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Employer Tips

Immigration: How it Affects Manpower Availability 

With our industry’s human resource needs at an all time high, qualified candidates are becoming increasingly difficult to locate.  There are many highly qualified professionals outside of the U.S., in countries all around the world.  The issues surrounding immigration into the U.S. makes it difficult to add these candidates’ talents to the U.S. work force, where they are very much needed. 

Immigration is one of the hottest issues in the U.S. today.  Not only has it been the number one discussion among Congress, it has helped jump start the globalization of numerous companies. Congress establishes the number of immigrants who are allowed into the U.S. each year.  The Department of State distributes visa numbers according to priority date and preference.  The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for immigration policies, procedures, implementation, and enforcement of U.S. laws. 

Two common types of visas are H-1B and TN.  According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration services:

The H-1B non-immigrant visa category allows U.S. employers to augment the existing labor force with highly skilled, temporary workers.

• The current annual cap on the H-1B category is 65,000 people, and this maximum is usually met on the deadline submittal date.

• An additional 20,000 H-1B visas are issued for those with a Master’s or higher level degree from a U.S. academic institution.

• H-1B workers are admitted to the U.S. for an initial period of three years, which may be extended for an additional three years.

• Individuals can not apply for an H-1B visa to allow them to work in the US. The employer must petition for entry of the employee.

• H-1B non-immigrants may change jobs upon the filing of a new petition by the new employer as long as the individual is in lawful status at the time of filing and has not engaged in any unauthorized employment since his or her last lawful admission.

The TN was established through the NAFTA agreement whereas Canadian (TN-1) and Mexican (TN-2) professionals may enter the U.S. to engage in professional business activities on a temporary basis.  The category allows for admission of individuals for the purpose of working for a U.S. employer as a professional engaged in one of the designated occupations as specified under NAFTA, and they must possess the education credentials for the listed profession. 

• TN beneficiaries are admitted to the U.S. under TN status for a one year period, even if the position is not for one year.

• TN classification can be conferred only upon persons seeking temporary entry without the intent to establish permanent residence in the U.S.  If the beneficiary wishes to permanently reside in the United States, a TN to green card procedure is possible.

• TN-1 holders have two choices when renewing their TN status: back to the border or file with USCIS and remain in the U.S.

• To be eligible for a TN visa, you must prove that  

1. You are a Canadian or Mexican citizen

2. The profession is on the NAFTA list

3. You have a valid job offer from a U.S. employer

4. You hold the required licenses, degrees and/or experience to perform the job offered

5. You intend to depart the U.S. on completion of your authorized stay

If you are willing to add talent to your workforce through immigration, the pool of talent from which you can choose expands dramatically.  Legal advice on regulations, costs, and procedures is recommended and available.  Resources concerning these visas are available on the Department of Labor's website.  Other informational websites concerning visas and immigration are: the USCIS Website; and the Department of State's visa website.

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Talent Pool

The following biographies are just a small sampling of the kind of talent available in our talent pool of 14,000 experts.  Please call our placement managers if you are interested in learning more about these professionals, or check out our website for more candidates.

Geoscientist who is articulate and detail oriented with 15 years of experience and a master's of science degree in geology.  This candidate has strong analytical skills and a diverse technical background in the oil & gas industry with a demonstrated ability to work productively and resourcefully in a proactive, results-oriented team environment.  Domestic and international experience includes basin evaluation, prospect generation, and wellsite operations. Geographic experience includes areas of the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf coast, Louisiana, Mexico, and Egypt.  Extensive workstation experience using AVO Modeling, Geographix, Landmark, Seisworks, and Oracle.  Ask for G432.

Senior Landman with 28 years of experience holding a bachelor's of business administration in petroleum land management.  Experienced in business development, land and lease operations, management, and mentoring less experienced landmen.  Expertise in contract negotiations, contract preparation, division orders, due diligence, and farm-ins and farm-outs.  Geographic areas of experience in the Gulf coast Louisiana and Texas, Rockies, and south and west Texas. International experience includes west Africa, Nigeria, and Albania.  Workstation skills consist of Tobin and Wolfe Pak Land.  Very professional and an excellent communicator.  Ask for L637.

Geoscience Technician with excellent experience supporting geologists, reservoir engineers, using computer applications in mapping, data management, geoscience, and engineering technology.  Geographic areas of experience include the Gulf of Mexico (deepwater and shelf), Gulf coast (Louisiana and Texas), Oklahoma, as well as west Texas.  Solid computer skills consisting of ArcView, Geolog, TOW, Dwights/PI, I.H.S., Geographix, Landmark Seisworks,  Stratworks, Openworks, GeoPlus Petra, UNIX, Intellex, Oracle, and ARIES.  This great candidate works very well in high stress environments and interacts well with executives.  Ask for TG706.

Senior Geoscientist with more than 20 years of industry experience and master's degrees in geology/geophysics and in business.  A seismic interpreter using SMT with experience conducting geologically constrained velocity analysis, seismic wavelet extraction using well logs, color velocity inversion, interpretation of seismic trace attributes and imaging of reservoirs, seismic thin-bed modeling, mapping, and expertise in onshore analysis of all reflectivity settings and amplitude tuning effects.  This candidate has worked the Louisiana and Texas Gulf coast, Oklahoma, and Texas, with additional experience in offshore Africa, Canada, Egypt, Italy, and China.  Excellent communication skills contribute to this candidate’s business development abilities.  Ask for GP619.

Senior Contracts Specialist with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and 25 years of experience in the energy, regulatory, risk, finance, and other technically oriented industries.  Experienced in negotiating contracts for remediation, environmental, and other oil field services, including the preparation of agreements, proposals, bids, tenders, and IT vendor license agreements.  Recently responsible for ensuring compliance with client policies in negotiation of master service agreements, tenders, and bids.  Implemented appropriate contracting policies, guidelines, and contract manuals.  Computer skills include MS Office and Project, Visio, SAP, data warehousing, system integration, data marts, and CRM solutions.  Ask for PU447.

Going Global 

Overseas assignments can mean glamour, adventure, and excitement, and they can be very beneficial to your finances and your career.  But, before you decide to take that leap, consider all of the areas of your life such a decision may affect.  Here is a humorous view of some serious considerations when you are evaluating overseas assignments.

• There’s gold in them there assignments!  Employees can make 30% or more salary in foreign assignment premiums compared to the same job in your own country.  That could mean tens of thousands of dollars more each year.  It’s the assignment mother lode!    

•  Stomp with the big boys!  In a survey of 23 multinational companies, more than half of all senior executives had taken overseas assignments during their careers.  

• Save your marriage!  Absence makes the heart grow fonder!  Rotational assignments can keep you away from home for six out of 12 months.  Even the worst spouses will be missed, and those long periods at home can prepare you for coping with retirement.  

• I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!  Medical care can be woefully lacking in some remote locations.  Make sure if you fall, there’s someone who can help you up.  Medical emergency preparedness is important, so don’t take it for granted.  See your health benefits advisor before you leave, and get a copy of the medical policy that will cover your family.  

• Where’s the beef? Repatriation often goes unconsidered.  Get in writing what plans your company has for you upon your return.  If they talked promotion to get you to go, they should be prepared to back it up in writing for when you return.  

• It’s a family affair!  Prepare your family for their new home or for your departure. Proper planning will minimize confusion and bad feelings.  Find the positives about the new location.  Country-specific information geared toward the needs of expatriates can be found on the ORC Worldwide website, with tips on preparing your family for your absence as well as preparation ideas for different places.  

• Kidnappers, pickpockets, terrorists, oh my!  Different countries have their own safety issues of which you should be aware.  ORC Worldwide publishes a Location Evaluation Report that provides detailed descriptions of specific conditions in cities that present various difficult conditions for expatriates.  Know what you are getting into. 

Each one of us is different, and some people would accept some risks for commensurate benefits, others of us would not.  International assignments should not be accepted without weighing the effects on family, finances, career, health, and safety.  Be sure you understand the good and the bad before you say yes.  Enjoy the adventure!

About Us

Connecting the Industry's Experts...

Collarini Energy Staffing Inc. is a full-service agency specializing in the placement of energy and EPC personnel and including the disciplines listed below (other supporting personnel are managed upon request):

Accountants and finance personnel Administrative and clerical personnel Business analysts Civil and architectural engineers Drilling engineers Drilling operations supervisors Executives Geologists, geophysicists, and petrophysicists Health, safety, and environmental personnel Human resources personnel Instrument and electrical engineers IT professionals Land, legal, and supporting personnel Materials and corrosion engineers

Naval architects Operations supervisors Pipeline, riser, and subsea engineers Process engineers Procurement engineers Production engineers Project managers and support personnel Quality control and inspection personnel Reservoir engineers Sales and marketing professionals Technical writers Technicians, drafting and graphic Technicians, engineering and geoscience

Reservoir Solutions the Industry Trusts...

The Collarini Associates petroleum engineers and geoscientists specialize in evaluating oil and gas reservoirs. Specific projects include integrated field studies, acquisition evaluations, independent reserve appraisals, and exploration and exploitation prospect generation and assessment. Our full divestment services include creation and hosting of electronic and physical data rooms in addition to the technical evaluation. Our teams in Houston and New Orleans are very experienced and stand ready to help you on projects of any size. Try us!

Guiding Careers to the Next Level...

Collarini Career Management applies its deep understanding of the career paths of technical professionals in the E&P and EPC communities to help companies and professionals build successful organizations and careers. We leverage Collarini's unique combination of industry knowledge and technical expertise to guide companies and individuals during transition, training existing employees for high performance, and designing customized technical training plans for companies and individuals.

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Contact Us
11111 Richmond Avenue, Suite 126 Houston, Texas 77082 832.251.0553		4200 South I-10 Service Road, Suite 230 Metairie, Louisiana 70001 504.887.7127

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