Due to difficulties with student and work visas, immigrants leave the United States for Canada

Since President Donald Trump opposes illegal immigration, his administration has taken measures to restrict the possibility of legal work in the United States to foreign nationals who have recently graduated from colleges and already have professional experience.

Фото: Depositphotos

As a result, many students and skilled immigrants move to Canada, where, according to immigration lawyers, it is much easier to stay and work and live, writes CNBC.

Getting a U.S. student visa has become a "nightmare," according to Shah Piralli, president and attorney at the San Francisco-based law group. Piralli focuses on labor immigration issues for students and recent graduates.

"Increasingly, clients are asking if they'll be lucky in Canada," says Sarah Pitney, a Washington, D.C., lawyer who handles immigration cases of all types. She said there are an increasing number of requests for referrals to Canadian immigration lawyers.

Piralli noted another reason Canada is so attractive to students: “Canada has express entry. Within a few weeks they receive not only a work permit, but also a residence permit.”

Henry Chang, a Canadian immigration lawyer in Toronto, says many of the problems stem from Trump's "Buy American, Hire American" policy. According to him, this makes it difficult for students and foreign employees to work.

For the second year in a row, the number of applications from international students to US institutions has declined. According to experts, there is growing concern about the “negative impact of the policy on the image of the United States as a welcoming place for international students and scholars.”

Most international students come from China and India, but the number of applications submitted by students from India fell by 12%. China's performance remained relatively stable. Applications from graduate students from the Middle East and North Africa fell by 14% in fall 2017 and 2018. Over the past two years, graduate school applications from Iran have fallen by 27%, and by 28% among graduate students from sub-Saharan Africa. Saudi Arabian student enrollment fell by 21%.

Of the three different visas for which international students can apply in the USA, F-1 visa most popular. This is one of two visas that allow students to work while studying, and this visa also allows you to work in the United States after studying. A policy memorandum issued in July 2018, however, gave U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, and judges "full discretion to deny applications, petitions or requests" without requesting additional information. Therefore, a change of status is possible without warning.

Now minor violations in the issuance of visas, which could be caused by officials filling out forms incorrectly, can result in the loss of immigration status. Once an applicant loses their status, they must leave within 180 days or they will not be allowed to return to the United States for at least three years. The catch is that USCIS no longer has to inform people that they are no longer allowed to live or work in the US - and many people simply don't realize it.

Visas H-1B sponsored by the employer. Every year, the US government considers 85 000 cases of obtaining a H-1B work visa (not all will be approved). Of these, 20 000 are allocated only to employees with a master's degree, while the remaining 65 000 are intended for those who have a bachelor's or master's degree.

However, the problems associated with filling out visa forms are growing. Companies are unlikely to want to wait weeks, months, or even years until the immigration status of their prospective employee is determined.

“Filing for an H-1B is not that difficult, but almost every H-1B application has received requests for additional materials,” Pitney said. “68% of H-1B applications are put on hold for supplements and sometimes to federal court.”

In August, CEOs from multiple companies, including Apple, JP Morgan Chase and Pepsi, wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, arguing that Trump's immigration policies were "deeply troubling" for thousands of employees and were creating "unnecessary costs" and complications for American business:

“Vacancies are at historic highs due to labor shortages, and now is not the time to limit access to talent.”

The Trump administration claims its tough approach only applies to illegal immigration, but new restrictions for legal immigrants say otherwise. Therefore, foreign students, talents, scientists and simply qualified professionals leave the United States to try their luck in Canada and other countries.

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