4 ms·

Companies want low salaried employees to cut down cost and they use H1 for it by giving an excuse that there is no equivalent talent in US and we need to import

Companies want low salaried employees to cut down cost and they use H1 for it by giving an excuse that there is no equivalent talent in US and we need to import talent from other countries. When it comes to Tech. it all boils down to $/per hour for getting things done. These tactics may discourage H1 applications but unless they force companies to hire people in US H1 will continue to exist.

jonathankoren 8y ago
While this does happen for certain things, and certain segments, it's definitely not true for specialty areas like machine learning. ML / AI specialists command higher salaries because of simple supply and demand. In my personal experience, I have never seen a company hire someone on an H1B that wasn't seen as the best person for the job. Immigration status was simply a non issue at the sponsoring companies I've worked at. On the other hand, I've worked at places that rejected out of hand anyone that did need sponsorship because the company simply didn't have scale to hire immigration lawyers.
- bdcravens 8y ago
  > I have never seen a company hire someone on an H1B that wasn't seen as the best person for the job My understanding is that H1B isn't designed to expand the hiring pool but to fill a gap where the local pool is effectively 0.
  - steego 8y ago
    > My understanding is that H1B isn't designed to expand the hiring pool but to fill a gap where the local pool is effectively 0. Maybe that was the intent, but is that true in practice? My experience has been that it expands the hiring pool because most places simply want to hire the best skill they can get for the money. Honestly, the idea that you're going to restrict H1B visas to scenarios where they couldn't hire an American first is very naive and misguided. If American workers want to ensure their wages aren't being driven down, they have to abandon these antiquated policies that only benefit employers who want to hire cheap foreign workers because the policy artificially puts them at a disadvantage in the job market. It's ironic that Americans think putting foreign workers at a disadvantage in the job market gives them an advantage. The truth is it ends up hurting them more because it's these policies that are the tools use to exploit foreign workers' situation. Why would you hire an American if you have the tools to hire and retain a foreigner who wants it more? If they have to find another sponsor, they're less likely to job hop or ask for a raise.
jdietrich 8y ago
If it's purely a matter of cost, surely you'd just outsource it all to Bangalore? An Indian developer in India is a hell of a lot cheaper than an Indian developer in the US.
- CompanionCuuube 8y ago
  It isn't all about cost, it's about having a body in an office chair. Otherwise they would be more open to remote workers vs on-site.
- r00fus 8y ago
  Managing a workforce 11:30 hours shifted is not easy. At best you have a multi-hour latency. Often this results in multi-day delays if requirements are shifting or trust in work output is not established.
steego 8y ago
> Companies want low salaried employees to cut down cost and they use H1 for it I've long argued that one reason H1B workers are low salaried is because H1B visa makes it harder for them to job hop and earn a better salary. Don't get me wrong, I know H1B visas don't prohibit switching jobs, but it does add enough fiction and it limits access to some employers. I would love to see fair work visas inspired by Singapore's policies that empower foreign workers to earn market wages. It only makes sense to me that we should absorb as many skilled foreign workers as we can provided they earn some minimal threshold of a salary adjusted for the cost of living in their area. It shouldn't be too high as to make it impossible to get a visa, but it also shouldn't be too low. Importing skilled tax payers is a great way to grow the economy and provide more revenue to the treasury. Pushing away foreign workers is just bad policy. It will will only encourage outsourcing and offshoring of offices. That means local economies will never benefit from the wages of foreign workers. Offshore wages can't be taxed. You encourage other countries to accelerate the development of their own tech hubs at the expense of your tech hubs.

jonathankoren 8y ago

While this does happen for certain things, and certain segments, it's definitely not true for specialty areas like machine learning. ML / AI specialists command higher salaries because of simple supply and demand. In my personal experience, I have never seen a company hire someone on an H1B that wasn't seen as the best person for the job. Immigration status was simply a non issue at the sponsoring companies I've worked at. On the other hand, I've worked at places that rejected out of hand anyone that did need sponsorship because the company simply didn't have scale to hire immigration lawyers.

bdcravens 8y ago
> I have never seen a company hire someone on an H1B that wasn't seen as the best person for the job My understanding is that H1B isn't designed to expand the hiring pool but to fill a gap where the local pool is effectively 0.
- steego 8y ago
  > My understanding is that H1B isn't designed to expand the hiring pool but to fill a gap where the local pool is effectively 0. Maybe that was the intent, but is that true in practice? My experience has been that it expands the hiring pool because most places simply want to hire the best skill they can get for the money. Honestly, the idea that you're going to restrict H1B visas to scenarios where they couldn't hire an American first is very naive and misguided. If American workers want to ensure their wages aren't being driven down, they have to abandon these antiquated policies that only benefit employers who want to hire cheap foreign workers because the policy artificially puts them at a disadvantage in the job market. It's ironic that Americans think putting foreign workers at a disadvantage in the job market gives them an advantage. The truth is it ends up hurting them more because it's these policies that are the tools use to exploit foreign workers' situation. Why would you hire an American if you have the tools to hire and retain a foreigner who wants it more? If they have to find another sponsor, they're less likely to job hop or ask for a raise.

jdietrich 8y ago

If it's purely a matter of cost, surely you'd just outsource it all to Bangalore? An Indian developer in India is a hell of a lot cheaper than an Indian developer in the US.

CompanionCuuube 8y ago
It isn't all about cost, it's about having a body in an office chair. Otherwise they would be more open to remote workers vs on-site.
r00fus 8y ago
Managing a workforce 11:30 hours shifted is not easy. At best you have a multi-hour latency. Often this results in multi-day delays if requirements are shifting or trust in work output is not established.

steego 8y ago

> Companies want low salaried employees to cut down cost and they use H1 for it I've long argued that one reason H1B workers are low salaried is because H1B visa makes it harder for them to job hop and earn a better salary. Don't get me wrong, I know H1B visas don't prohibit switching jobs, but it does add enough fiction and it limits access to some employers. I would love to see fair work visas inspired by Singapore's policies that empower foreign workers to earn market wages. It only makes sense to me that we should absorb as many skilled foreign workers as we can provided they earn some minimal threshold of a salary adjusted for the cost of living in their area. It shouldn't be too high as to make it impossible to get a visa, but it also shouldn't be too low. Importing skilled tax payers is a great way to grow the economy and provide more revenue to the treasury. Pushing away foreign workers is just bad policy. It will will only encourage outsourcing and offshoring of offices. That means local economies will never benefit from the wages of foreign workers. Offshore wages can't be taxed. You encourage other countries to accelerate the development of their own tech hubs at the expense of your tech hubs.