7 ms·

get the person an H1B visa and you legally own him. Indentured servitude at its best.

by titomc 11y ago

avmich 11y ago
Did you really try to be on any of the sides of such a relationship? Otherwise I'm afraid you can be surprised.
justinjlynn 11y ago
An employer of an employee on a sponsored H1B visa is unable to keep that employee from finding new employment at another employer who is willing to file an H1B petition. There isn't any way for the current employer to find out the employee has applied elsewhere. If the employee already holds an H1B, then the new employer is not limited by the yearly H1B cap [1]. I am by no means an expert on legal or immigration matters, so you'll have to do your own research. Also, since you refer to an H1B but did not explicitly state the country, I'm assuming you're referring to the US where Skilled Immigration for Work visas are typically called H1Bs. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Cheers [1] <http://www.immihelp.com/visas/h1b/h1-visa-transfer-faq.html> http://www.immihelp.com/visas/h1b/h1-visa-transfer-faq.html> -- looking for a better source that's not commercial, happy for pointers.
- ashrust 11y ago
  You're right and H1B transfers are easy and would only scare off an inexperienced employer. I moved jobs twice on a H1B without incident, even though one of my employers tried to make it an issue. I'd suggest the generally precarious immigration status of visa holders in the US contributes to this myth.
- dataminded 11y ago
  My understanding is that changing jobs can be detrimental to your application for a permanent green card in some cases.[1] Sometimes that is bad enough to keep you where you are. [1]https://www.quora.com/If-an-employer-has-applied-for-a-green-card-can-one-change-jobs https://www.quora.com/If-an-employer-has-applied-for-a-green...
  - titomc 11y ago
    Yes it is. Changing jobs will reset the greencard process ( which is 8 years for Indian & Chinese citizens ). So H1B jobs cannot be changed easily. Cannot ask for raise because the employee's destiny is in employer's hand. H1B's spouse ( H4 ) cannot work even though they are well qualified. ( I feel restricting spouses to work is something similar like in Saudi where women can't drive ) I am in H1B. I cannot change my employer because my greencard has been filed recently. I have to wait for 8 years to get permanent residency. Every three years I have to renew my petition. I will be 40 when I get my greencard. I am going to get married now , my spouse resigned her job in India at Oracle and is going to sit at home watching TV & cooking in US, because she is not authorized to work with H4 visa. She is a Master's degree holder in Finance and fluent in English & French. Now she has to spent all her productive years in a rented apartment. I140 work authorization is a ray of light. USCIS is like a chameleon , changing rules all the time , putting many skilled workers under anxiety and stress all their life. So me & fiance is planning to apply for PR in Canada as soon as we get married through the express entry system and get out of this mess soon.
    - koide 11y ago
      I'm sorry, but she doesn't have to spend her productive years cooking and watching TV. She can perfectly write, read, blog, or stay in India at her oracle job, among a myriad of alternatives. I'm not defending the H1B system, which sucks, but you always can find a better way.
      - titomc 11y ago
        Not everyone likes to write,read or blog ,people are different, nor can she stay in India. I don't think you understand how marriage works in Indian culture. How does it feel for you to get married and then stay away from your partner. I don't how it works in this part of the world. But it won't work for me.
        koide 11y ago
        I see many (most?) people block themselves into false dichotomies, in this case: "Either I can work as whatever I was trained at or I must stay at home". There are more options, always. I was not presuming to know what will work for you, just mentioning there are lots of alternatives. Many require courage and effort, but still, they are there. Don't forget that if the Canada plan doesn't work.
- alaaibrahim 11y ago
  L1B would be a better example :-)
- coo1k 11y ago
  The problem isn't with finding new job, it's with time. There is no grace period for H1b. If you are laid off without any advance notice, you have to pack up your stuff and leave the country immediately. Not to mention, you have no time to sell off your car or any other property, unless you have friends who can do that after you leave. So unless you are proactively looking to change company, you are always under constant fear. Source: http://www.uscis.gov/tools/ombudsman-liaison/practical-immigration-consequences-foreign-workers-slowing-economy http://www.uscis.gov/tools/ombudsman-liaison/practical-immig... See Q2
tsotha 11y ago
That was (mostly) true twenty years ago, but not any more.

get the person an H1B visa and you legally own him. Indentured servitude at its best.

by titomc 11y ago

get the person an H1B visa and you legally own him. Indentured servitude at its best.

avmich 11y ago

Did you really try to be on any of the sides of such a relationship? Otherwise I'm afraid you can be surprised.

justinjlynn 11y ago

An employer of an employee on a sponsored H1B visa is unable to keep that employee from finding new employment at another employer who is willing to file an H1B petition. There isn't any way for the current employer to find out the employee has applied elsewhere. If the employee already holds an H1B, then the new employer is not limited by the yearly H1B cap [1]. I am by no means an expert on legal or immigration matters, so you'll have to do your own research. Also, since you refer to an H1B but did not explicitly state the country, I'm assuming you're referring to the US where Skilled Immigration for Work visas are typically called H1Bs. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Cheers [1] <http://www.immihelp.com/visas/h1b/h1-visa-transfer-faq.html> http://www.immihelp.com/visas/h1b/h1-visa-transfer-faq.html> -- looking for a better source that's not commercial, happy for pointers.

ashrust 11y ago
You're right and H1B transfers are easy and would only scare off an inexperienced employer. I moved jobs twice on a H1B without incident, even though one of my employers tried to make it an issue. I'd suggest the generally precarious immigration status of visa holders in the US contributes to this myth.
dataminded 11y ago
My understanding is that changing jobs can be detrimental to your application for a permanent green card in some cases.[1] Sometimes that is bad enough to keep you where you are. [1]https://www.quora.com/If-an-employer-has-applied-for-a-green-card-can-one-change-jobs https://www.quora.com/If-an-employer-has-applied-for-a-green...
- titomc 11y ago
  Yes it is. Changing jobs will reset the greencard process ( which is 8 years for Indian & Chinese citizens ). So H1B jobs cannot be changed easily. Cannot ask for raise because the employee's destiny is in employer's hand. H1B's spouse ( H4 ) cannot work even though they are well qualified. ( I feel restricting spouses to work is something similar like in Saudi where women can't drive ) I am in H1B. I cannot change my employer because my greencard has been filed recently. I have to wait for 8 years to get permanent residency. Every three years I have to renew my petition. I will be 40 when I get my greencard. I am going to get married now , my spouse resigned her job in India at Oracle and is going to sit at home watching TV & cooking in US, because she is not authorized to work with H4 visa. She is a Master's degree holder in Finance and fluent in English & French. Now she has to spent all her productive years in a rented apartment. I140 work authorization is a ray of light. USCIS is like a chameleon , changing rules all the time , putting many skilled workers under anxiety and stress all their life. So me & fiance is planning to apply for PR in Canada as soon as we get married through the express entry system and get out of this mess soon.
  - koide 11y ago
    I'm sorry, but she doesn't have to spend her productive years cooking and watching TV. She can perfectly write, read, blog, or stay in India at her oracle job, among a myriad of alternatives. I'm not defending the H1B system, which sucks, but you always can find a better way.
    - titomc 11y ago
      Not everyone likes to write,read or blog ,people are different, nor can she stay in India. I don't think you understand how marriage works in Indian culture. How does it feel for you to get married and then stay away from your partner. I don't how it works in this part of the world. But it won't work for me.
      - koide 11y ago
        I see many (most?) people block themselves into false dichotomies, in this case: "Either I can work as whatever I was trained at or I must stay at home". There are more options, always. I was not presuming to know what will work for you, just mentioning there are lots of alternatives. Many require courage and effort, but still, they are there. Don't forget that if the Canada plan doesn't work.
alaaibrahim 11y ago
L1B would be a better example :-)
coo1k 11y ago
The problem isn't with finding new job, it's with time. There is no grace period for H1b. If you are laid off without any advance notice, you have to pack up your stuff and leave the country immediately. Not to mention, you have no time to sell off your car or any other property, unless you have friends who can do that after you leave. So unless you are proactively looking to change company, you are always under constant fear. Source: http://www.uscis.gov/tools/ombudsman-liaison/practical-immigration-consequences-foreign-workers-slowing-economy http://www.uscis.gov/tools/ombudsman-liaison/practical-immig... See Q2

tsotha 11y ago

That was (mostly) true twenty years ago, but not any more.