A prominent US daily has taken an unusual step of raising $15,000 to carry out a comprehensive multimedia reporting project on H-1B visas, looking at the prospective immigrants who want them and the companies that stand to benefit from loosening of regulations.
San Francisco Chronicle said it raised $15,000 which would be used to spend on doing the story through more than 200 individuals and in a little over two weeks on H-1B visas - that remain highly popular among IT professionals from countries like India.
“We don't want to explore the pro/con arguments. We want to bring you the stories of the people affected,” it said.
“We know that the H-1B visa matters to our readers in Northern California. Through this project, we're going to get the resources to do the reporting that's missing on this issue – a deep look at the lives of workers who successfully get a visa, and what happens to those who miss out,” the daily said. “Our reporting starts in the Bay Area, but we'll follow the story abroad, too. We know that families back home are just as affected by the outcome of a visa application, so we'll work to bring you their stories as well,” the daily said indicating that its reporters would travel to India for the story.