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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Andres Pico, a software engineer from Ecuador, navigated the US education system to land a job at Microsoft.</li><li>Pico faced challenges adapting to US standardized tests and sought scholarships to fund his education.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Andres Pico, a 29-year-old software engineer in Seattle. The following has been edited for length and clarity.I grew up in a small beach town called Manta in Ecuador with my dad, mom, and two sisters. My dad always taught me that there was nothing I couldn't do.I became interested in computers and technology because of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/playstation-plus">PlayStation</a>. Sometimes, I couldn't finish a game because the dialogue and options were in English, so I became very motivated to learn computers and English.<h2 id="aea16f41-f4aa-4e6e-926f-62684543751d">After graduating from high school, I decided I wanted to pursue my education in the US</h2>To apply to a university in the US, you must pass either the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/do-colleges-require-standardized-testing-sat-admissions-what-it-means-2024-3">SAT or ACT</a>. I bought an ACT book and prepared for many months to ensure I could get a good score.I knew I couldn't attend college in the US without a scholarship, so I began investigating scholarships and programs. I found the University of South Florida in Tampa offered a scholarship for students from Latin American countries that would get me a student visa.I was awarded the scholarship, which allowed me to receive a stipend of $1,000 a year to cover textbooks and resident status for tuition purposes.<h2 id="1ea4606f-8ed1-484d-bf1a-b39e05b12a66">I began a bachelor's degree in computer engineering in 2012</h2><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-and-uk-life-biggest-differences-after-moving-home-space-2024-7">Coming to the US</a> at 17 was very challenging. It was my first time leaving home, and there was a lot I didn't understand about the US. I had no close friends or family here for support or guidance.It was also very exciting, as it was an opportunity to push myself. It took some time to get used to classes in English. I studied hard from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day.<h2 id="d640f046-61e6-4e77-9c39-669f1b3f751d">In my second semester, I found the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers</h2>The SHPE is a national organization that empowers Hispanics and offers mentorship programs in STEM. Classmates told me they offered free pizza. I'm really glad I was feeling hungry that day.They were welcoming and taught me the basics of the school system, how to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-this-is-an-excellent-resume-2013-11">create a résumé</a>, conduct interviews, and apply to grad school. It was a blessing to find them — suddenly, I had a community of people who wanted to help me succeed.<h2 id="e2632ea8-177e-49a0-b62a-e961cc3cb10a">A fellow student advised me to get as many internships as possible</h2>That was the best advice I received for navigating the US system. If I had just focused on the school material and not gained practical experience, I'm not sure I would've been able to find a job after graduating.I had multiple internships as a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recruiter-how-filter-applications-software-engineering-job-post-atl-interview-2024-5">software engineer</a> with local companies in data centers and startups via student work permits. These internships allowed me to gain experience and earn some money.I was extremely fortunate to count on my dad's support to cover any difference between my earnings and expenses.<h2 id="f9d3935c-b09d-48b2-9bb8-dfcaa291a51f">I went on to pursue a master's degree in computer science at Virginia Tech</h2>I sought universities with good computer science programs and scholarships or assistantships. Virginia Tech had an amazing program and great tenured professors, and it offered me an opportunity as a TA, so the decision was obvious.My teaching assistantship paid for all my tuition and also paid me around $20,000 each semester.<h2 id="c9fdec8c-c770-4f06-a7af-8a6bb5f26c51">I started applying for jobs in 2017</h2>I must've applied for over 100 of them. When you apply, employers ask you if they'll need to sponsor you at some point in the future, as not every employer can cover the financial costs associated with the process when the time comes.I received four offers from Microsoft, Verizon, Deutsche Bank, and Disney. Microsoft had the best offer and was willing to sponsor my visa.<h2 id="a93721cf-c9e0-46f2-bd96-3071c98b4800">I started as a software engineer with Microsoft in 2018</h2>When I started my job at Microsoft in Seattle, I could work thanks to a student work permit that lasts one year after graduation and is granted to all F-1 visa students. While working on the student permit, your employer helps you apply for an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/h1b-visa-lottery-changes-benefit-startups-hiring-immigrants-2024-2">H-1B</a> visa.I applied for a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/big-tech-green-card-applications-pause-2024-5">green card</a> after working on my H-1B visa for a year. By this point, I had lived in the US for about six years and created a whole life here, but the green card process was very painful.<h2 id="a2b4001a-c572-41e4-89cb-053b4e3c883a">The process makes life pretty horrible</h2>Having a work visa and going through the green card process are privileges, but it is very hard to separate the emotional component.There's no guarantee that you'll get to stay. If something goes wrong at any given time, you have to be ready to pack your bags and leave everything behind. I know some people who tried to get it three times and ran out of chances and had to return home.The first few years working were also difficult because I wasn't around anyone who looked like me. I wanted to grow and challenge myself, but at the same time, it made me wonder if I belonged, and doubt and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/managing-imposter-syndrome-when-you-are-the-boss-2021-10">imposter syndrome</a> crept in.Luckily, Microsoft paid for the attorneys in the green card process, and no cost came out of my pocket.<h2 id="1eb526a5-91be-4063-bec1-58a529e97297">I had to constantly review what they were putting on the application forms</h2>My key takeaway is that, even if you're working with lawyers, you still have to assume complete ownership of the application process and remember the lawyers supporting you, being human, can make mistakes.I was audited because some of the information that had been submitted was incorrect. It took me six to eight months to provide supplemental information and pass the audit.In 2022, I finally received my green card after three years.<h2 id="bd375841-9305-458d-bfb3-92ac255d1675">Last year, I decided to move into product management and took a new job at Starbucks</h2>In software engineering, you work on problems created by engineers for engineers. I wanted to learn how to build products that our customers actually love, so I ended up becoming a technical product manager.I love the US, I love the city I live in, and I love its people. I try to make it a better place by providing value through my career and volunteering in my local community.I even recently <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennial-couple-left-nyc-bought-vermont-house-slow-life-2024-9">bought a house</a> here — I don't have plans to move anywhere else.Want to share your story? Email Lauryn Haas at lhaas@businessinsider.com.

I got my green card after working at Microsoft on an H-1B visa. The process was very painful, but I love the US and don't plan to leave.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The H-1B visa program is undergoing changes.</li><li>Under the new process, all individuals have the same chance of being selected in the lottery.</li></ul>A new reform to the US H-1B visa program aims to ring out some of the uncertainty for migrant workers and employers.The US Citizenship and Immigration Services recently <a target="_blank" href="https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/uscis-announces-strengthened-integrity-measures-for-h-1b-program">said</a> it finalized measures to make sure each applicant has the same chance of being selected for the H1-B visa program, the nation's largest temporary work visa program with over 600,000 workers across 50,000 employers.Each year, tens of thousands of foreign nationals wind up at venture-backed companies through the employment-based visa program. Tech companies like Stripe, Plaid, and X, formerly known as Twitter,<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-startups-sponsor-h1b-work-visas-2024-1"> use the H-1B visa to fill labor shortages</a> for jobs that require a college degree, by providing work authorization for migrant workers in fields like engineering, business admin, and mathematics.However, obtaining an H-1B visa remains challenging due to high demand. The program gets more interest than it can meet — with the number of yearly visas <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/us-reaches-h-1b-cap-for-fiscal-year-2024/articleshow/106011187.cms">capped at 85,000</a> — so the government uses a lottery process to decide who comes in.The lottery has had a loophole that some have abused in past years to try to game the system. Nothing in the law had prohibited an individual from having multiple entries in the lottery if they can secure multiple job offers, said Jason Finkelman, an Austin<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/immigration-attorneys-lawyers-helping-startups-founders-entrepreneurs-secure-work-visas-2021-8"> immigration lawyer</a> who specializes in work visas. In theory, having more registrations in the lottery gave migrant workers more chances to win a coveted visa.Last year, the number of registrations filed on behalf of foreign nationals jumped to 780,000, a 61% increase over the previous year.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models/h-1b-electronic-registration-process"> Data shows</a> much of the increase was due to a record-breaking number of employers submitting multiple H-1B registrations for the same person. They might have set up unique corporate structures or banded with other companies to try and get around the rules."This led to many individuals being entered into the lottery multiple times, through different companies, and ultimately decreasing the odds of being selected in the lottery," Finkelman said.The new regulations aim to curtail this sort of behavior. Registrations will now be selected from a pool of unique individuals rather than the total number of entries. A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hardest-software-engineering-interviews-ranked-2023-12">software engineer</a> in Hyderabad with one job offer has the same odds of being selected as the researcher in Beijing with a binder full of offers. USCIS said the new process takes effect in the lottery in April.These changes are good news for startups and small businesses, says <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/h1b-visa-lottery-system-alternative-options-sponsorship-2021-2">Sophie Alcorn, an immigration lawyer based in Silicon Valley</a>. The reform makes it less attractive for applicants to secure multiple job offers, which should drive down the overall number of registrations. This improves the odds for startups that their applicant gets selected in the lottery."For a startup that's willing to sponsor, there's a higher likelihood that [an applicant] will go to work for that company that's willing to sponsor them," Alcorn said. "There's more predictability."Even before the reform, Finkelman said he saw inquiries from startups tick up because of the proposed changes."We're seeing increased interest from startups, which are in desperate need of top talent and which oftentimes require visa sponsorship [to fill roles], to enter candidates into the lottery," Finkelman said. "They see the playing field will be evened out."

Uncle Sam just overhauled the H-1B visa lottery, and that's good news for startups

The US State Department has quietly implemented recommendations of a presidential commission which has suggested steps like opening up American diplomatic missions outside India for visa appointments to reduce the visa backlog in the country. India was one of the very few countries where applications for US visas saw a major upswing after coronavirus-related travel restrictions were lifted. Moved by a commission member, Ajay Jain Bhutoria from Silicon Valley, the presidential commission observed that inordinate visa appointment delays were causing huge problems for the students and visitors who have plans to come to study in the US and visit the country. The State Department should allow virtual interviews where applicable and allow staff from embassies around the world and the US consular staff to help conduct the virtual interviews at embassies with high backlogs and help clear them, the commission recommended. The recommendations included opening up American diplomatic missions outside India for visa appointments, having more counters and deploying additional resources to process visa applications. The <keyword id="50596" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="US-embassy" source="Orion">US Embassy</keyword> in India processed over 1 lakh applications just in January 2023, their highest total in a single month and the highest in any month since July 2019. In its December meeting, the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders recommended several steps to reduce the growing delay in visa appointment times in India and other countries like Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. It recommended the State Department hire new Full-Time officers/consular or Temporary Staff or contractors or bring back retired consular officers to clear the backlog at Embassies in Asia which have wait times of 400 or more days and shrink the wait time to 2-4 weeks be clearing the visa application backlog. The State Department could also use staff from other embassies around the world to help clear the backlog in countries in Asia which have huge backlogs and delays in visa appointments, it had recommended. The advisory committee noted that in 2012 President Barack Obama issued a memo to reduce the wait time from several months to a few days and this memo streamlined the visa process. The Trump administration had rescinded the President Obama memo, and this is also contributing as one of the factors in causing delays for Visa appointments, it said. As such, it recommended that President Joe Biden should consider issuing a memo to the State Department to shrink the visa appointment wait times to 2-4 weeks maximum for countries with significant backlogs including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other countries in a similar situation. There have been growing concerns in India over the long waiting period for first-time visa applicants, especially for those applying under B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) categories. The waiting period for first-time B1/B2 visa applicants in India was close to three years in October last year. In January, the State Department not only implemented remote processing of interview waiver cases for applicants with previous US visas but also launched several initiatives, including scheduling special interviews for first-time applicants and increasing the strength of consular staff. It also conducted "special Saturday interview days" on January 21. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-unleashes-ai-powered-updates-to-revamp-user-experience-on-maps-search-and-translate/articleshow/97761551.cms">Google unleashes AI-powered updates to revamp user experience on Maps, Search and Translate</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/now-find-ev-charging-stations-in-google-maps-near-you/articleshow/97759525.cms">Now find EV charging stations in Google Maps near you</a>

US State Department implements several recommendations of presidential commission to reduce visa backlog in India

The <keyword id="6354458" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="us" source="Orion">US</keyword> risks losing talented foreigners, particularly those married to other skilled professionals, to <keyword id="6356687" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="canada" source="Orion">Canada</keyword>, which grants work authorisation to spouses of all skilled foreign workers, says a new study. But granting employment authorisation to all spouses of <keyword id="6358066" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="H-1B-visa" source="Orion">H-1B visa</keyword> holders would encourage more skilled migrants, including Indians, to choose the US over Canada, the study by National Foundation for American Policy revealed. "The US can reap significant economic benefits, ease labour shortages, and attract more workers in the global competition for talent if it expanded current rules on work eligibility for the spouses of H-1B visa holders," the study, authored by Madeline Zavodny, said. The number of Indians who became permanent residents in Canada increased by over 115 per cent between 2016 and 2020 and 2021. In 2015, then President <keyword id="15962" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="barack-obama" source="Orion">Barack Obama</keyword> allowed the spouses of H-1B visa holders to work in the US via the H4 (dependent) visa. H4 visas are issued to dependent spouses and children who accompany H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, and H-3 visa holders to the US. The spouses of H-1B visa holders tend to be highly educated, many of them in STEM fields, and previously had careers of their own or worked to support their families. "Allowing the spouses of H-1B visa holders to work upon arrival would help recruit and retain skilled workers and increase the already-considerable economic benefits of the H-1B visa category," Zavodny said. She estimates that almost 90 per cent of the spouses of H-1B visa holders have at least a bachelor's degree, and over half have a graduate degree, based on American Community Survey data (2017-2019). Out of these 90 per cent of spouses, two-thirds are from India and 6 per cent are from China. "Almost half of spouses of likely H-1B visa holders who have a bachelor's degree had a STEM-related major. Among spouses of likely H-1B visa holders who are employed, 42 per cent are working in a STEM field," she noted. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulation published in 2015 allows spouses who hold an H4 visa to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Currently, H4 spouses can only apply for an EAD after their H-1B spouse is in the queue for a permanent visa. That typically does not occur until the H-1B has worked in the US for several years; indeed, some spouses may apply only after their H-1B spouse has worked in the US for at least six years. The H4 visa holder must be selected in the H-1B lottery, which only occurs once a year and has low odds of success. Long delays in processing H4 EADs have plagued the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the spouses who need the approval to work. Spouses of workers who hold an L-1 intracompany transferee visa, an E-1 treaty trader, an E-2 treaty investor, or E-3 specialty occupation worker from Australia visa are allowed to work. Spouses of these visa holders are "considered employment authorised incident to status", that is, their visa allows them to work and they do not need to apply separately for an EAD. Since mid-2015, some 171,000 H-4 visa holders have been approved for employment authorisation, a significant portion of whom are from India. In fiscal 2021, Indians bagged the highest number of H1B visas i.e., over 74 per cent of the allotments. Out of 4.07 lakh H1-B visas approved by the USCIS, 3.01 lakh were allotted to Indians whereas, 50,000 Chinese received the visas. Research shows that the H-1B visa category bumps up economic growth, creates jobs for American workers, and slows offshoring of high-paid jobs. "If allowed to work, these spouses would make considerable contributions to the US labour market as most of them would enter occupations with very low unemployment rates and high job vacancy rates," says Zavodny. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/september-earnings-on-track-but-its-time-to-tone-down-optimism-says-kotak-institutional-equities/articleshow/95272073.cms">September earnings on track, but it’s time to tone down optimism says Kotak Institutional Equities</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/vodafone-ideas-q2-loss-widens-to-7596-crore/articleshow/95282354.cms">Vodafone Idea’s Q2 loss widens to ₹7,596 crore</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/hdfc-reports-18-year-on-year-rise-in-q2-net-profit-to-4454-crore/articleshow/95279744.cms">HDFC reports 18% year-on-year rise in Q2 net profit to ₹4,454 crore</a>

US risks losing skilled professional H-1B visa holders to Canada

The US has received sufficient number of applications needed to reach the <keyword id="10784391" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="congressionally" source="Orion">Congressionally</keyword> mandated 65,000 H1-B <keyword id="6359421" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="visa" source="Orion">visa</keyword> cap for the fiscal year 2023, the country's federal agency for immigration services said on Tuesday. The <keyword id="6358066" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="h-1b-visa" source="Orion">H-1B visa</keyword> is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire thousands of employees each year from countries like <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> and China. The H-1B visa programme is the most sought-after work visa among foreign professionals, including Indians. We have received a sufficient number of petitions needed to reach the Congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa US advanced degree exemption, known as the master's cap, for fiscal year 2023, the <keyword id="368921" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="us-citizenship-and-immigration-services" source="Orion">US Citizenship and Immigration Services</keyword> (<keyword id="137642" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="uscis" source="Orion">USCIS</keyword>) said in a statement. USCIS has completed sending non-selection notifications to registrants' online accounts. The status for registrations properly submitted for the FY 2023 H-1B numerical allocations, but that were not selected, will now show, Not Selected: Not selected not eligible to file an H-1B cap petition based on this registration, it said. Meanwhile, the federal agency will continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap, it said. Petitions filed for current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap, and who still retain their cap number, are exempt from the FY 2023 H-1B cap, it said. However, USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions filed to extend the amount of time a current H-1B worker may remain in the US, change the terms of employment for current H-1B workers, allow current H-1B workers to change employers, and allow current H-1B workers to work concurrently in additional H-1B positions, it added. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/10000-investment-in-gensol-engineering-ev-stock-gave-2-77-lakh-return-in-a-year/articleshow/93740070.cms">This EV firm rose 2600% in a year: ₹10,000 invested in this stock a year ago is worth ₹2.77 lakh</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/dreamfolks-services-ipo-opens-today-check-out-important-details-related-to-the-ipo/articleshow/93740178.cms">DreamFolks Services IPO opens today — Check out important details related to the IPO</a>

US has reached the H-1B visa limit for the financial year of 2023

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The tech sector is bracing itself for change under a second Trump presidency.</li><li>AI regulation is likely to change under Trump, but major antitrust cases are unlikely to be impacted.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-wins-presidential-election-race-2024-11">Donald Trump has won the presidency</a> — and the tech world is waiting to see what his administration will mean for key issues like AI regulation, immigration, antitrust issues, and mergers and acquisitions.Trump has promised to assemble a different cabinet for his second time around in the White House. His advisors are likely to include some of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-will-be-in-trump-cabinet-billionaires-buiness-leaders-2024-5#doug-burgum-6">business leaders</a> that backed his campaign, not least among them one of the most powerful figures in tech: <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-praises-elon-musk-a-star-is-born-2024-11">Elon Musk.</a>In an election night speech, Trump showered praise on Musk, marveling at his SpaceX rockets."Elon, he is an amazing guy," Trump said early Wednesday morning.There's a lot at stake for the sector, with a slew of companies facing antitrust battles. And with immigration top of mind for many voters, H-1B visas could be impacted, experts said, dealing a potential blow to tech companies experiencing staffing shortages amid an AI hiring frenzy.Here's how Trump's second term could impact Big Tech.<h2 id="2575ea3e-191a-4962-89ed-6840c2d18465">On the campaign trail, Trump threatened prosecution if reelected</h2>Though Trump has cozied up to one major tech leader — Musk — others are in his crosshairs.While on the campaign trail, Trump threatened retribution against some tech companies, including jailing Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg.During the campaign, he threatened to imprison "election fraudsters," <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-mark-zuckerberg-sent-prison-elected-truth-social-2024-7">including Zuckerberg</a> — who has a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-comments-about-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-feud-history-2024-7">long history with the president</a>; it's unclear whether Trump will follow through on his threats.Trump also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-google-break-up-china-comments-2024-10">heavily criticized Google throughout his campaign</a>, calling the tech giant "rigged" for not displaying positive stories about him, saying the company is "very bad" to him, and suggesting he would "do something" about its power.In September, Trump escalated his feud with the company by <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-threat-prosecute-google-2024-9">threatening to order the Justice Department to prosecute Google</a> "at the maximum levels" during his second term. He accused the tech giant of engaging in illegal behavior and interfering in the election with the stories it displayed on its search results page.The Justice Department usually operates independently of the president; Trump said on the campaign trail that the criminal justice system has been weaponized against him and threatened to do the same to his political rivals.That norm-breaking change could mean more regulatory issues for the likes of Google — if Trump makes good on his promise.<h2 id="65622481-fb0a-4550-93e2-61275ae53f93">Tariffs remain the biggest question mark</h2>Barclays warned in September that the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/trump-tariff-trade-policy-stock-market-outlook-risk-election-china-2024-9?_gl=1*10bnpgv*_ga*MTA5NzkyNzEwMi4xNzA2NzE1NTM1*_ga_E21CV80ZCZ*MTczMDQ4MjMyMC4xMTAyLjEuMTczMDQ4ODIxNi41NS4wLjA.">tech industry would be one of the hardest hit</a> by Trump's plan for wide-ranging tariffs."While the new proposed tariffs would have a modest direct negative impact on corporate earnings if implemented, the second order effects from higher cost inflation and slowing economic growth would be an incremental headwind to corporate earnings and cause further pain," the bank said.Mark Lemley, professor and director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science &amp; Technology, warned that Trump's plan for huge tariffs on foreign goods could also harm tech companies during his second term."A Trump administration will involve a US withdrawal from the world and the imposition of giant tariffs," Lemley told BI. "That is likely to have devastating consequences for US tech companies that sell in foreign markets as well as crippling domestic consumption."Retail analysts told BI that the industry is following the question of tariffs extremely closely."You can look at that in two ways," Global Data's Neil Saunders said. "You can say it's a negotiating strategy, and it won't actually come to pass, or you can say it will come to pass, maybe in a diluted form and not that severe.""It's causing a lot of nervousness," he added.If Trump does follow through on his campaign proposals, it would mean significant changes to the way retailers do business."It would be a massive upheaval to most of the cost structures for these companies," said Chris Walton, a former Target executive.Given the expense of reorganizing supply chains, Walton said large retailers are still researching their options and making any simple adjustments, rather than committing early to a new strategy.<h2 id="a9e008d3-192d-41d1-b89d-665d46e9ce18">On antitrust, 'most of the low-hanging fruit has already been picked'</h2><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-coporate-monopolies-antitrust-lawsuits-live-nation-amazon-google-meta-2024-5">Antitrust cases are already underway</a> for the major Big Tech companies — including <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-antitrust-lawsuit-justice-department-2024-3#:~:text=The%20US%20Department%20of%20Justice,what%20they%20deem%20anticompetitive%20tactics.">Apple</a>, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-doj-battle-best-worst-scenarios-2024-10">Google</a>, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ruling-ftc-meta-facebook-lawsuit-instagram-whatsapp-can-proceed-2022-1">Meta</a>, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ftc-lawsuit-partially-dismissed-antitrust-competition-vendor-fulfillment-2024-10">Amazon</a> — but normally, there's not much an incoming president could, or would, do to alter these current cases, George Hay, an antitrust expert and law professor at Cornell University, told Business Insider."It's very rare that, at the presidential level, there's any attempt to influence the course of cases which have already been filed. Those have a life of their own," Hay told BI. "They depend on the judge, the courts, the lawyers who carry on a case. It's extraordinarily unusual for the administration to become at all active."Hay said that, while most presidents wouldn't have any say on existing cases, "Trump is a bit more of a wild card."But he added he couldn't think of "any reason why he would interfere with cases that have already been filed. It would be quite an extraordinary thing to do."While not much is expected to change for current antitrust cases, Hay said, Trump may take a less aggressive approach to antitrust enforcement than Vice President Kamala Harris would have.Besides, Hay said, "most of the low-hanging fruit has already been picked," meaning there are not many new antitrust cases that could be filed against the biggest tech companies.One factor that could change things is who Trump appoints as the Assistant Attorney General leading the antitrust division.Hay said that if Trump appoints an experienced, practicing lawyer, "even if that lawyer is relatively conservative, I don't think things are going to change very much.""The changes we've observed over history are when the Republicans appointed an academic," Hay added. "That's where you see some radical changes."But overall, not much is likely to change on the antitrust front under Trump's second administration, Hay said."So if I had very strong views about antitrust, I could sleep well at night regardless of who gets appointed," Hay said. "Because it's a system with laws and courts and people, and most of the people and most of the courts, and most of the laws are not going to change."<h2 id="91f4c525-6767-4d4e-90f3-4773e832f799">Republicans have historically been 'more merger-friendly'</h2>Hay expected that "more big mergers will be proposed under Trump" while Dan Romanoff, a senior equity research analyst at Morningstar, suggested that Trump was less likely to oppose major deals.More aggressive merger guidelines were put in place under President Joe Biden in 2023; now, under Trump, "those are going to go, and they'll be replaced," Hay said.But still, new guidelines won't have much impact on the biggest tech companies, Hay said.Anna Rathbun, chief investment officer at CBIZ, told Business Insider that M&amp;A activity has been low for the past two years because of low interest rates — not because of an antagonistic attitude from the Biden administration.And the notion that Republicans are more business-friendly could be due to "short-term memory," she said, noting that the first Trump administration sued to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tried-to-block-the-att-time-warner-merger-to-spite-cnn-report-2019-3">block a merger</a> between AT&amp;T and Time Warner.While a Republican administration is usually considered to be more business-friendly, Walton said it might not be so straightforward under Trump."It can wax and wane to whatever the flavor of the month is in terms of where his administration wants to focus, or who he wants to benefit," he said.<h2 id="fa61ac75-e5d0-4af3-b58d-8b628e7f0f02">Restricting H1-B visas could damage America's competitive edge</h2>Trump made a widespread immigration crackdown a centerpiece of his 2024 campaign — and now that he's president, that could impact an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-the-ai-hiring-frenzy-big-tech-talent-war-2024-3">understaffed tech sector</a> relying on H1-B visas as the AI hiring wars rage on.National security concerns — with two current wars — are vastly different than when Trump wanted to restrict H1-Bs during his first term, Rathbun told BI. But at the same time, "we have a worker shortage," she added.Experts fear that, if H1-Bs are restricted under the second Trump administration, the US could lose its competitive edge on the world stage."You shouldn't ban exports on chips and then completely export the talented labor," Rathbun said. "That makes no sense."James Brundage, Ernst &amp; Young's global and Americas technology sector leader, added that any company relying on overseas hiring will be challenged in coming years.Three of the five largest companies in the world have immigrant CEOs, he said. He added that, while the US has built up a tech lead over decades, "you can see how that could slow."And as retailers like Walmart and Target become increasingly tech-like, a crackdown on high-skilled immigrant talent could complicate their business, Saunders and Walton said.Some think Trump may not follow through on his rhetoric once he takes office in January.Valerie Wirtschafter, a fellow at the Brookings Institution's Foreign Policy, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative, told BI she thought the Trump administration would prioritize US leadership and "maintaining that lead at all costs."She added that, if bringing talent in through H1-B visas keeps the US competitive, even if it's at odds with Trump's campaign promises, "I think they'll find some way to reconcile or ignore some of those campaign promises, too."<h2 id="6145404f-90b3-4477-b7c6-aad82b231607">Trump's vow to rescind Biden's AI order could be 'double-edged'</h2>Trump has not provided many specific details about what AI policies he would pursue — though he did <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-ai-dangerous-still-posts-ai-memes-truth-social-x-2024-8">call the technology "very dangerous"</a> after posting AI-generated images of "Swifties for Trump.""Our instinct is that Trump would be more hands-off and Harris would be more hands-on," Romanoff said of AI regulation.One thing Trump has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-harris-presidency-impact-ai-artificial-intelligence-2024-10">promised is to rescind Biden's executive order on AI</a>, which outlines policies around AI governance, promoting competition, and addressing AI-enabled threats. Trump had said the order challenges free speech.Wirtschafter told BI that repealing Biden's order would be a mixed bag for tech companies."I think it's double-edged in some sense where, of course, less regulation, less reporting, less bureaucratic hoops to jump through, that's all good and great," Wirtschafter said.But she added that rescinding the order could also be "somewhat unsettling," adding, "Some of these companies do want some sort of road map for this technology, and the more harmonized it can be, the better."

What's next for tech giants like Google, Apple, and Microsoft now Trump has won

<ul><li>Senator Mike Lee said on Wednesday: "By the time we stretch this (backlogs) out to 2030, the 195-year backlog I mentioned a moment ago would be extended out to a 400- to 450-year backlog."</li><li>Lee gave these wait times while opposing a Democratic bill that would protect the children of those on H1-B and other employment visas who are waiting for their green cards from being deported when they turn 21.</li><li>He said that with such long wait times, the children would not be able to qualify for green cards in their lifetimes and, instead, a comprehensive reform is needed.</li></ul> The wait time for green cards for Indians professionals stuck in the "awful, hellish green card backlog" could go up from the current 195 years to 450 years in ten years without a comprehensive reform of the immigration system, a Republican Senator has warned. Senator Mike Lee said on Wednesday: "By the time we stretch this (backlogs) out to 2030, the 195-year backlog I mentioned a moment ago would be extended out to a 400- to 450-year backlog." He said that for those filing for green cards "in 2020, the wait for an EB2 green card is not, in fact, 20 to 30 years for an Indian national. What is it, then? Is it 30? Is it 40, 50, 60? No, it is much longer than that. It is 195 years. This means that someone from India entering the backlog today would have to wait 195 years to receive an EB3 green card." EB2 green cards - the permanent immigration visa leading to citizenship - are for those with advanced degrees and EB3 for skilled and professional workers. The annual green card quota for India and most countries is about 26,000. Lee gave these wait times while opposing a Democratic bill that would protect the children of those on H1-B and other employment visas who are waiting for their green cards from being deported when they turn 21. He said that with such long wait times, the children would not be able to qualify for green cards in their lifetimes and, instead, a comprehensive reform is needed. When children turn 21, they are no longer considered dependents and will lose their visa status based on their parents' visas as well as their claim to a green card and the Protect Children of Immigrant Workers Act proposed by Democrat Senator Dick Durbin seeks to remedy this. While the cause of children who came to the US illegally has a lot of political support, the children who came in legally but reached adulthood has been under the radar and Durbin's bill proposes a parallel remedy. Durbin said that without increasing the total number of green cards, it would not be possible to deal with the huge backlogs and the decades-long wait times. He said, "Just do the math; 140,000 EB (employment) visas and 226,000 family visas per year and 5 million people waiting. If you think you can solve this without changing the number of green cards, you can't." He said that Lee told him that many Republicans opposed increasing the number of green cards that can be issued in a year. Durbin's bill would also allow H1-B visa-holders to file early for green cards, freeing them to switch jobs without being held down by the employers who sponsored them for theAvisa. One of the compromises offered in Durbin's bill is to restrict H1-B visas for outsourcing companies. It would prohibit a company from hiring additional H-1B workers in the future if the company's workforce is more than 50 employees and more than 50 per cent of those are temporary workers. He said that eight of the top ten companies getting H1-B visas were outsourcing companies. Defending his opposition to Durbin's bill. Lee said that the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act he and Democratic Senator Kamala Harris have proposed would protect children, protects widows and widowers of H1-B visa-holders, while expediting green cards for all high-skilled immigrants. A version of the bill that would lift national quotas to allow Indian applicants for green cards to get access to more immigration visas has been passed by the House of Representatives, but has been blocked by Durbin and two Republicans. Durbin has said that lifting the national quota restrictions would only increase the wait times for other countries unless the number of green cards is increased. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/after-google-pwc-india-declares-a-company-wide-holiday-for-its-employees-this-friday-offers-time-off-for-a-well-deserved-break/articleshow/77125627.cms">After Google, PwC India declares a company-wide holiday for its employees this Friday – offers time off for a 'well-deserved' break</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/mukesh-ambani-is-now-the-fifth-richest-person-in-the-world-according-to-forbes/articleshow/77105843.cms">Mukesh Ambani is now the fifth richest person in the world, according to Forbes</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-infosys-hcl-tech-dont-want-h1b-ban-but-are-pocketing-savings-while-it-lasts/articleshow/77120776.cms">The H1-B visa ban is not what Indian IT firms want⁠— but they are pocketing some savings while it lasts</a>

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I got my green card after working at Microsoft on an H-1B visa. The process was very painful, but I love the US and don't plan to leave.

Elle Hardy

Uncle Sam just overhauled the H-1B visa lottery, and that's good news for startups

Melia Russell

US State Department implements several recommendations of presidential commission to reduce visa backlog in India

PTI

US risks losing skilled professional H-1B visa holders to Canada

IANS

US has reached the H-1B visa limit for the financial year of 2023

PTI

What's next for tech giants like Google, Apple, and Microsoft now Trump has won

Grace Eliza Goodwin,Geoff Wei…

Green card wait time for Indians can go to 450 years by 2030, warns a Republican Senator

IANS

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