4 ms·

But what if you want to take a year off? Or just some time off inbetween jobs to travel? AFAIK you need to stay employed with a sponsoring employer all the whi

by ambrood 11y ago

But what if you want to take a year off? Or just some time off inbetween jobs to travel? AFAIK you need to stay employed with a sponsoring employer all the while. Plus it definitely makes you risk averse as far as doing your thing is concerned.

ashwinaj 11y ago
If you have an approved H1B, you can take a year off by resigning. I don't know of any employer who would you give you a sabbatical; citizen or not. You can use your remaining H1B time with the same or any other employer. As I see it, this is the law of the land, take it or leave it; complaining is not an option IMO. Also, I don't see how you can start something on your own (excluding freelancing) if you're taking considerable time off; maybe I'm wrong. You cannot just take time off when you feel like it, a competitor is most certainly going to eat your lunch. To me, this is a lame argument that "if I get my gc I can start something on my own". Really? Totally anecdotal and bay area specific, but the ratio of recent gc holders starting a new venture (note: new venture, not an existing venture) to number of people getting their gc is tending to 0 (I'm exaggerating but it's a pretty low number). Chances are, this person has spent a lot of time in an established company waiting for his/her gc, bought a house (therefore enslaved by a mortgage), possibly have had kids, and lost most of the technical and any entrepreneurial skills required to compete in a cut throat environment. I do not see such a person taking a risk, even after getting a gc. Will expediting handing gc to applicants change this ratio? Who knows? It's a moot point. Again, this is totally anecdotal, but I see a considerable difference between me (I work in a startup) vs a lot of my friends who don't. I'm not saying I'm superior than them; but I see that they just don't realize what's required to start/run a company. It's no piece of cake.
- ambrood 11y ago
  > You can use your remaining H1B time with the same or any other employer. As I see it, this is the law of the land, take it or leave it; complaining is not an option IMO. Given that I pay taxes and am subject to immigration laws a lot longer than a person born anywhere else, I don't see why I can't complain about a law that reflects nativist compromises of the Civil Rights act. And well by time off, I didn't mean a sabbatical, just the ability to quit my job and not have to leave the country as a result.
  - ashwinaj 11y ago
    > Given that I pay taxes and am subject to immigration laws a lot longer than a person born anywhere else So? The United States or [Insert country] is under no obligation whatsoever to afford special treatment since a foreigner pays the same taxes like the rest. I'm an Indian citizen and I did a quick search for work visas in India. A foreigner pays the same taxes as an Indian citizen in India[0] and isn't given special privileges when it comes to immigration laws. > I don't see why I can't complain about a law that reflects nativist compromises of the Civil Rights act. Source? How does the gc allocation compromise the Civil rights act? The gc allocation is 7% per country[1]. If you fall in a country (like me India) where the number of applicants outstrip the 7% quota per year, you're out of luck. How is that compromising the Civil rights act? Here's my take: I can keep complaining and waste my time and brain cycles over this. I don't have any voting power on this issue; all I have is a modest amount of talent and more importantly the drive and the persistence which I would like to use to further my career and make smart decisions. Personally for me, the immigration laws aren't as debilitating as people make them out to be. [0] http://www.expatarrivals.com/india/taxes-in-india http://www.expatarrivals.com/india/taxes-in-india [1] http://www.uscis.gov/tools/glossary/country-limit http://www.uscis.gov/tools/glossary/country-limit
- dragonwriter 11y ago
  > complaining is not an option IMO. Complaining (including to those responsible for the policy) is obviously an option, one protected by the First Amendment. (Which applies to "the people", not merely citizens.) Whether it is a productive course of action is, of course, potentially a very different story.
  - ashwinaj 11y ago
    True, but I thought that was obvious.
venuzr 11y ago
Time off is not the only consideration. In a good economy, companies might be queueing up to transfer your H1 visa. In a bad economy (post 2001/2008 recession), if you are looking for a new job, the pickings would be very slim indeed.

by ambrood 11y ago

ashwinaj 11y ago

If you have an approved H1B, you can take a year off by resigning. I don't know of any employer who would you give you a sabbatical; citizen or not. You can use your remaining H1B time with the same or any other employer. As I see it, this is the law of the land, take it or leave it; complaining is not an option IMO. Also, I don't see how you can start something on your own (excluding freelancing) if you're taking considerable time off; maybe I'm wrong. You cannot just take time off when you feel like it, a competitor is most certainly going to eat your lunch. To me, this is a lame argument that "if I get my gc I can start something on my own". Really? Totally anecdotal and bay area specific, but the ratio of recent gc holders starting a new venture (note: new venture, not an existing venture) to number of people getting their gc is tending to 0 (I'm exaggerating but it's a pretty low number). Chances are, this person has spent a lot of time in an established company waiting for his/her gc, bought a house (therefore enslaved by a mortgage), possibly have had kids, and lost most of the technical and any entrepreneurial skills required to compete in a cut throat environment. I do not see such a person taking a risk, even after getting a gc. Will expediting handing gc to applicants change this ratio? Who knows? It's a moot point. Again, this is totally anecdotal, but I see a considerable difference between me (I work in a startup) vs a lot of my friends who don't. I'm not saying I'm superior than them; but I see that they just don't realize what's required to start/run a company. It's no piece of cake.

ambrood 11y ago
> You can use your remaining H1B time with the same or any other employer. As I see it, this is the law of the land, take it or leave it; complaining is not an option IMO. Given that I pay taxes and am subject to immigration laws a lot longer than a person born anywhere else, I don't see why I can't complain about a law that reflects nativist compromises of the Civil Rights act. And well by time off, I didn't mean a sabbatical, just the ability to quit my job and not have to leave the country as a result.
- ashwinaj 11y ago
  > Given that I pay taxes and am subject to immigration laws a lot longer than a person born anywhere else So? The United States or [Insert country] is under no obligation whatsoever to afford special treatment since a foreigner pays the same taxes like the rest. I'm an Indian citizen and I did a quick search for work visas in India. A foreigner pays the same taxes as an Indian citizen in India[0] and isn't given special privileges when it comes to immigration laws. > I don't see why I can't complain about a law that reflects nativist compromises of the Civil Rights act. Source? How does the gc allocation compromise the Civil rights act? The gc allocation is 7% per country[1]. If you fall in a country (like me India) where the number of applicants outstrip the 7% quota per year, you're out of luck. How is that compromising the Civil rights act? Here's my take: I can keep complaining and waste my time and brain cycles over this. I don't have any voting power on this issue; all I have is a modest amount of talent and more importantly the drive and the persistence which I would like to use to further my career and make smart decisions. Personally for me, the immigration laws aren't as debilitating as people make them out to be. [0] http://www.expatarrivals.com/india/taxes-in-india http://www.expatarrivals.com/india/taxes-in-india [1] http://www.uscis.gov/tools/glossary/country-limit http://www.uscis.gov/tools/glossary/country-limit
dragonwriter 11y ago
> complaining is not an option IMO. Complaining (including to those responsible for the policy) is obviously an option, one protected by the First Amendment. (Which applies to "the people", not merely citizens.) Whether it is a productive course of action is, of course, potentially a very different story.
- ashwinaj 11y ago
  True, but I thought that was obvious.

venuzr 11y ago

Time off is not the only consideration. In a good economy, companies might be queueing up to transfer your H1 visa. In a bad economy (post 2001/2008 recession), if you are looking for a new job, the pickings would be very slim indeed.