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Columbia University alumnus Hongli Lan will have no choice but to leave the United States if he loses the H-1B visa lottery again this year.
The young Chinese quantitative analyst, who says he graduated in 2014 with a master’s degree in Mathematics of Finance and GPA of 3.9, was just ready to get his feet wet on Wall Street before a letter from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) notified him of the H-1B lottery rejection.
“Certainly it’s not fair,” Lan told CNBC.
“Chances of winning the lottery are too low for Chinese students and I don’t see how the current system benefits high-skilled workers.”
The H-1B non-immigrant visa programme is meant for specialised workers attached to local employers who say they cannot find enough American employees with the right skills.
But because of the high interest in those passes, a lottery system chooses who gets a visa.
And to further complicate matters for visa-seekers, indications coming out of President Donald Trump’s administration point to a potential tightening of the programme in order to force more domestic hiring of American citizens. (For what it’s worth, firms are required to attest that they pay H-1B recipients the same wages they would have for a similar American employee.)
In 2016, as US unemployment rates hit multi-year lows, the H-1B visa programme was heavily oversubscribed: 236,000 petitions were received by the USCIS – about three times as much as the programme’s regular cap of 65,000 plus master’s cap of 20,000.
In other words, approximately two out of every three petitioners did not win a visa, regardless of how promising their career future may have been in the US
Fortunately, an eligible STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degree allows Lan to stay and work in the US for up to 3 years, so he still has a second chance.
However, predicting 2017 to be another high-demand year with a likely H-1B lottery on the horizon, the 27-year-old is picturing a plan B.
“Going back to China right now is not my first choice due to the nature of the industry I’m working in [quantitative investment],” said Lan. “I might go to Singapore or Hong Kong instead.”
Back to Asia: From plan B to plan A
Lan’s picks might be shared by many unlucky Chinese elites who lose the H-1B lottery and have to be relocated to their companies’ overseas offices. Among the young professionals returning to Asia was Georgetown University graduate Rui Deng.
In 2014, Deng lost the visa lottery and had to leave the US After carefully evaluating locations where her company had set up international offices, she picked Singapore.
“I’m Chinese, so working in Singapore while covering our company’s Greater China businesses is very relevant to my expertise,” Deng told CNBC over email.
However, Deng said she considers Singapore a temporary stop before moving back to Washington D.C., adding that she had always viewed the city-state as her plan B until the second H-1B lottery rejection letter came in 2015.
“I was very excited when I first came to Singapore because I thought it would just be a short stay,” said Deng.
“I thought I could go back to the US after the second lottery so I could be with my husband in D.C.”
“I wasn’t prepared at all for the second lottery failure. But when it happened, I just realised I might never go back again,” she added.
Deng then decided not to further waste her time betting on the lottery system, but to start focusing her career and life plan in Singapore, making it her plan A.
Three years after moving back to Asia, Deng, now 27, is a senior advisor at a corporate solutions company and says she enjoys her life in Southeast Asia.
“My husband moved here too. We have travelled to quite some Southeast Asian countries, and it’s very convenient to go back to China too,” she said.
A returning trend
In addition to professionals like Deng, who are relocated back to Asia due to H-1B rejections, many high-skilled personnel with overseas education backgrounds are returning for the rising opportunities in the region.
A report released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences showed that only 30 per cent of Chinese students studying abroad between 1978 and 2006 chose to return to China after graduation.
That figure has jumped nearly a decade later: According to data provided by China’s Ministry of Education, more than 500,000 Chinese students went overseas for education in 2015, and another 400,000 returned home.
“In recent years, the connection between China’s domestic job market and global talent market has established and strengthened,” said Shun Hou, HR manager at Wyser, a staffing and recruiting company.
“It’s easier to become a middle-class person in the US, but regarding greater opportunities, the US market is becoming less appealing for Chinese students.”
And China appears to be growing more attractive.
A Chinese government survey conducted in 2016 found that nearly half of survey participants wanted to work in China’s leading cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
This survey result is in line with Hou’s observation.
“For positions at big companies, the salary gap between China and the US is narrowing while career paths in China are more attractive,” Hou told CNBC in a phone interview.
“China’s multinational companies are craving bilingual talents and Chinese students abroad see this trend.”
Opportunity cost is getting higher
Low odds of winning the H-1B lottery and fears of tightening immigration policies under the Trump administration are both helping China lure more top talents back home, according to Hou.
US immigration authorities said the Premium Processing Service of H-1B visas, which allowed petitioners to pay extra $1,225 (S$1708) to request faster approval, will be not available this year.
And to some, those extra few months could make a big difference.
“Many students will return to China immediately after graduation without even trying to find jobs in the US because they don’t want to miss out on the summer recruitment season back home,” Hou explained.
“The opportunity cost is getting higher to stay in the US – you spend one year to find a job, and wait another half year to find yourself fail the lottery.”
But for Lan, waiting is the only option for now.
“It’s a one-time shot: Win the lottery this year, or get out of here,” he said.
When a woman discovered her husband had videos of her friends in bathrooms on his mobile phone, she reported him to the police.
Kevin Chin Thain Min, 35, was arrested on March 3 last year.
Yesterday, he was sentenced to 14 days’ short detention order – a community-based sentencing.
He had pleaded guilty to four counts of insulting modesty and one each of theft and house trespass. Another 12 charges were considered.
The court heard that the freelance motoring journalist had filmed two women he had developed a crush on.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Yanying said that sometime in June 2014, Chin stole the key to a friend’s home.
Between October and December 2014, he used the key to enter her home and installed the camera inside a small crack in the bathroom’s false ceiling. As a result, he was able to record videos of the woman in the shower and undressing.
Chin also developed a “crush” on another female friend and had planned secretly to film her in various states of undress or take upskirt videos of her when giving her a lift in his car.
Sometime in June 2014, he invited the second victim to his home and secretly filmed her using the toilet.
In another incident involving the second victim, the court heard that Chin was with her in a test car when he used a mobile phone to record a video of her undergarments.
Chin’s wife found videos and images of her female friends, including the first victim, when she was using his mobile phone in July 2015.
She later found that he had placed various spy cameras, some of which were hidden in everyday household items, and kept an assortment of women’s underwear.
She reported him to the police.
His lawyer Tan Hee Joek said the father of one, who is now not working, suffers from two types of paraphilic disorder – voyeuristic and fetishistic disorder, which a psychiatrist said caused him to commit the offences.
He said Chin is being treated and attending therapy and counselling. Chin’s wife, a legal counsel, has forgiven him.
This article by The Straits Times was published in The New Paper, a free newspaper published by Singapore Press Holdings.
Written by Cultural Medallion recipient Haresh Sharma and produced by stage veteran Tan Kheng Hua, this big-budget project has also populated its enviable cast with some of Singapore theatre’s most recognizable names.
Featuring Brendon Fernandez, Seong Huixuan, Sharda Harrison, Mitch Lagos, Joshua Lim, Siti Khalijah Zainal, and Audrey Luo, alongside Lim Yu-Beng, Rizman Putra (frontman of Tiramisu and NADA), Ebi Shankara and Karen Tan – Tropicana the Musical looks set to be a star-studded spectacle.
Get your tickets through SISTIC at http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/ctropi0417 now!
Tropicana the Musical is a lavish production that takes you to back the heyday of Singapore’s first world-class cabaret.
SINGAPORE – Singapore’s only panda family might soon welcome a new member, if Kai Kai and Jia Jia, the two pandas housed at the River Safari’s Giant Panda Forest, successfully mate.
This will be the giant pandas’ third attempt at natural mating. Their previous attempts in 2015 and 2016 proved fruitless, while attempts at artificial insemination also failed.
But the pandas are not the only ones working hard this mating season, which typically occurs from March to May.
Keepers at the River Safari have also finetuned their techniques to stimulate the pandas’ mating instincts, said the Wildlife Reserves of Singapore (WRS).
These methods include moving the pandas – which were housed separately – into each others exhibits last November, to stimulate hormonal changes when the pandas smell the scent of the opposite gender. Previously, the move was done two months later, in January to prepare the pandas for mating.
The temperature and daylight hours at the 1,500 sq m park – specially designed to resemble the natural habitat of the pandas in Sichuan, China – have also been adjusted to replicate the seasonal transition from winter to spring in their homeland and trigger the breeding cycle of the pair.
Photo Gallery
During an annual check-up – which included collecting urine samples, dental and eye checks, as well as x-rays of female Jia Jia’s abdomen – veterinarians also gave both pandas a clean bill of health.
While the pandas will be courting in full view of visitors to the park, the actual deed will be done behind closed doors.
Once Jia Jia’s oestrogen level drops, the giant pandas will be taken out of their respective exhibits for three days to allow natural mating in the dens, said WRS.
However, should this attempt prove unsuccessful, veterinarians have again collected Kai Kai’s semen via electro-ejaculation for artificial insemination to increase the chances of breeding the pandas.
This article was first published on March 27, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Visiting property showrooms could soon become a thing of the past.
Thanks to virtual reality (VR), you can now view certain showflats anywhere with a VR headset.
This concept was used by creative technology start-up Immersively for the upcoming Marina One mixed development.
Its founder and creative technologist, Mr Lionel Chok, told The New Paper that it took them about a month to film the showflat using a 360-degree camera and piecing everything into a VR programme.
On top of VR showrooms, Immersively also creates visual content for exhibitions.
Read also: SMEs to get more help in going digital
Last year, it launched virtual reality exhibitions for NTUC – where they showcased a two-minute VR story on Singapore’s use of technology and innovation that was presented to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing – and for the Singapore Tourism Board on ethnicities in Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam.
Mr Chok’s company is just one of a growing number of firms here leveraging on VR to improve their businesses and productivity.
SMES
Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat had announced in his Budget 2017 speech on Feb 20 that small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) will get over $80 million to go digital with a new SMEs Go Digital Programme, nudging businesses towards digital technology.
The Business Times reported in December that Commune, a subsidiary of Singapore-listed furniture maker Koda, is using VR and 3D-planning services at its retail store.
It is said to be the first such services offered by a furniture player here.
Australia-listed property developer Lendlease also created a VR mock-up for its $3.2 billion Paya Lebar Quarter urban regeneration mixed-use development.
Mr Richard Paine, managing director of Paya Lebar Quarter by Landlease, told TNP that their VR mock-up model took about a year to build.
Clients found the VR model to be far more immersive and multi-dimensional than an artist’s impression, as it conveyed space and depth, he said, adding that VR is already widely used in property markets in the US and the UK.
“VR is the logical next step in adding value to our project after images, artist impressions and blueprints.
“It has the potential of showcasing expected views of the property from different angles, floors and buildings, which would have been far too costly to showcase through the building of multiple show suites,” he said.
Mr Paine also said VR is only used by high-end property developments at the moment, but he predicted a greater acceptance of the technology by realtors in the next few years.
This should bring down the cost of engineering these virtual tours, making it widely used by the mass market, he said.
He declined to share how much it cost to build the Paya Lebar Quarter VR model.
Mr Chok said VR can be the answer for companies looking to branch out and improve on their core businesses.
“You can use it as a platform model, which is to build a new platform for your business, or as a serving model to improve your company’s marketability.
“I can see it being used in more than just games – education, marketing, training simulation and more.
“It is more interactive and empowering than any medium we have today, and we should embrace it,” he said.
This article was first published on MAr 28, 2017.
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SINGAPORE – A 56-year-old man died in his sleep at an Ang Mo Kio coffee shop on Sunday (March 26) afternoon.
In a bizarre turn of events, his death was not discovered for a number of hours as the body sat slumped at one of the tables.
This, despite one of his friends sitting at the same table for about an hour.
The friend, who only wanted to be known as Mr Goh, told Shin Min Daily News that he had arrived at the Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 coffee shop at around 4pm.
“I thought he was sleeping and did not want to disturb him, so I sat by his side for an hour without calling out to him before buying my meal at about 5pm and going home,” said Mr Goh.
“I did not expect to learn of his death just a short while later.”
The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received an alert at 5.37pm and dispatched an ambulance to the coffee shop.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
Police added that investigations are ongoing.
According to Shin Min’s report, the deceased, who went by the Mandarin nickname “Gou Di” (or Dog Brother), was a regular at the coffee shop and had arrived around 1pm.
He then told other regulars that he had just taken some medicine that made him sleepy and would take a nap.
The man’s condition was discovered by one of the coffee shop’s attendants who noticed that the man’s head had not moved for two to three hours.
Upon seeing the man’s pale complexion, the attendant called for an ambulance.
This article was first published on March 27, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Despite the record number of retrenchments last year, counsellors have not been seeing an increase in retrenched workers beating a path to their doors – at least not yet.
There were 19,170 layoffs last year, compared to 15,580 in 2015. This figure has been rising since 2010.
Unemployment also rose, with the annual average unemployment rate last year rising to 2.1 per cent overall, up from 1.9 per cent the year before, making it the highest since 2010.
Counsellors said it might be too soon for affected workers to start streaming in.
Read also: Brighter outlook for Singapore’s trade-dependent sectors, dimmer prospects at home
Mr Jonathan Siew, a counsellor with Care Corner Counselling Centre, said that two years after the 2007 financial crisis, he saw a spike in people who were depressed or anxious because they had yet to find a job.
He said: “Those who come for counselling usually have been jobless for a year or more, and the prolonged unemployment usually causes anxiety and despair.
“If they are also struggling with a deep sense of shame and guilt and are coping ineffectively, they will just get more anxious and depressed.”
Read also: Spirit of giving still strong despite challenging economy: DPM Teo
Most workers suffer from stress and grief after being retrenched or forced to resign, said FaithActs counsellor Michael Tiew, who has 20 years of counselling experience.
Not all of them turn to counselling, often because of the costs and social stigma involved, he added.
“After they lose their jobs, going for counselling is the last thing on their minds. Normally they are thinking about what to do next.” he said.
A Ministry of Manpower spokesman said individuals who have been retrenched or think they are at risk of being retrenched are encouraged to contact Workforce Singapore (WSG) or the NTUC e2i career centres for assistance.
“Through WSG and e2i, individuals will be able to access a suite of employment services and programmes, including enlisting the help of career coaches, to help them find employment,” the spokesman said.
“Career coaches are certified career development facilitators with skills in group facilitation, basic counselling, as well as use of psychometric and career matching tools. They can proactively motivate individuals to discover their strengths for future employment.”
In NTUC’s Pivot programme, which was launched on March 13, over 60 volunteers from 16 industries will share their experience and provide emotional support to jobseekers.
It also provides opportunities for them to meet career coaches, attend talks by industry associations, get training in soft and technical skills and be matched to suitable jobs.
Counsellors encourage individuals in need of a listening ear to come to them.
Mr Siew said: “If they are feeling increasingly anxious or depressed, or even easily irritated, I would recommend they speak to a counsellor who may not be able to assist them on job searching but can help them manage their emotions and cope better.
“…Unemployment is more than an personal issue, it actually affects everyone in the family.”
Counsellor: Set realistic expectations
Two months after he was asked to resign from his job as an engineering project manager in April last year, Mr Tan, now 45, was still feeling distressed and worried. He decided to approach a counsellor for a listening ear.
Mr Michael Tiew of FaithActs advised him to set realistic expectations for his family, but to expect a less than positive response.
It took Mr Tan at least a month to work up the courage to call for a family meeting.
For someone who used to make more than $8,000 a month, Mr Tan had to cut back on luxury expenses like eating at expensive restaurants.
His children, who are in university, were also shocked at having to take a pocket money cut at first.
But after a few months, his family adjusted to the changes and rallied around him.
Mr Tan is now driving a private-hire car, and is happy to have more time for his family and himself.
This article was first published on Mar 28, 2017.
Get The New Paper for more stories.
KUALA LUMPUR – International star Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh will be conferred the Commander of the Legion of Honour – the highest honour to a non-French citizen – during a ceremony which coincides with the visit of French President Francois Hollande.
According to the programme summary of Hollande’s visit, the conferment ceremony will be held at the official residence of the French Ambassador here this evening.
Hollande also plans to meet the French community here during the reception before departing for a state banquet at Istana Negara.
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (Legion d’Honneur) is the highest decoration in France and rewards men and women, French or foreigners, for their exemplary services rendered to France or to the causes supported by France.
Established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, it is divided into five ranks: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand Croix (Grand Cross).
Commandeur of the Legion d’Honneur is the highest honour that the French government can award to a non-French citizen.
Yeoh, 54, was first awarded the Chevalier title in 2007, and subsequently the Officier in 2012.
Other Malaysians who have been awarded the Commander title are the Sultan of Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin when he was the 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and AirAsia group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.
The Ipoh-born Yeoh studied dance and martial arts before being crowned Miss Malaysia/World in 1983 that led to a commercial with action star Jackie Chan, and then a film career in Hong Kong.
She is best known in the Western world for her roles in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, and in the 2000 blockbuster Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for which she was nominated for best actress at the Bafta Awards, Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards.
It is understood that Yeoh is back for the ceremony from Toronto, where she is filming the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery TV series, in which she plays Captain Georgiou of the starship Shenzhou.
The show will be released later this year.
Cyclists will be able to travel safely alongside cars from April 22 when the island’s first on-road bicycle lane opens in Changi East.
There will be a 10km-long dedicated 2m-wide lane for two-wheelers on both sides of the extended Tanah Merah Coast Road.
The bicycle lane, which can fit two cyclists riding abreast, will be demarcated from the vehicular carriageway.
Raised chevron-shaped markings will help alert motorists when they veer into it and red markings will also alert cyclists to look out for turning vehicles.
Read also: Six teen cyclists to undergo surgery
The cycling lane will also divert behind bus stops to minimise interaction between buses and cyclists.
While on-road cycling lanes were launched in Sentosa last year, this is the first time they will be on a public road on the mainland.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that new bicycle lanes will provide an alternative for cyclists who frequent the 6km Changi Coast Road, which will close on April 22.
The LTA made clear, however, that it does not have plans to build more on-road cycling lanes.
Read also: 8 teens dead after horror JB crash involving car and cyclists
“Given the lack of land in Singapore, LTA will focus on building off-road cycling paths. They are much safer for the majority of cyclists and personal mobility device users,” said a spokesman.
Under the National Cycling Plan, the Government will build 700km of cycling paths by 2030 – in a bid to reduce car usage.
While neighbourhoods such as Tampines have cycling paths, these are separated from the road infrastructure.
Works to extend and widen Tanah Merah Coast Road, which started in 2014, are to facilitate construction of a third runway at the airport and Terminal 5.
The road was widened from a dual two-lane road to a three-lane road and extended to hug the eastern coastline and link to Aviation Park Road.
There will be a new park connector running along the extended Tanah Merah Coast Road, linking the one coming from East Coast Park and the other at Aviation Park Road.
Secretary-general of the Safe Cycling Task Force, Mr Tham Chen Munn, said while the lanes were useful, more education may be needed.
“There’ll be situations when cyclists need to overtake and encroach into the road space. Will the motorists give way? There perhaps need to be more education and clarity here,” he said.
This article by The Straits Times was published in The New Paper, a free newspaper published by Singapore Press Holdings.
