Settling for Academia?: H-1B Visas and the Career Choices of International Students in the United States

Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes and Delia Furtado

Journal of Human Resources, 2019, vol. 54, issue 2, 401-429

Abstract: 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 these exemptions to gauge how immigrant career choices have been affected by the binding visa cap. Among other impacts, the binding cap raises international students’ likelihood of employment in academia, even outside of their field of study, a result consistent with the notion of “settling” for academia.

JEL-codes: F22 J61 J68 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
Note: DOI: 10.3368/jhr.54.2.0816.8167R1
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Settling for Academia? H-1B Visas and the Career Choices of International Students in the United States (2017)
Working Paper: Settling for Academia? H-1B Visas and the Career Choices of International Students in the United States (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:54:y:2019:i:2:p:401-429

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