How to Immigrate and Work in the USA as a Software Engineer or Developer?

IT, advisory, IT service delivery, and software design and development firms in the United States compete to hire the top IT workers from across the world. As a result, IT firms must be as competitive as possible in attracting, employing, and keeping the finest personnel, helping them immigrate to the USA as software engineers or developers, particularly during periods of great resignation and low unemployment.

Every year, US News & World Report rates software engineers or software developers as two of the top five job titles in the United States. They are the only technical software positions that are ranked that high. According to several news sites, software engineering will be a rewarding career for a long time since the need for software development employment will only increase in the long run.

This article includes the most up-to-date information on immigration possibilities for software engineers or software developers and their highly trained personnel.

The Software Developer Shortage and Tech Talent Shortage in the US in 2022

Most businesses are already attempting to solve the talent shortage. Hiring developers as employees and freelancers have shown to be an effective strategy for addressing the lack of skilled professionals over the last five years. Another method of solving the talent shortage is skill development through a range of reskilling programs.

Another option for failing businesses is to reconsider their employee retention and hiring strategy, including remuneration packages and in-house training possibilities. In addition, current learning possibilities will assist in-house professionals in upgrading their abilities and appropriately responding to the numerous obstacles that the modern tech business provides.

The Great Resignation

The “Great Resignation” is a pandemic-era tendency that continues to be a dominant component of the labor market, as ideal conditions motivate people to quit their employment at near-record levels to pursue better possibilities elsewhere.

Per the Department of Labor, about 4.4 million Americans departed their employment in February. Approximately 100,000 more than resigned in January and just shy of the November high of 4.5 million.

This phenomenon drives change. Workers can choose which employment offers to accept. Most employees are searching for competitive pay and advancement prospects, while enterprises must adapt.

Per the US Labor Department, resignations which are often voluntary separations instigated by workers, serve as a gauge of employees’ desire or capacity to leave positions.

The US Tech Talent Shortage Statistics in 2021

• The ManpowerGroup’s US skills shortage figures state that 69 percent of US companies will struggle to fill vacancies in 2020. Tech job vacancies are among the top ten most difficult to fill.
• The pandemic-caused worldwide crisis has had an impact on the American technology market. It feeds the country’s digitization processes, exacerbating the tech skill divide. As machine learning technologies mature and 92 percent of enterprises expand their cloud workloads, the IT talent scarcity worsens.
• The IT industry in the USA has the most excellent attrition rate of any sector, at 13.2 percent. It is one of the primary factors impeding the development of the US technology market. Furthermore, high turnover is expensive—employers must spend 50–250 percent of the income for replacement.
• Per the USA Bureau of Labor Statistics, the scarcity of engineers in the United States will approach 1.2 million by 2026, while the previously indicated 545K software engineers and developers will have left the market.
• The severe developer scarcity has increased software developer pay, transforming IT into the best-paid field. The median computer programmer compensation in the United Areas is more than $100,000 per year, which is double the average regional wage in several states.
• Employers shift off extra work to current employees when they cannot fill tech openings, which results in burnout and has a detrimental influence on local company growth. Approximately 30% of respondents to Indeed’s poll admit that this issue hastens workforce turnover.
• Companies are being compelled to make concessions to close the IT talent shortage gap: just 29.4 percent of candidates for software designer roles and 39.6 percent for DevOps job vacancies match employers’ expectations entirely. The quality of products and services delivered decreases as more than half of organizations hire IT personnel despite a mismatch between requirements and actual expertise.
• You would assume it’s all about the location. It is clear to everyone that Silicon Valley is exploding with new career opportunities regularly. However, that is simply not the case. Four out of every five significant tech businesses in the US are located outside of Silicon Valley, confirming the country’s engineering shortfall.

In the ten years from 2020 to 2030, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, software engineer employment will increase by 22 percent.

Software development and programming is one of the top technology jobs in America based on its reputation as one of the fastest-growing today, according to the US News & World Report. What it takes to succeed in this high-demand field and how much software developers make on average in the US.

Requirements for Software Engineers to Immigrate to the US

To obtain a position, software engineers often require education, training, qualifications, and abilities. The intended job and industry determine the appropriate blend.

Education

Most recruiting managers anticipate that software engineers will have a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Computer Programming, Software Engineering, Software Development, Mathematics, or a related discipline. Some software engineers can get work if they have high school graduation and 10 years of related experience. Some employers may need a master’s degree in computer science or a closely related field. This schooling degree can broaden your job opportunities and raise your earning potential. If you wish to work in research, you may need a Ph.D.

Training

Internships can provide training for entry-level software engineers. In addition, internships in their intended area can help students and recent graduates learn more about working in a corporate setting and how to use their knowledge in the industry.

Coding boot camps are excellent alternatives to obtaining valuable experience and skill training. During short, intense programs, they educate those with minimal programming knowledge on the principles of software coding. Boot camps can span anywhere from one to six months and cover a wide range of programming languages, frameworks, design, and databases.

The majority of software developers obtain on-the-job training from their employers. Because students gain most of their technical knowledge at school, an internship with a firm might involve understanding any business-specific software, software development life cycles, and the project management approach utilized, such as agile or scrum.

There are several possibilities for off-the-job training for software developers. Training courses in various coding languages or seminars on new database releases can be taken in addition to attending workshops. Because the technology business is continually evolving, software engineers must stay current in their specialties.

Certifications

Software engineers can obtain several certificates, including:

• Oracle Certified Professional (OCA) and Oracle Certified Associate (OCP). Oracle certificates are widely sought after in the information technology business. You can earn OCA and OCP certificates in a particular Oracle product or technology. Before taking the OCP test, you must first finish the OCA credential. You will have to update these certificates to keep up with new versions.
• App Builder is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD). The MCSD certification comprises a series of tests that assess your knowledge of several Microsoft technologies. You must first get a Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) credential before taking an MCSD certificate test. To get the MCSD: App Builder certificate, you must first pass an exam to become qualified in one of several fields of study. These domains include Visual Studio Software Testing and the Universal Windows Platform. This qualification must be renewed every two years to remain current.
• Professional in the Secure Software Lifecycle Certification (CSSLP). The CSSLP certificate, provided by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, concentrates on application security, teaching technical practitioners to identify software weaknesses, hazards, and compliance concerns. CSSLP covers eight topics as Secure Software Concepts, Software Design, Secure Software Training, Supply Chain, and Software Acquisition. The CSSLP accreditation lasts three years.

Skills

A competent software engineer possesses a mix of technical and interpersonal abilities, such as:

• Programming. As a software engineer, you will need to be familiar with programming languages including C++, Java, Python, C#, Ruby, and .Net. Most undergrad degrees teach students to one or more languages. It is advantageous to have a general awareness of many languages and specialized knowledge of at least two of them. This will help you prepare for most code challenges you are prone to face.
• Pay attention to the details. You must be patient and pay strict attention to detail, whether coding, debugging, or testing. You might need to spend hours looking through the code line by line to resolve a matter. Being detail-oriented can assist you in resolving difficulties and preventing them from recurring.
• Teamwork. Team members with diverse abilities collaborate to develop a system. You must be able to cooperate with other engineers, developers, and non-technical coworkers who utilize your hardware and apps as a software engineer. This comprises the ability to communicate effectively with others and the ability to listen to and learn from your colleagues.
• Adaptability. This refers to your adaptability and eagerness to acquire new skills or work in different settings. Technology evolves quickly, and as a software engineer, you will face further difficulties regularly. Your capacity to pick up new abilities and adjust to change can be critical to the achievement of your efforts.

Requirements for Software Developers to Immigrate to the US

Key Hard Skills

Hard skills are the unique talents required to flourish in a particular career. For example, graphic artists must be artistic, surgeons must have excellent hand-eye coordination, and software engineers must be fluent in the major programming languages mentioned below.

• ASP.NET. It is a free and open software framework. ASP.NET enables users to create software apps and services using ASP.NET. Users may utilize these tools to create HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS websites. People may learn about open-source and cross-platform possibilities for building modern cloud-based software applications on the website, including Linux, Windows, and Mac.
• JavaScript. JavaScript is a high-end, interpreted programming language that adheres to the ECMAScript standard. JavaScript language is considered fluid, multi-paradigm, and weakly structured. It is one of the three essential technologies of the World Wide Web and HTML and CSS.
• Java. Java is a general-purpose language for programming activities and has class-based, concurrent, and object-oriented functionalities. Java was developed to decrease implementation dependencies, allowing software engineers to “write once, execute anywhere.” Java is one of the most common programming languages, particularly for client-server software applications.
• C#. With its widespread use and support for various paradigms, C# covers imperative programming, strong typing, functional programming, declarative programming, object-oriented programming, component-oriented programming, and generic programming. ISO and ECMA approved C# as a standard after Microsoft developed it as part of the .NET initiative.
• Python. Python is a general-purpose, elevated language for programming purposes that is interpreted. Python’s design philosophy stresses code readability through extensive whitespace and explicit programming on big and small scales.

The list above includes several significant programming languages that software developers can utilize, but prospective software developers can also study various other languages. You may require to become fluent in additional languages depending on the career, sector, and expertise you intend to pursue. Consider popular programming languages, including Ruby, Scala, and TypeScript, as you investigate your possibilities.

Key Soft Skills

Aside from computer coding, you may be wondering what talents a software developer possesses. Like many other vocations, software development involves both hard and soft skills. Developers must be able to collaborate with others, understand how things work, and think through complicated challenges.

• Communication: To accomplish their work successfully, developers must efficiently interact with clients, colleagues, supervisors, and staff in non-technical areas.
• Teamwork: Software engineers frequently collaborate in groups to plan, create, and build projects. They must successfully work with others, receive constructive comments, and participate in meetings.
• Problem-Solving: A software developer’s duties include resolving issues discovered by computer programmers or consumers. To guarantee that software runs appropriately, they must have excellent problem-solving skills.
• Detail-Oriented Sensibilities: The most excellent software engineers have detail-oriented sensibilities that allow them to discover and trace minor errors in code. They must also be able to change their focus from the large picture to the minute details.

US Nonimmigrant (temporary) Visas For Foreign Software Engineers or Developers

IT experts frequently relocate to the US by acquiring temporary nonimmigrant visas. They can then apply for a US Green Card if they match the conditions. But first, let’s take a look at the US nonimmigrant visas that are accessible to IT workers and the reasons for acquiring them.

H-1B Visa for Programmers

The H-1B visa is one of the most often used visas for employing foreign IT professionals. A foreigner must complete all criteria for the post held, including a bachelor’s degree (or its equal in years of labor) or higher in an area linked to his kind of activity. In addition, when submitting documentation, the employer must establish that he gives at least the market salary for this sort of job.

Software engineers and database developers are common H-1B visa professions in many IT firms. System administrators and computer systems analysts might be accepted for H-1B visas occasionally, but not always. Most entry-level computer programmers and computer support workers are ineligible for H-1B status.

The yearly limit on the number of H-1B visa seats available is a significant concern for most firms wishing to sponsor an H-1B worker.

The H-1B visa is typically valid for three years. Therefore, the maximum term of residence in the nation on this visa is usually 6 years. But, if the employee files for a permanent residence visa, a temporary extension is allowed (Green Card).

L-1 Visa for IT Professionals

For people wishing to work in an affiliated position for an American company who have held a highly specialized position outside the United States for at least 12 months in the past three years, the L-1 visa category may be the best option.

For an L-1 visa to be granted, a company must demonstrate that its IT professionals possess more expertise than average. Especially for IT workers, this category is receiving scrutiny, just like H-1Bs. In some circumstances, nevertheless, it can be a good option for software developers or managers working in a similar position in the United States.

L-1 visas have the advantage of not having any restrictions on their number. L-1A visas are valid for seven years for managers and executives (the first three years are free to use, and the next two years are extended twice). Those of the L-1B category who are narrowly focused have a five-year total period (three years for the initial visa plus two years to renew).

O-1 Visa for IT Pros with Extraordinary Ability

Some professionals may be eligible for the O-1 visa, which is designed for people with exceptional skills or success. You must fulfill at least three conditions to receive this visa below:

• Have national (or, better still, worldwide) awards for excellent achievements in the field of information technology.
• To be a member of a group or organization that demands specific IT skills and achievements, enroll.
• Be recognized in professional or significant journals, newspapers, or magazines.
• Publish your work in professional or significant journals, newspapers, or magazines.
• Contribute scientifically to the advancement of the IT profession.
• Have a large salary.
• Take part as a judge or mentor at IT conferences or big contests.

To work as a critical expert in a significant and well-known IT firm, organization, or institution. The O-1 visa is typically valid for three years. It may be a suitable option for academics and entrepreneurs who have made significant contributions to the field of information technology.

F-1 Visa for IT Students

International students in the US are granted F-1 visas and can only work in extremely limited circumstances. However, students are permitted to work in the United States for one year after graduating from a US university by submitting Optional Practical Training (OPT) documentation.

As a result, graduates with an IT concentration can work for any firm in the United States if their job is directly connected to the information they obtained during their studies. In addition, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science) graduates may be able to request permission to extend their OPT for another 24 months under certain circumstances.

B-1 visa

Foreign people can get a B-1 visa for short-term business trips to the US. Consulting with colleagues, participating in short-term training programs, attending conferences or conferences, or contracting are considered acceptable activities. B-1 status may be maintained for a maximum of one year.

US Green Card For Foreign Software Engineer or Developer

The nonimmigrant visa types listed above are just temporary. An employee with one of these visas is only permitted to work in the US for a limited time. If the firm wishes to recruit an employee for an extended length of time, it must sponsor him for permanent residence status, often known as a Green Card. This status permits a foreign national to remain and work in the US legally.

Obtaining a US Green Card For Foreign Software Engineer or Developer

Because attaining permanent resident status can take many years, companies typically start the application process during the first 2 years of an employee’s temporary visa. In general, the process of acquiring a Green Card is divided into three stages:

Step one: Labor certification PERM (Program electronic review management)

The PERM job certification procedure requires employers to make a good faith attempt to hire employees to demonstrate that there is no more qualified foreigner for the post among US residents. The employer must also show that he is providing competitive salaries.

Step two: Petition I-140

Following the completion of the PERM procedure, the employer files an I-140 application. The I-140 petition procedure verifies that the foreign national fits the job qualifications and that the business is prepared to pay the requisite compensation.

Step three: Statement I-485

Waiting for a Green Card might take a few months to many years. After that, an I-485 application is completed, and Green Cards are awarded to the employee and their immediate family.

Only a few IT experts are allowed to bypass the PERM labor certification phase. In their instance, the process of acquiring a Green Card starts with the submission of an I-140 petition. Unfortunately, this decreased filing option is available to just three types of employees.

US Immigrant Visas for Priority IT Professionals

If an IT specialist has done a fantastic job and has reached the height of their career, they can apply for an EB-1 immigrant visa right away. Although this visa category is not typical for IT workers, it will be a fantastic alternative for an expert with exceptional abilities in Information Technology to relocate to America.

Software Engineering Jobs and Salaries in the US

Professional software engineers in the application and system aspects are generously rewarded for the value they produce due to intense market demands and their professional abilities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual compensation for application developers is $105,310, while the median yearly salary for systems developers is $110,140.

Of course, employment as an applications and systems developer are not the only ones accessible in the computer science community. Mobile developers, application architects, quality assurance analysts, and database administrators are prevalent positions.

How Much Does a Software Developer Make?

The field of software developers is expanding in terms of both compensation and employment volume. According to the BLS, the software development profession will grow by around 22% by 2030, with 409,500 new employment. In comparison, computer vocations are expected to expand at a rate of 13%.

In 2020, the median pay for Software Developers was $110,140. The highest-paid quarter earned $140,470 that year, while the lowest-paid quarter earned $84,020.

Best-Paying Cities for Software Developers

The highest-paying urban regions for software developers include San Jose, San Francisco, Seattle, Wenatchee, and Oxnard.

The Best-Paying States for Software Developers

In terms of mean salaries, Washington, California, New York, Massachusetts, and DC have the highest means for Software Developers ($138,400, $137,620, $122,300, and $119,790, respectively).

Software Developer Salary by Place of Employment in the US

A software developer’s income is affected by characteristics such as specialty, industry, employer or the company of employment, and area and education.

Working in these sectors, software developers earn the highest average yearly salary:

• Inland water transportation ($243,130)
• Independent artists, authors, and performers ($187,070) 
• Sporting equipment, hobby, and musical instrument stores ($146,630)
• Production of computer and associated equipment ($145,800)
• Electronics and appliance stores ($137,170)

Geographic location has a significant impact on software developers’ income. For example, software engineers earn a median pay of $142,000 in the San Francisco Bay Area but only $88,000 in Detroit.