How to emigrate to the US – Business

“Inquiries about emigration have increased by 50 percent in the last few months,” laughs Sikander Lalani, CEO of Lalani & Associates, which has provided citizenship and residency services for three decades.

Patriotism, dusted and worn on August 14 in the form of green shalwar kameez, is well and good as far as light shows and fireworks go. For the average and the not-so-average (read rich) Pakistani, the long-term goals include a passport that is no longer green.

The “Land of the Free” is a popular travel destination that is already home to half a million Pakistanis, roughly the population of Sukkur. How do you join those who flew the Coop?

First and foremost, find an employer. Unlike Canada or Australia, most legal roads into the US require a job, although there are some exceptions to the rule.

Would you be willing to spend Rs5m to flip burgers in exchange for US Green Card?

The techie

One option is a work permit, which requires an H-1B visa if an employer is offering a position. Over time, if the employee is valued enough, the employer will receive the necessary certificates of employment that convert the H-1B visa into the coveted Green Card, explains Mr. Lalani.

The H-1B visa has a quota of 65,000, with 20,000 additional visas for foreigners who have earned a master’s or doctorate degree from a US institution, according to the American Immigration Council.

Most of that quota is claimed by tech giants like Apple and Microsoft, Mr. Lalani assures. “Their HR departments have planned for the years to come and have the data ready and the processes ready as soon as the space becomes available as the process takes at least 12 months.”

In addition, the US Congress is debating more scope for visas for foreign college graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). It pays to be good at math and computers.

The hook

“There is a labor shortage in the United States. When I walk down a street in New Jersey, there’s hardly a store that doesn’t have a Help Wanted sign in its window,” says Mr. Lalani, who picked up his Employment-Based Immigration (EB3) visa package. marketed.

Employers are willing to hire foreign workers and offer them green cards from the start, he claims. Lalani & Co is currently recruiting 200 caregivers (ages 18-50) who, after passing the two-year process, will be given a job, a green card and the option to emigrate with spouse and children. Another package in the pipeline is for a fast-food franchise with jobs in Florida.

The catch

As tempting as the package is, it comes with a variety of strings attached. First, the entire process costs approximately $18,000-$19,000 for one applicant. This includes $2,500 in fees for Lalani & C0, $5,000 for the US Attorney, $7,000 for the US Government Fee and $5,000 for the Intermediate Counsel. Plus $765 for each additional family member. With a husband and two children, it costs about $20,000 or 5 million rupees.

Second, the job would most likely pay the minimum wage ($7.25 per hour under federal law), which works out to about $1,500 per month or 300,000 rupees. Someone who can afford Rs5m for the process may find the wages meager.

Even if you’re willing to pop the pill to escape Pakistan’s crumbling economy to one of the world’s most developed nations, there’s the no small matter of convincing the visa officer.

Given the crowd involved in the process and the requirement to speak and read English, it’s difficult to convince the visa officer that an educated, reasonably well-off Pakistani wants to go to the US to flip burgers or wipe off old bums.

“It takes about two years from the start of the process to the visa interview. During this time, relevant experience makes the case stronger,” explains Mr. Lalani. “For example, if you are caring for elderly family members, taking an online course in caring and volunteering weekends at an Edhi retirement home, it would be easier to convince the visa officer that you will be working in this field beyond the contract obligation of one Year.”

be exceptional

While there is a greater shortage of workers than employees, if you are truly exceptional you can qualify for the EB2 (NIW) – National Interest Waiver. This requires high qualifications, international recognition (think global awards in the relevant field) and a membership in a respected society such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants. In principle, the applicant must be so outstanding in his field that it is in the national interest of the USA to issue the visa.

A question of trust

Imagine a Pakistani owns a multi-billion rupee company and wants to open an office in the United States. Under the L-1 visa, it can send its senior staff to America.

A year later, the company can begin the process for an EB1C visa: Green Card for the applicant, spouse and children under the age of 21.

However, many people from Pakistan who have traveled to the US on this visa have shown business plans that have been thwarted, so the approval rating for this category has dropped, says Mr. Lalani.

millionaires in dollars

Of course, money is the solution to most problems. An investment of $1,050,000 anywhere in the US or $800,000 in a US government-targeted area makes the EB-5 program for immigrant investors possible.

Basically it boils down to this: if a Pakistani has 5 to 230 million rupees, emigration to the US is possible. But this cadre generally enjoys the lifestyle of a maid and driver and would prefer to continue the leisurely life that America doesn’t have. If not then there are options.

(Emigration with an ‘e’ is when people leave the country, and immigration with an ‘i’ is when people come into the country. So when a person emigrates to the United States, they emigrate to become an American immigrant .)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, August 22, 2022