If a Reading employer had an open position on his or her team, how long do you think he or she would wait to fill it? Business priorities are likely to force someone to fill an open position after a few months and employers can’t wait too long for the perfect candidate to join the team. Unfortunately, when a company wants to hire an immigrant, it can sometimes take much longer to get a non-U.S. citizen with specialized talent into a role.
Though the story of a 25-year-old who is now employed at a social polling company is not your typical employment-based immigration story, his employer’s long wait is. The young man’s boss knew that she wanted him for a tech role, but he didn’t have a legal work permit after coming to the United States at the age of six outside of the legal immigration system. Fortunately, he was able to qualify for a work permit through President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but his boss had to keep the position open for 15 months until he could finally start working.
Now, think about a wait like that for anyone in Pennsylvania who wants to hire a non-U.S. citizen. Businesses must prove that the individuals they want to hire have skills that aren’t available in the U.S. Moreover, they have to get a labor certification through the federal government. Then come visa applications and a long wait.
Companies that attempt to bring over employment-based immigrants on their own may make mistakes, causing an even longer wait. Using an immigration lawyer, however, can streamline the process and make getting an immigrant employee to Pennsylvania easier.
Source: New York Daily News, “Undocumented New York techies to take part in 24 hour hackathon with Mark Zuckerberg to promote immigration reform,” Erica Pearson, Nov. 13, 2013