The demand for talented overseas employees to work in the USA has been highlighted by the fact that Microsoft is planning a development centre north of the border, in Canada.

The software manufacturing giant is a leading recruiter of educated foreigners via the H1B programme and attracts thousands of so-called ‘aliens’ to work in the USA every year.

Founder Bill Gates has been lobbying the Senate for years in a bid to boost the number of H1B visas issued to overseas talent.

This type of permit is particularly useful to the IT industry, as it only applies to foreigners with masters degrees earned in the States.

The latest move by Microsoft sends a thinly-veiled message to senators, drawing attention to the desperate need for IT experts to work in the USA software industry.

Contributed by J.Bevan