Some readers of my recent posting, re: FY 2008 H1B quota reached, asked: (on the chatterbox): “Do pinoy professionals seek H1B visas?” Of course, my answer was a resounding, yes.
Yes, pinoy professionals- like other professionals from many countries around the world- seek H1B visas, too. No doubt, a number of them joined in the recent H1B visa “fray” when, on the first day of the H1B filing, about 150,000 new visa petitions poured into the offices of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)- each one sought a piece of the visa “pie.” And the mad rush of H1B visa petitions prompted the USCIS to raise the “white flag” and declare that the fiscal year 2008 H1B quota had been reached.
Then, came another query: Of the approximately 150,000 visa petitions received by the USCIS, how many of them are for pinoy professionals? My response: I’ve no idea; I can’t come up with any ballpark figure.
However, if prior H1B figures were to serve as a guide, then a reasonable answer could be- not many.
Yes, not many pinoy professionals seek H1B visas. Pinoys comprise a minuscule segment in the H1B population.
According to the USCIS, of the 217,340 H1B petitions received and approved for fiscal year 2003 (which figures included new and continuing H1B visa petitions at the time) 10,432 H1B beneficiaries were from the Philippines. It represented a mere 4.8% - a picayune figure in the H1B statistics.
Indeed, this information comes as a surprise to many observers. Pinoy professionals, despite their competence and proficiency in the English language, lag behind other nationalities in taking advantage of the opportunity to work in the United States through the H1B program.
Why? Some are prompted to ask. I surmise that one reason is the lack of information about the H1B visa program and how to go about it.
This is why to disseminate information about the H1B visa program, I wrote the book “A Guide to U.S. Visas for Filipino Professionals” and published by GIC Enterprises & Co, Inc. Copies of the book are available at Conanan Bookstore, 2019 C. M. Recto Avenue, Manila, Philippines. Tel. (02) 735-5582.
The book provides the necessary information about the H1B visa program and other work visa options to the pinoy professionals desirous to work in the United States.
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