The precarity of the H-1B work visa
In the United States, thousands of skilled foreign workers with H-1B work visas contribute vital work to the economy. These visas are highly competitive: workers have to find an employer willing to sponsor their visa, and typically only about one in five applicants make it through the lottery to receive one. But H-1B visas also come with a key caveat: if a H-1B visa holder gets laid off, they have just 60 days to find a new job and a willing employer to sponsor their visa. If they can't, they have to leave the United States.
Today on the show, we talk to a H-1B visa holder who's been through this process twice — and we uncover some of the problems with the H-1B system along the way.
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