Is the H-1B visa lottery rigged against foreign skilled workers?
H-1B visa lottery in the United States, held each April, shapes the lives of hundreds of thousands of aspiring skilled workers. However, with only about 85,000 H-1B visas available each year, competition is fierce, and the odds of success have diminished as application numbers soar.
Recent data obtained by Bloomberg News has exposed how certain companies have exploited loopholes in the H-1B system, effectively rigging the lottery in their favor.
The H-1B Visa Lottery: A Rigged System?
On a recent episode of the Big Take podcast, Bloomberg's investigative journalists Eric Fan and Zachary Mider revealed how outsourcing companies and staffing firms have gained an unfair advantage in the H-1B lottery. «The game was rigged,» said host Sarah Holder, summarizing the findings that demonstrate systemic exploitation.
The investigation discovered that some companies, particularly large IT outsourcing firms and small staffing agencies, have been able to flood the lottery with multiple applications for the same employees, significantly increasing their chances of securing a visa. This practice has been facilitated by a loophole that allowed employers to submit numerous applications under different company names or in collaboration with other firms.
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Exploiting Loopholes: How Companies Gained an Advantage
Eric Fan, an investigative data reporter at Bloomberg, highlighted how the system's design allowed companies to manipulate the lottery. «If someone wants a visa
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