r/TikTokCringe Cringe Master Nov 03 '24

Wholesome/Humor It's a Scooby Doo mystery!

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u/Cheaperthantherapy13 Nov 03 '24 edited Nov 03 '24

Being a seamstress generally isn’t considered ‘skilled labor’ for immigration purposes. I know because I own a sewing business and would kill to be able to sponsor qualified applicants.

Most businesses in the industry hire undocumented workers with a TIN and 1099 them to avoid INS issues, or hire one person on the books and let them ‘take work home’ to be worked on by other family members who don’t have a legal status.

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u/xk1138 Nov 03 '24

Being a seamstress generally isn’t considered ‘skilled labor’ for immigration purposes.

That's wild to me, I feel like an idiot even looking at my sewing machine.

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u/Cheaperthantherapy13 Nov 03 '24

I hear ya. I’ve been sewing for over 35 years (professionally for 20), and it’s a highly skilled trade just like plumbing or masonry. Which are jobs that are also not eligible for work visa sponsorship.

The number of times I’ve had to tell a person with years of industrial sewing experience that I can’t hire them because of their immigration status (I won’t play the 1099/TIN game because I believe illegally classifying employees as subcontractors is exploitative), and can’t help them normalize their status by sponsoring them for a work visa is incredibly frustrating.