Meet the rural school district that used H-1B visas to hire Filipino teachers because 'we quite simply didn't have other applicants' | Fortune

"Within nine months, he had filled those vacancies with Filipino teachers, the majority of whom arrived on the H-1B, a visa for skilled workers in specialty occupations. "We've hired the H-1B teachers because we quite simply didn't have other applicants for those positions," Coverdale said. "So they're certainly not taking jobs from Americans. They're filling jobs that otherwise just simply we would not get filled.""

"Now a new $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications spells trouble for those like Coverdale in rural parts of the country who rely on immigrants to fill vacancies in skilled professions like education and health care. The Trump administration announced the fee on Sept. 19, arguing that employers were replacing American workers with cheaper talent from overseas. Since then, the White House has said the fee won't apply to existing visa holders and offered a form to request exemptions from the charge."

"Over the last decade, the U.S. has faced a shortage in those and other sectors. One in eight public school positions are vacant or filled by uncertified teachers, and the American Medical Association projects a shortage of 87,000 physicians in the next decade. The shortages are often worse in small, rural communities that struggle to fill jobs due to lower wages and often lack basic necessities like shopping and home rental options."

Rural school and health systems rely on H-1B visa holders to fill persistent skilled vacancies. At one Crow Creek Tribal School, 15 unfilled teaching posts were filled within nine months by Filipino teachers, most arriving on H-1B visas. A newly announced $100,000 fee for H-1B applications, announced Sept. 19, threatens that pathway by increasing employer costs; the administration said the fee targeted employers replacing American workers and later exempted existing visa holders and offered an exemption request form. H-1B and J-1 visas also serve nontech critical roles amid nationwide teacher and physician shortages, which are acute in rural areas.

Read at Fortune