Episode 99 - $100K Visas, Vanishing Talent & the Politics of Immigration: What Recruiters Must Know with Hung Lee

When immigration policy collides with hiring reality...today, we're unpacking the true cost of the $100K H-1B visa fee, why mid-sized firms are being squeezed out, and how global labor trends are shaking up recruitment. It's not just about visas, it's about survival.

In this very raw and real episode of Talent Titans, Suky sits down with recruiting industry thought leader and brain behind Recruiting Brainfood, Hung Lee, to dissect the chaos surrounding U.S. immigration policy, especially the proposed $100,000 H-1B visa fee. From the real-world impact on small and mid-sized staffing firms to the human toll on workers and families, this is a raw, insightful look at what happens when politics, business, and global talent collide.

Key Moments:

• 00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message

• 00:40 Guest Introduction: Meet Hung

• 02:10 The Reality of Online Information

• 05:22 Challenges in the Job Market

• 07:04 H-1B Visa Controversy

• 08:58 Impact on Mid-Sized Companies

• 10:53 Ambiguity and Risk for H-1B Holders

• 19:50 Global Trends in Immigration Policies

• 25:14 Canada's Opportunity Amidst US Visa Issues

• 28:17 Challenges of Distributing Immigrants in Rural Areas

• 30:10 Personal Story: Encountering Racism in a Rural Pub

• 31:46 Economic Benefits of Immigrants

• 33:49 Political and Cultural Clashes in Immigration

• 34:38 Demographic Challenges and Economic Solutions

• 40:12 Impact of Political Decisions on Immigration

• 44:24 Adapting to a Volatile Global Environment

• 55:43 Final Thoughts and Advice

Favorite Quote:

"When the cost of labor rises, you don't always get paid more, the job might just vanish."

• Hung

Connect with Hung:

Hung Lee is the Editor of leading industry newsletter Recruiting Brainfood.

He is an industry professional with over 20 years experience as an agency recruiter, Recruitment manager, Internal Head of Talent, recruitment trainer, founder of award winning online recruiting platform WorkShape.io, and now Editor and Community builder at Recruiting Brainfood - the best weekly newsletter in recruitment.

Hung lives and works in London.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunglee/

Website: http://www.recruitingbrainfood.com/

The Recruiting Brainfood Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3dFBspf9jXwpnJPLwSd72u

Connect with Suky:

I'm Suky an adrenaline junkie who celebrates every single win. I believe we must celebrate and collect all our wins along the way as it fuels forward momentum to ensure we exceed our goals. When we fuel forward momentum, complacency simply can not settle in.

With over 25 years of experience working in the staffing industry, 16 of those working with global recruitment companies, I bring the knowledge and experience of working in 18 countries and successfully navigating through numerous "recession" cycles.

Companies often get so focused on the bottom line that they forget that we are in the "people business". For me, the magic happens when my clients recognize the best way to create a truly sustainable high-performance sales culture is to align both.

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Talent Titans is sponsored by Ascen. Ascen is an employer of record that helps staffing and recruitment agencies hire employees compliantly throughout the US and Canada. Ascen's all-in-one, white-label platform handles onboarding, timesheets, payroll, benefits, insurance, invoicing, and funding so you can grow quickly in the US and Canada without worrying about back office and paperwork. Visit ascen.com to learn more.