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I am an Indian national on H1B with a top company in US. By all means please do not come to US with H1B. The U.S. has broken immigration system. My visa is lock

by titomc 11y ago

I am an Indian national on H1B with a top company in US. By all means please do not come to US with H1B. The U.S. has broken immigration system. My visa is locked down to my employer and I cannot ask for a raise or get promoted. I accepted the lowest payment as per DOL from my employer just to stay and work in US with my 6 year H1B validity. By all means apply for a Canada work visa. They have now something called Express Entry system. You can also apply for permanent residency. US immigration system is broken and they are not going to fix it anytime soon. Immigrate to Canada. H1B is indentured servitude. I have started my Express Entry application and very soon I will say goodbye to US , I don't mind the cold in Canada. I will have freedom to change jobs, won't be an indentured servant. I will also get permanent residency fast. US green card for Indian citizen is around 10 years backlogged. I suggest it's best for you to apply for the Canadian Express Entry for skilled workers.

burnte 11y ago
I'm sorry you're having such a bad experience here, I really am. As an American, you're right, our immigration system is horribly broken; ten years for a green card is average for most immigrants, if not fast for many. US firms, especially tech firms, use H1B to do exactly what you said, acquire people who are effectively indentured servants. Don't like it? Go back to your home country. Don't want to accept the bottom-basement pay? Someone else will, there are plenty of non-Americans to exploit! And at the same time they lobby the Congress for an increase in H1B visas claiming there aren't enough US workers, they send out ads asking for ten years experience in HTML5 and CPU design, offering $30k for an "entry level" position, and say they can't find anyone here to fill it. Of course not, your requirements are insane and the wage is equally insane. Yes, there are plenty of companies using H1B ethically, but for every ethical H1B, there are 5 unethical ones. It's a disservice to both American workers AND foreign workers. PS: I'm not anti-immigration. I'm very much pro-immigration. What's that? You're intelligent, hard working, and want to come to my country to work your butt off and get rich? COME ON OVER! All I want is an immigration system that's fair to everyone, both those coming in to get a fair shake and have protections, and those of us already here, preventing immigrants from being used as cheap replacement labor.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- giis 11y ago
  As someone from India, Its very nice to hear your thoughts. That's true, tech. companies exploit people, their salaries are too low. Mostly they hire us for cheap labour, not because they can't find talents in america and we are do at it :) I know 95% indian friends who is America or not technically good. They are just close to the management people. 5% of are good. ps : I never visited aboard, don't want to travel aboard just because i'm a cheap labour :)
  - giis 11y ago
    <typo-1> and we are good at it :) <typo-2> who is in America are not technically
  - known 11y ago
    You're brutally truthful.
- feedjoelpie 11y ago
  It's actually worse than that. Here's an article from 2 years ago describing how the biggest employers of H1Bs use the program to bring low-paid immigrants into the country, train them, and ship them back home to pay them even less while doing the same work: http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/04/03/176134694/Whos-Hiring-H1-B-Visa-Workers-Its-Not-Who-You-Might-Think http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/04/03/176... Companies like these use up most of the H1B slots such that truly skilled high tech jobs that pay well, and would accept H1B if they could, are going unfilled. This is why you see so many U.S. companies setting up branches in Europe and Canada.
  - titomc 11y ago
    I was working for one of those body shops Indian consultancy company back in India. When they applied for my H1B , I knew what I was signing up for. So after a while I switched to one of the top employer in US (within an year of my arrival in US). So I basically made use of the Indian body shop to get my H1B using them as a bridge. During that switch, the idiosyncrasies of the US' broken immigration system played a major role in my salary negotiation with my new employer. Many have an opinion that Indian H1Bs are unskilled. I am not going to judge them. AFAIK , I went through many rounds of interviews (whiteboard,project,cognitive) and I am pretty much sure I have engineering skills which are in demand. I am brave enough to state that I have more mathematical skills than many of my American counterparts. Let me explain the idiosyncrasies of the US immigration system for an H1B worker. While I was making the switch , my current employer came to know about my interview (possibly through a mole in my team) and the manager wanted to send me back to India. So he started the process of cancelling my petition. So now I was under pressure to switch. The new employer knows that I am on H1B and they low balled me. This employer is not a body shop. This employer is simply trying to take advantage of my visa restrictions. Since my previous employer was in the process of cancelling my petition , I had no other choice but to accept the offer and join the new employer. Your petition and visa is tied to your employer. Your job & freedom is under their mercy. If your employer cancels your petition , you are an illegal alien from the very next day. There is no grace time. (think about booking flight tickets, selling your car, breaking the lease and what not. Imagine school, kids and their state of mind. Its a mental torture). So I joined my new employer and started working. I am beginning to feel that I am assigned a lot of work than my American counter parts , but I am not given any recognition and I am pretty much sure , I will be the one to get the lowest appraisals , because I cannot bargain. If my new employer fires me , I am an illegal resident from the very next day. I cannot search for a job , because there is no grace period. No employer will hire me because my petition would have been cancelled by then. Not only Indian companies exploit H1B workers. American companies does that too. Remember , American is a capitalist country. No employer whether Indian or American care about H1B workers. They just exploit them to the maximum extend because of this broken immigration system. How to change it ? Immigration reforms like employer portability will be a good start. But I am not waiting on these to decide my career & future. I have applied for the Canada Express Entry system and qualify with high points. My visa & permanent residency will not be controlled by employers in Canada. Soon I will say goodbye to this country. It has taught me many good things to remember and bad things to forget.
rounak 11y ago
I thought H1Bs weren't locked to employers. Can't you transfer the visa?
- lucozade 11y ago
  My understanding is that you can't transfer an H1B. The new employer has to re-apply. You can however go through the process while remaining in the US. My experience (as an employer) is that it's become much harder over the last year or so to get the re-application through. At the very least they tend to have substantial delays. I'm not aware of the underlying reason.
- venuzr 11y ago
  Yes. The parent's visa can be transferred, for up to a max of 6 years in length. However, the employer needs to be willing to transfer the visa. Lots of employers are willing to transfer the H1B during a good economy but rare to find an employer who would be willing to do so in a bad economy. Also, if H1B worker wants long term stability and wants to stay in the US beyond the 6 yr period, then the employer needs to apply for Permanent Residency (Green Card). The H1B worker needs to employed for that employer for the entire duration of that GC process. The icing on the cake is that the H1B worker needs to find new employment within a month of being terminated or leave the US. Again, possible in a good economy but near impossible in a bad one. All in all, this creates the perfect hostage scenario with H1B workers pursuing stability till they get their green card.
- LetBinding 11y ago
  Technically yes. But the poster's employer has probably applied for a green card. Since the poster is Indian, that is a 10+ years process (4 for China and 1 for everyone else). If the poster changes employer (or accepts a promotion), the 10 year clock is reset to 0. So for all practical purposes, the poster is locked to the employer. He is also locked at the same level and pay. Employers love this since they get an experienced person locked in at the same pay for a decade or more. Obviously this reduces wages for everyone.
  - wrexsoule 11y ago
throwawayL1 11y ago
Sorry for the hijack, but am in a different boat of confusion. I have 6 years experience in tech and I've been offered an L1 to transfer to Bay Area with a salary of 145k USD along with a comprehensive medical insurance. I am not really sure if I should be taking this up considering the ridiculous cost of living in the Bay. Also, I don't know how much I'll be saving at the end of 2 years considering the fact that my wife will be travelling along with me (she doesn't have a STEM degree). Although there are these cost of living calculators they just take into account a lifestyle that is 'just enough' to get by.
- alain94040 11y ago
  You'll do just fine. It's a great salary.
nish1500 11y ago
Indian here. I wanted to try for H1B, but after studying the waiting period, conditions under H1B employment, it makes so much sense to go to Canada instead.
- titomc 11y ago
  Good choice. Do not end up in the ditch of US broken immigration system. Apply for Canadian Express Entry. Take control of your career and future. Your career advancement and future should not be anchored to US employers. They just take advantage of this draconian immigration system to low ball your salary, thus creating an impression that H1B workers are cheap.
thepredestrian 11y ago
Hi there I do have some questions regarding working/living in the Canada. Is there an email I can reach out to you for some questions and advice? Would appreciate it. Cheers

by titomc 11y ago

burnte 11y ago

I'm sorry you're having such a bad experience here, I really am. As an American, you're right, our immigration system is horribly broken; ten years for a green card is average for most immigrants, if not fast for many. US firms, especially tech firms, use H1B to do exactly what you said, acquire people who are effectively indentured servants. Don't like it? Go back to your home country. Don't want to accept the bottom-basement pay? Someone else will, there are plenty of non-Americans to exploit! And at the same time they lobby the Congress for an increase in H1B visas claiming there aren't enough US workers, they send out ads asking for ten years experience in HTML5 and CPU design, offering $30k for an "entry level" position, and say they can't find anyone here to fill it. Of course not, your requirements are insane and the wage is equally insane. Yes, there are plenty of companies using H1B ethically, but for every ethical H1B, there are 5 unethical ones. It's a disservice to both American workers AND foreign workers. PS: I'm not anti-immigration. I'm very much pro-immigration. What's that? You're intelligent, hard working, and want to come to my country to work your butt off and get rich? COME ON OVER! All I want is an immigration system that's fair to everyone, both those coming in to get a fair shake and have protections, and those of us already here, preventing immigrants from being used as cheap replacement labor.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
giis 11y ago
As someone from India, Its very nice to hear your thoughts. That's true, tech. companies exploit people, their salaries are too low. Mostly they hire us for cheap labour, not because they can't find talents in america and we are do at it :) I know 95% indian friends who is America or not technically good. They are just close to the management people. 5% of are good. ps : I never visited aboard, don't want to travel aboard just because i'm a cheap labour :)
- giis 11y ago
  <typo-1> and we are good at it :) <typo-2> who is in America are not technically
- known 11y ago
  You're brutally truthful.
feedjoelpie 11y ago
It's actually worse than that. Here's an article from 2 years ago describing how the biggest employers of H1Bs use the program to bring low-paid immigrants into the country, train them, and ship them back home to pay them even less while doing the same work: http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/04/03/176134694/Whos-Hiring-H1-B-Visa-Workers-Its-Not-Who-You-Might-Think http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/04/03/176... Companies like these use up most of the H1B slots such that truly skilled high tech jobs that pay well, and would accept H1B if they could, are going unfilled. This is why you see so many U.S. companies setting up branches in Europe and Canada.
- titomc 11y ago
  I was working for one of those body shops Indian consultancy company back in India. When they applied for my H1B , I knew what I was signing up for. So after a while I switched to one of the top employer in US (within an year of my arrival in US). So I basically made use of the Indian body shop to get my H1B using them as a bridge. During that switch, the idiosyncrasies of the US' broken immigration system played a major role in my salary negotiation with my new employer. Many have an opinion that Indian H1Bs are unskilled. I am not going to judge them. AFAIK , I went through many rounds of interviews (whiteboard,project,cognitive) and I am pretty much sure I have engineering skills which are in demand. I am brave enough to state that I have more mathematical skills than many of my American counterparts. Let me explain the idiosyncrasies of the US immigration system for an H1B worker. While I was making the switch , my current employer came to know about my interview (possibly through a mole in my team) and the manager wanted to send me back to India. So he started the process of cancelling my petition. So now I was under pressure to switch. The new employer knows that I am on H1B and they low balled me. This employer is not a body shop. This employer is simply trying to take advantage of my visa restrictions. Since my previous employer was in the process of cancelling my petition , I had no other choice but to accept the offer and join the new employer. Your petition and visa is tied to your employer. Your job & freedom is under their mercy. If your employer cancels your petition , you are an illegal alien from the very next day. There is no grace time. (think about booking flight tickets, selling your car, breaking the lease and what not. Imagine school, kids and their state of mind. Its a mental torture). So I joined my new employer and started working. I am beginning to feel that I am assigned a lot of work than my American counter parts , but I am not given any recognition and I am pretty much sure , I will be the one to get the lowest appraisals , because I cannot bargain. If my new employer fires me , I am an illegal resident from the very next day. I cannot search for a job , because there is no grace period. No employer will hire me because my petition would have been cancelled by then. Not only Indian companies exploit H1B workers. American companies does that too. Remember , American is a capitalist country. No employer whether Indian or American care about H1B workers. They just exploit them to the maximum extend because of this broken immigration system. How to change it ? Immigration reforms like employer portability will be a good start. But I am not waiting on these to decide my career & future. I have applied for the Canada Express Entry system and qualify with high points. My visa & permanent residency will not be controlled by employers in Canada. Soon I will say goodbye to this country. It has taught me many good things to remember and bad things to forget.

rounak 11y ago

I thought H1Bs weren't locked to employers. Can't you transfer the visa?

lucozade 11y ago
My understanding is that you can't transfer an H1B. The new employer has to re-apply. You can however go through the process while remaining in the US. My experience (as an employer) is that it's become much harder over the last year or so to get the re-application through. At the very least they tend to have substantial delays. I'm not aware of the underlying reason.
venuzr 11y ago
Yes. The parent's visa can be transferred, for up to a max of 6 years in length. However, the employer needs to be willing to transfer the visa. Lots of employers are willing to transfer the H1B during a good economy but rare to find an employer who would be willing to do so in a bad economy. Also, if H1B worker wants long term stability and wants to stay in the US beyond the 6 yr period, then the employer needs to apply for Permanent Residency (Green Card). The H1B worker needs to employed for that employer for the entire duration of that GC process. The icing on the cake is that the H1B worker needs to find new employment within a month of being terminated or leave the US. Again, possible in a good economy but near impossible in a bad one. All in all, this creates the perfect hostage scenario with H1B workers pursuing stability till they get their green card.
LetBinding 11y ago
Technically yes. But the poster's employer has probably applied for a green card. Since the poster is Indian, that is a 10+ years process (4 for China and 1 for everyone else). If the poster changes employer (or accepts a promotion), the 10 year clock is reset to 0. So for all practical purposes, the poster is locked to the employer. He is also locked at the same level and pay. Employers love this since they get an experienced person locked in at the same pay for a decade or more. Obviously this reduces wages for everyone.
- wrexsoule 11y ago

throwawayL1 11y ago

Sorry for the hijack, but am in a different boat of confusion. I have 6 years experience in tech and I've been offered an L1 to transfer to Bay Area with a salary of 145k USD along with a comprehensive medical insurance. I am not really sure if I should be taking this up considering the ridiculous cost of living in the Bay. Also, I don't know how much I'll be saving at the end of 2 years considering the fact that my wife will be travelling along with me (she doesn't have a STEM degree). Although there are these cost of living calculators they just take into account a lifestyle that is 'just enough' to get by.

alain94040 11y ago
You'll do just fine. It's a great salary.

nish1500 11y ago

Indian here. I wanted to try for H1B, but after studying the waiting period, conditions under H1B employment, it makes so much sense to go to Canada instead.

titomc 11y ago
Good choice. Do not end up in the ditch of US broken immigration system. Apply for Canadian Express Entry. Take control of your career and future. Your career advancement and future should not be anchored to US employers. They just take advantage of this draconian immigration system to low ball your salary, thus creating an impression that H1B workers are cheap.

thepredestrian 11y ago

Hi there I do have some questions regarding working/living in the Canada. Is there an email I can reach out to you for some questions and advice? Would appreciate it. Cheers