ESA Lobbying For More Work Visas And Green Cards

The Entertainment Software Association is pushing to get more H1-B visas and green cards for highly skilled workers to be allowed to come to the USA and work in the software/video game industry. From April to June the ESA spent nearly one million dollars lobbying various officials and politicians to increase the ability for software developers to recruit workers from countries outside the USA. With video games being one of the few industries to continue growing in the face of global economic woes, the ESA is likely feeling pressured to keep successful development studios in the USA and ensure that they can continue to get the skilled labor they need. An H1-B visa allows a non-US citizen to live in and work in the USA for up to six years and some games take that long to be developed and polished.