HTML clipboardAs the US Citizenship and Immigration
Services started accepting applications from Wednesday for the much sought-after
H-1B work visas for professionals, software giant Microsoft said this year it is
filing less petitions for work visas under this category.
This is primarily because of the current economic situation in the country,
Microsoft said. "Given the economic downturn, we are filing substantially fewer
H-1B applications than we filed last year," Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith
wrote in a blog posting on microsoftissues.com.
Unlike previous years, Smith said a solid majority of Microsoft's
applications this year are for employees who are already working for Microsoft
in the US, so that it can retain their talent and specialised skills in this
country rather than risk losing them to a foreign competitor.
Observing that Microsoft would be creating several
thousand new jobs this year, Smith said the software giant would hire majority
of them from the US but would also hire talented professionals from overseas so
as to remain competitive in the market.
"To succeed and continue adding jobs in the highly competitive global
technology business, Microsoft and other US companies must be able to hire top
talent wherever it is located," he said.
