5 ms·
Reposting my quick immigration quiz: 1. An international student graduates at the top of their class in Stanford in CS, and goes to work for a tech company. Wh
by arugulum 7y ago
Reposting my quick immigration quiz:
1. An international student graduates at the top of their class in Stanford in CS, and goes to work for a tech company. What visa do they use?
The correct answer is F1 (OPT) for one year, with OPT STEM extension for 2 extra years, while they apply for H-1B. If they weren't a STEM major, regardless of their actual role, they have a single year to apply for H-1B, with a ~30% chance of success, before being asked to leave the country. Regardless of their qualifications.
2. Instead of going to a tech company, they work for a year in a tech firm, then go to MIT for CS grad school. They perform excellently, having many publications under their name, doing several industry internships at Microsoft/Google labs. They then get accepted to a tenure track Assistant Professor position at Columbia. What visa do they apply for?
Still H-1B.
I say this because I think most Americans don't have a good idea of how widely H-1B applies. To repeat the caricature of "H-1Bs" being majority underpaid indentured slaves whose employers manipulate salary paperwork while hanging the threat of revoking their visa sponsorship every other week is laughable, if not downright insulting.
- vsskanth 7y agoThe reality is both highly skilled professionals and the run-of-the-mill IT contractor jobs end up in the same H1B bucket. This leads to skewed perceptions since the latter seems to be massively exploited by certain companies.
- arugulum 7y agoExactly. I have no doubt that H-1B has been and continues to be abuse. But it's also literally the only viable work visa in the majority of cases, so painting with a broad paintbrush about the exploitation of H-1Bs is a bad idea.
- jmpman 7y agoThat’s why H1Bs need to be bid on, and the generated revenue should go to fund STEM scholarships for US citizens.
- vsskanth 7y agoI wonder what the government has done so far with the ACIWA fee paid with every H1B filed. This is in addition to the premium processing fee which enables USCIS to run a budget surplus.
- jmpman 7y agoGood question. Still, the ACIWA fees aren’t enough to make US Citizens cheaper than H1Bs. Another side effect is that housing prices would fall dramatically as the H1Bs would no longer be able to afford expensive Bay Area rentals. They would live 4 to an apartment, freeing up housing stock.
- jogjayr 7y agoSo H-1B workers are simultaneously: a) are underpaid indentured labor b) singlehandedly responsible for high Bay Area rents (presumably because they make so much money) I'm sorry, I really don't follow any of this logic. How does falling real estate demand and cheaper rent force H-1B folks to live 4 to a room? Isn't it cheaper for everyone in that case?
- jmpman 7y agoLet’s say that an H1B cost $150k today. If a large enough tax was imposed, the companies are still paying $150k, but $75k of that is a tax, and infosys is getting the other $75k, paying the H1B just $50k. Now, a US citizen would have $150K to pay his/her yearly expenses, while the H1B would only have $50k. The H1B wouldn’t be able to afford a $3000 apartment in the bay and would be forced to share a room. That would then drive down demand, reducing housing costs.
- dmode 7y agoI am very confused about your post. Are you saying that an engineer receiving $150k in base pay today, will suddenly work for $75k tomorrow? Are you also suggesting that there will be two class of engineers, one getting paid 75k and another 150k in the same location ?
- swebs 7y agoOr just apply for a work-based permanent immigration permit, rather than jumping through hoops for a temp worker visa. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/employment-based-immigrant-visas.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrat...
- dmode 7y agoH1B is the first step towards a permanent visa because it is dual intent
- swebs 7y agoIt is a path, but not the only path, or even the optimal one.
- arugulum 7y agoIt is the primary path for most people to get a work visa. No, there isn't some other work visa that is available and viable that people are likely to obtain. Only people in very specific and special situations get something else. That's the point of my post. Just about EVERYONE has to get a H-1B visa.
- swebs 7y agoFor a temporary work visa, sure. For those seeking permanent immigration, that is false. Scroll down to the "Employment-Based Preferences" section. https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2016/table7 https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2016/tab...