LOL, indeed.
I remember seeing a stack of papers no thinner than a quarter of an inch, just for the H1-B filing, and it included an extensive survey the employer had to fill with the assistance of a legal expert because of the myriad definitions and choices that had to be carefully pored over before checking any box. And after all that, this year had a computerized random lottery determining whether the application would be considered at all, in the first place.
“Premium” processing was about $3000 extra, and the government agencies expedited the evaluation from 2-3 months to a few weeks. The company was desperate to keep the engineers and the whole project could’ve been affected seriously if they didn’t have a smooth visa transition process (they’d have had to go home, and it’s not uncommon for that to happen).
Lawyers make laws to perpetuate the demand for the legal profession.
Just for our production company to process an entertainment visa for an overseas artist takes at least 10 pages of mumbo jumbo legalese and that requires an immigration attorney. On another note, My GF who is also canadian, contemplated applying for citizenship status as she’s already eligible in years required BUT only if Romney won. She’ll probably end up like my other canadian friend here who is a repeat green-card holder and does not want to upgrade.