Immigration Law
Visa Squeeze Sparks Legal Creativity
A land rush on coveted visas permitting skilled foreigners to work in the U.S. legally is prompting alternative approaches by those who don’t win the lottery.
Some denied the so-called H-1Bs—three-year visas for skilled workers with college degrees—are going back to school or applying for other types of visas. But others, with the help of their employers, are setting up shop elsewhere, reports the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.).
Microsoft Corp., for instance, plans to open a new facility soon in British Columbia, only 133 miles from the computer giant’s Redmond, Wash., headquarters. The main reason why: Many of the 200 employees who will initially work there didn’t get H-1B visas this year, according to a company spokesman.
