RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Settling for Academia? H-1B Visas and the Career Choices of International Students in the United States
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 0816-8167r1
DO 10.3368/jhr.54.2.0816.8167R1
A1 Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes
A1 Delia Furtado
YR 2017
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2017/12/01/jhr.54.2.0816.8167R1.abstract
AB The yearly cap on H-1B visas became binding for the first time in 2004, making it harder for college-educated foreigners to work in the United States. However, academic institutions are exempt from the cap and citizens of five countries (Canada, Mexico, Chile, Singapore, and Australia) have access to alternative work visas. We exploit those exemptions to gauge how immigrant career choices have been affected by the binding visa cap. Among other impacts, the binding cap raised international students’ likelihood of employment in academia, even outside of their field of study, a result consistent with the notion of “settling” for academia.