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I disagree with a lot of what you said. First, the system is already "market-based solution": getting a visa for an employee isn't a rocket science. There's com

I disagree with a lot of what you said. First, the system is already "market-based solution": getting a visa for an employee isn't a rocket science. There's competition for good H1b talent. And H1b by itself isn't that strong of a chain that holds them hostage. Changing employers while on H1b is not terribly hard. Moreover, in my recruiting experience, you (as a company) have to compete pretty hard to get the best foreign CS grads - they know they're good and the fact that they need a visa after graduation doesn't make them less valuable. The shady part of H1b business is a bunch of "body shops" that bring in sub-par talent here (with poor english or/and poor technical skills) and abuse them until those workers improve their marketability on US job market and leave. In short, I see nothing wrong with the H1b system except for general slowness of the INS bureaucracy and poor enforcement of H1b abuse (just like with most immigrant-related laws, enforcement is a problem). Full disclaimer: I myself was employed on H1b by a 1-st tier US tech firm and saw absolutely no discrimination in salary or any other matter.

btilly 17y ago
You are absolutely right that companies have the opportunity to bring in the best in the world as well as the opportunity to bring in people whose expectations are lower. We agree that the problem arises with the ones who go after people whose expectations are lower. My further opinion, which you might not share, is that those abuses are both widespread and problematic. And therefore I was focusing on that part of the issue. But you're right that I shouldn't tar all employers who hire H-1B people with the same brush. The solution I proposed is intended to address this by making resolving abuse cases resolvable by market pressures rather than government bureaucracy. Where the program works I absolutely want to see it continue. This country was built on immigrants, and I firmly believe that its ability to attract top talent worldwide is its greatest asset.
- rbanffy 17y ago
  The auction idea is good, but there should also be some assurance companies don't get H1Bs for significantly less than the rate they would pay locals. H1B visas should never be used as cost-cutting mechanism. Perhaps a good one would be to fix the compensation of the H1B worker to the average local compensation for the same or comparable position. OTOH, that would probably drive some companies out of the US because all their competition is doing the same. One must measure the possible consequences carefully.
  - btilly 17y ago
    The assurance in my proposal lies in the fact that if you don't pay market wages then someone else will hire the H1B away from you.
    - rbanffy 17y ago
      It will only work if the employee is desirable for other companies. It would not prevent H1B from being used as a cost-cutting measure - it would only prevent it from being very effective at that. If the person signing the check can't (or doesn't have to) tell the difference between a good and a bad professional, 5K saved are 5K saved.

btilly 17y ago

You are absolutely right that companies have the opportunity to bring in the best in the world as well as the opportunity to bring in people whose expectations are lower. We agree that the problem arises with the ones who go after people whose expectations are lower. My further opinion, which you might not share, is that those abuses are both widespread and problematic. And therefore I was focusing on that part of the issue. But you're right that I shouldn't tar all employers who hire H-1B people with the same brush. The solution I proposed is intended to address this by making resolving abuse cases resolvable by market pressures rather than government bureaucracy. Where the program works I absolutely want to see it continue. This country was built on immigrants, and I firmly believe that its ability to attract top talent worldwide is its greatest asset.

rbanffy 17y ago
The auction idea is good, but there should also be some assurance companies don't get H1Bs for significantly less than the rate they would pay locals. H1B visas should never be used as cost-cutting mechanism. Perhaps a good one would be to fix the compensation of the H1B worker to the average local compensation for the same or comparable position. OTOH, that would probably drive some companies out of the US because all their competition is doing the same. One must measure the possible consequences carefully.
- btilly 17y ago
  The assurance in my proposal lies in the fact that if you don't pay market wages then someone else will hire the H1B away from you.
  - rbanffy 17y ago
    It will only work if the employee is desirable for other companies. It would not prevent H1B from being used as a cost-cutting measure - it would only prevent it from being very effective at that. If the person signing the check can't (or doesn't have to) tell the difference between a good and a bad professional, 5K saved are 5K saved.