I am a D.C. resident. I am also an Indian immigrant whose journey in the United States began 14 years ago as a freshman at Virginia Tech. I have participated in D.C.’s growth as a technology hub and watched the city establish itself as a mecca for foodies and the creative class. And though D.C. feels like home, it’s not. My temporary status here is not only hurting my future, it’s putting my company’s future in peril.
I am an account executive for Phone2Action, a D.C. tech startup. My company was founded by an immigrant, and we support hiring the best and brightest?—?no matter where they were born. Like my colleague, Jill, who was born in Vietnam.
In order to stay with Phone2Action, Jill recently applied for H-1B visa. Like me, Jill came to the United States to get a better education, but has adopted this country as a second home after nine years of living here. For the past year, she has worked for Phone2Action. Her future with our company is dependent on winning the H-1B lottery.
The U.S. government received a whopping 236,000 H-1B applications for 2017. These visas allow U.S. companies to employ like Jill in high-tech and specialty fields. But every year, only 85,000 win the lottery.
If you are among the lucky few who score a visa, you can work for up to six years for your sponsoring employer. Permanent residency, better known as a green card, is an entirely separate process that can take anywhere from three to 15 years depending on your country of birth.
Daily life in this lengthy limbo period is uncertain. There is little to no flexibility in switching jobs, there are complicated procedures to obtain simple things like a driver’s license and there is no way to start a business, no matter how great your idea.
There’s so much uncertainty in the H-1B process that I decided to continue my permanent residency petition through my husband’s application. I am currently authorized to work on an H4 visa, a regulatory change brought about the Obama administration that extended eligibility for employment authorization to certain spouses of certain H-1B nonimmigrants who have already started the process of seeking employment-based lawful permanent resident status.
Immigration is a loaded topic and the woes of a high-skilled immigrant are not as pressing as those of the millions of undocumented children of illegal immigrants or those who seek refuge here. With every passing year, you’re more invested in your life here, contributing to the workforce, paying taxes, buying property, becoming more involved in your community. But it all feels like it could disappear at any moment.
And while there’s always a looming uncertainty, I have learned to make my peace with it. It’s not that hard when you live and work at the forefront of growth, transformation, inclusion and acceptance.
Some startups are hesitant to sponsor high-skilled immigrants because the process is a long, arduous and uncertain one. But more organizations like Phone2Action, which was cofounded by an immigrant, are going the extra mile to employ talented individuals regardless of where they come from.
Our economy can’t afford to lose talented people, and the promise of innovative startups because of a broken immigration system. Legislation like the Immigration Innovation (I-Squared) Act and the Startup Act 3.0, co-sponsored by Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, would increase the number of available H-1B visas, create a market-based system for these visas, and includes upgrades to the current student visa program. These changes would help keep talented, foreign-born workers like me here in the United States, enabling us to fully contribute to our local economies.
I am often asked what the American Dream means to me. My answer over the last decade has evolved. But I remain convinced that the beauty of this country is that talent and effort are always rewarded.
I’m lucky that I’ve found a path forward that will let me stay here and innovate. I’m hopeful that Jill can continue to chart her own success here in the U.S. Our country was founded by those with dreams and innovative ideas.
