This month I am pleased to announce that Visajobs.com (http://www.visajobs.com), a site I played a role in developing, is now operating. Visajobs.com is designed to fill a critical role in the visa process - finding a position that meets the criteria for a non-immigrant work visa or an employment-based green card. While there are perhaps hundreds of web sites that list jobs, Visajobs.com is probably the first and only site that specifically is geared toward people seeking work visas or green cards. The site has a few cosmetic changes to go - the artwork for the site, for example, is still under development.

The site is quite simple in its structure and concept. Employers interested in filling a position and who are willing to hire a foreign national may post that position on the site free of charge. The employer is asked the following three important questions:

- Are you willing to sponsor a qualified applicant for a nonimmigrant visa?

- Are you willing to sponsor a qualified applicant for an immigrant visa?

- Are you willing to conduct the interview process by phone or e-mail?

The employer's answers to these questions as well as related comments are posted in each job listing.

People seeking positions are asked to fill out a profile form and paste or type in their resume. The job seeker can then search the job bank and if a particular job is of interest, the job seeker simply clicks a button to send his or her resume to the employer.

Employers can also search the resume database to find qualified employees. Therefore, even if a specific job is not listed that the employee is interested in, it is possible that an employer can find a qualified applicant before they even post a job.

Just as the focus of this employment site differs from others, so does this fee structure. Most employment sites charge employers to post positions and do not charge the job seeker. This site does the opposite. The site's developers came to the conclusion, however, that many employers are unfamiliar with or intimidated by the immigration process and might be reluctant to pay to post positions. This is might be the feeling of employers since they may have to pay an attorney legal fees and will also have to deal with issues like cultural barriers, language skills and the uncertainty inherent with the immigration process (such as the H-1B cap). In order to maximize the number of jobs on the site, the decision was made to instead charge the job seeker who will presumably see an additional value in this site that they will not find elsewhere. The site has an introductory annual fee for job seekers of $50 per year.

[NOTE - The Visajobs site is independent of the law firm of Siskind, Susser, Haas & Devine and users of the site are under no obligation or expectation to use the law firm to handle a resulting immigration petition.]