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The simplest solution is to automatically give an H1-B a green card in 12 months--24 at the longest. Force the sponsoring company to pay for and complete all o
by bsder 2y ago
The simplest solution is to automatically give an H1-B a green card in 12 months--24 at the longest. Force the sponsoring company to pay for and complete all of the required background and security checks. Make failure to complete or shitty completion of those checks criminal liability directly on the CEO.
This would immediately deprive these kinds of staffing companies of the economic incentive as they would have to pay for the legal costs of an H1-B every 12 months. This would remove the depressive impact that H1-Bs have on salaries as they would be free to compete in the market at large after 12 months.
And the H1-B pipeline would be free to bring in people that we actually want.
This could be done tomorrow. But it won't be.
- vsskanth 2y agoThis requires Congress to pass legislation, so cannot be done tomorrow. Legal immigration isn't a high priority in general and Congress hasn't moved on immigration in decades.
- bsder 2y agoI might stand corrected shortly. However, I was under the impression that almost all of this is directly under the purview of the Executive Branch (with the possible exception of the criminality). Apparently one of the bottlenecks is the total number of visas per country. Demonstrating that you're unblocking the H1-B to Green Card pipeline by fast-tracking those from countries that don't have a big backlog should send the body shops running for the hills and unblock the ones with a big backlog as well. Or shutting down any new H1-Bs from countries until their backlog is gone would also accomplish the same thing. The problem is that US companies like the multi-year indentured servitude of the H1-B program as it depresses salaries.
- vsskanth 2y agoThe executive branch cannot make laws. The H1B program and green card numerical limits came to be from Congress passing laws and can only be changed by them passing new laws.
- rawgabbit 2y agoOr we could simply end the H1-B lottery scam. And go with the naked truth of what it is, patronage. Let each Senator/Representative be responsible for giving out a certain number of visas each year and let them auction it off to the highest bidder.
- eru 2y agoThe auction is an excellent idea, but you don't need to tie it to representatives. Just make the proceeds go to general revenue, and tout it as making those pesky foreigners pay and how much it benefits the tax payer.
- listenallyall 2y agoHuh? How could passing multiple new laws (anti-business laws at that), including fundamental changes to legal residency (especially in the current political environment) be done quickly (tomorrow according to you)?
- shiroiushi 2y agoWhat he meant is that it could be done quickly if there were political will for it. Obviously, there's no political will for this, so it won't be done.
- listenallyall 2y agoBut this is an example of the most ridiculous ideas floated on HN. Even if every politician agreed there was a problem with the H1-B system, the proposed solution is far from agreeable to everyone. Adding criminal liability? Increasing labor costs ("remove the depressive impacts on salaries")? Making it easier to obtain permanent residency? One of the reasons HN gets mocked is how dismissive many commenters are about the real-world complexities of various domains. Someone thinking that some wacky proposal he just made up 5 minutes ago is the ultimate solution to longstanding labor constraints and that everyone would automatically agree to it within 24 hours, makes it a joke rather than a basic idea that might have some merit if explored further.
- bubblethink 2y agoI think the parent's point is to move to a free market/merits based system rather than whatever insane lottery system they have. Almost every other country has some type of points/skill/wages type system.
- listenallyall 2y agoAnd my point is, whatever he was trying to say doesn't matter. When you assume the problem is so simple that it could all be fixed tomorrow, you expose yourself as someone who actually doesn't understand the problem.