Corporations are trying, and now failing, to hide job openings from US citizens
Should Americans be prohibited from sharing open job opportunities with each other? The food-delivery platform Instacart seems to think so.
Step back in time for a moment to former President George H.W. Bush, who signed the Immigration Act of 1990 — a bill championed by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). He promised that it would “dramatically” increase the number of immigrants to America and encourage migration by “exceptionally talented people.”
Several new visa categories were created with that aim in mind, including the H-1B for foreign nationals working in “specialty occupations.” Companies such as Instacart can sponsor employees on H-1B visas to reside in the U.S. for up to six years. They can also sponsor them for permanent residence. (In fact, companies must sponsor their employees if they want to keep them around for more than six years.)
However, in order for applications for permanent residency to be successful, companies must certify their inability to find a suitable American candidate to take the position they’re looking to fill with a foreign national. Unsurprisingly, that means some companies have been incentivized to hide job openings from U.S. citizen and resident applicants.
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