's possible. I dropped out after year two of my degree to join a startup and worked for 10 years in industry.
I converted 8 years of that experience to 2 years of a bachelor's degree to make the full 4 required, and had a University professor provide a letter of endorsement.
I was applying from Europe, and even then it was apparently a fairly expensive process for my sponsor.
Re: I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA
#30Are you permitted to voice opinions here that may not endorse YC's stance?
There's no YC stance. I'll do my best to provide helpful, honest, and independent answers and advice.