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From: daveb@reed.UUCP (David Billstrom)
Newsgroups: net.jobs
Subject: Employing non-U.S. citizens
Message-ID: <1394@reed.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 27-Apr-85 12:21:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: reed.1394
Posted: Sat Apr 27 12:21:56 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 28-Apr-85 23:44:22 EDT
Organization: Reed College, Portland, Oregon
Lines: 23

I just left a company where I hired a foreign citizen (Holland) and
brought him into the United States.  I found the process very time-
consuming (5 months from offer to arrival) and an education in dealing
with bureaucracy.  I too had to prove that he supplied expertise or
ability not available from a United States citizen.  This wasn't difficult,
since he had a couple of years experience working with
our source code, as an employee of one of our major customers --
Expert knowledge that less than say 30 people world-wide have.  Of
course, the INS doesn't know enough about software to question whether
another person (U.S.) could learn about the code in a finite time
(I'd guess 1 year).

Two things I experienced: The INS made numerous paperwork processing
mistakes, misinterpreting the statements on the applications, etc.  At
one point they refused it for the 3rd time, and sent it back  -- it was
someone elses' application!  I finally enlisted the help of a local
congressman, and things were resolved within a week.  

Secondly, even with the intervention of the congressman, they pushed
very hard on the question of permanent residence.  They definitely do
not want applications for permanent residence to come via the temporary
work Visa.  Fortunately, this man doesn't want to stay more than 2 years
(the maximum).