I'm currently an visa holder, not H-1B though. For me H1B has always been the standard option to get a work permit in US. If you have a college degree, skills

I'm currently an visa holder, not H-1B though. For me H1B has always been the standard option to get a work permit in US. If you have a college degree, skills and someone is willing to give you job, it's a visa to work in US few of years or longer. For many people it's pretty much the only option. In this time of global mobility, it's crazy how hard and how limited the visa options are for this purpose. Sometimes I see people talking here about moving to Europe. In Europe, there is a similar system for foreigners to work there. You apply for a work permit, and if the company and you meet the sanity check, it usually gets granted. That's it. There is no artificial annual schedules, caps or lotteries. Salaries Myth. Excluding those outsourcing companies, I've never saw or known anyone get hired in a startup with much less salary just because they are a non-resident alien (sample size ~100) (Obviously foreigners don't always have as good market information about costs and salaries as locals.). Also I never heard any founder say that lets hire bunch of foreigners because it's so cheap and easy. Usually the hires end up costing more since you have to pay to relocate, pay the lawyers, and a hr person to create and manage process for the employees. I understand that lot of people want to come to US, so there needs to be some limits, but it's crazy how hard or complicated this system currently is.