4 ms·

This is why H1-B visas should have a minimum salary requirement equal to 20% over whichever is greater, median salary for the role in the industry, or median sa

by dmayle 2y ago

This is why H1-B visas should have a minimum salary requirement equal to 20% over whichever is greater, median salary for the role in the industry, or median salary for the role in the company (and whichever is greater, US-wide, or local pay scale). This way, a company is always incentivized to find local talent, but when they are actually unable to, they have a path to find the expertise they need. The U.S. could relax restrictions on H1-B, lowering red tape, and removing a lot of churn that comes with the H1-B program

aprilthird2021 2y ago
In general, H1B visas do have such provisions. At least in CA most jobs must provide a salary range. Even if every H1B is the lowest of the range in those postings, that alone means there are many many jobs which fit your criteria.
- janalsncm 2y ago
  The ranges are way too low then. I checked H1B salaries and I found the following in San Jose (median rent approx $2200 for 1BR): FLEXON TECHNOLOGIES INC Database analyst: $60k DATA TRACE INFORMATION SERVICES LLC Software engineer: $65k PRIMARIUS TECHNOLOGIES US LLC DATA ANALYST $72k ZOOM VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS INC AI SCIENTIST $74k HBI SOLUTIONS INC DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR $75k BEACONFIRE STAFFING SOLUTIONS INC COMPUTER SYSTEMS ENGINEER $88k https://h1bdata.info/index.php?em=&job=&city=san+jose&year=2024 https://h1bdata.info/index.php?em=&job=&city=san+jose&year=2... Sort by salary ascending and you will see what I mean. These are blatant violations. We know how much software engineers should make. Do the immigrants know they are moving to one of the most expensive cities in the US?
  - sciencesama 2y ago
    Taking advantage of the system !!
  - mlinhares 2y ago
    The good ones do and use this as a way to get through the door.
  - rayiner 2y ago
    Someone should put together a package for the new administration with advertisements to target for H1B violations. I’m sure Stephen Miller would want to see it.
  - aprilthird2021 2y ago
    Almost all H1Bs have already been in the US for years on their student visas, so of course they know COL and where they are moving to. Those you are posting look like they could be violations. But if you just visit your link, you quickly see that most jobs are in line with median salaries in the bay area. For example: https://www.indeed.com/career/software-engineer/salaries/San-Jose--CA https://www.indeed.com/career/software-engineer/salaries/San... And then: https://h1bdata.info/index.php?em=zoom+video+communications+inc&job=&city=san+jose&year=2024 https://h1bdata.info/index.php?em=zoom+video+communications+... Those are pretty close to the median in aggregate.
    - michaelt 2y ago
      > Those are pretty close to the median in aggregate. Pretty close to the median? Aren't these H1-B visas supposed to be for specialists? To bring in the best and brightest?
      - aprilthird2021 2y ago
        Compared to average workers, software engineers are specialists. H1B holders are often brighter than their citizen counterparts by at least one objective measure: advanced degrees holding. It's very hard to find US citizens with advanced degrees who can code well and understand computer science.
        pzh 2y ago
        Not all H1B holders have advanced degrees, and the reason some of them do is because that’s one of the immigration pathways —- pay for a 1-2-year Master’s degree so you get a better chance of landing an H1B after you graduate. Most citizens don’t go for advanced degree because there’s no utility in them, and not because they aren’t smart.
        aprilthird2021 2y ago
        I know this. But it is a measurable differentiator in qualification that H1Bs are way more likely to have than citizens. Many young men don't see the utility in college compared to women in the the US, but employers do.
brandonmenc 2y ago
> This is why H1-B visas should have a minimum salary requirement equal to 20% over [median] The requirement should be at least 2x top of band. A mere 1.2x of the median is absolutely absurd.
- m00x 2y ago
  That's ridiculous. 20% is already enough from top of band.
dzhiurgis 2y ago
And how you going to enforce this?
- randcraw 2y ago
  Require employers of each H1-B to submit (along with the hire's w-4 that they send to Uncle Sam that already includes the job's wages and benefits), the position description in the job ad, the candidate's resume, and the matching wage band the job purportedly falls into and exceeds by 20% (or whatever the required margin is). It should be trivial to automate the validation process. Then do random checks to confirm those purported facts, especially of employers who hire large numbers of H1-Bs and have past violations.
- Clubber 2y ago
  Random audits, like the IRS does.
kaycey2022 2y ago
“Labour tariffs” in the west are actually a great thing, and I support it. I’m from India. I support this for very different reasons than those expressed in this thread, but I think in the long term this would be good for India and maybe even the US. The global labour market is screwed up and some churn like this is needed to potentially fix things.

by dmayle 2y ago

aprilthird2021 2y ago

In general, H1B visas do have such provisions. At least in CA most jobs must provide a salary range. Even if every H1B is the lowest of the range in those postings, that alone means there are many many jobs which fit your criteria.

janalsncm 2y ago
The ranges are way too low then. I checked H1B salaries and I found the following in San Jose (median rent approx $2200 for 1BR): FLEXON TECHNOLOGIES INC Database analyst: $60k DATA TRACE INFORMATION SERVICES LLC Software engineer: $65k PRIMARIUS TECHNOLOGIES US LLC DATA ANALYST $72k ZOOM VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS INC AI SCIENTIST $74k HBI SOLUTIONS INC DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR $75k BEACONFIRE STAFFING SOLUTIONS INC COMPUTER SYSTEMS ENGINEER $88k https://h1bdata.info/index.php?em=&job=&city=san+jose&year=2024 https://h1bdata.info/index.php?em=&job=&city=san+jose&year=2... Sort by salary ascending and you will see what I mean. These are blatant violations. We know how much software engineers should make. Do the immigrants know they are moving to one of the most expensive cities in the US?
- sciencesama 2y ago
  Taking advantage of the system !!
- mlinhares 2y ago
  The good ones do and use this as a way to get through the door.
- rayiner 2y ago
  Someone should put together a package for the new administration with advertisements to target for H1B violations. I’m sure Stephen Miller would want to see it.
- aprilthird2021 2y ago
  Almost all H1Bs have already been in the US for years on their student visas, so of course they know COL and where they are moving to. Those you are posting look like they could be violations. But if you just visit your link, you quickly see that most jobs are in line with median salaries in the bay area. For example: https://www.indeed.com/career/software-engineer/salaries/San-Jose--CA https://www.indeed.com/career/software-engineer/salaries/San... And then: https://h1bdata.info/index.php?em=zoom+video+communications+inc&job=&city=san+jose&year=2024 https://h1bdata.info/index.php?em=zoom+video+communications+... Those are pretty close to the median in aggregate.
  - michaelt 2y ago
    > Those are pretty close to the median in aggregate. Pretty close to the median? Aren't these H1-B visas supposed to be for specialists? To bring in the best and brightest?
    - aprilthird2021 2y ago
      Compared to average workers, software engineers are specialists. H1B holders are often brighter than their citizen counterparts by at least one objective measure: advanced degrees holding. It's very hard to find US citizens with advanced degrees who can code well and understand computer science.
      - pzh 2y ago
        Not all H1B holders have advanced degrees, and the reason some of them do is because that’s one of the immigration pathways —- pay for a 1-2-year Master’s degree so you get a better chance of landing an H1B after you graduate. Most citizens don’t go for advanced degree because there’s no utility in them, and not because they aren’t smart.
        aprilthird2021 2y ago
        I know this. But it is a measurable differentiator in qualification that H1Bs are way more likely to have than citizens. Many young men don't see the utility in college compared to women in the the US, but employers do.

brandonmenc 2y ago

> This is why H1-B visas should have a minimum salary requirement equal to 20% over [median] The requirement should be at least 2x top of band. A mere 1.2x of the median is absolutely absurd.

m00x 2y ago
That's ridiculous. 20% is already enough from top of band.

dzhiurgis 2y ago

And how you going to enforce this?

randcraw 2y ago
Require employers of each H1-B to submit (along with the hire's w-4 that they send to Uncle Sam that already includes the job's wages and benefits), the position description in the job ad, the candidate's resume, and the matching wage band the job purportedly falls into and exceeds by 20% (or whatever the required margin is). It should be trivial to automate the validation process. Then do random checks to confirm those purported facts, especially of employers who hire large numbers of H1-Bs and have past violations.
Clubber 2y ago
Random audits, like the IRS does.

kaycey2022 2y ago

“Labour tariffs” in the west are actually a great thing, and I support it. I’m from India. I support this for very different reasons than those expressed in this thread, but I think in the long term this would be good for India and maybe even the US. The global labour market is screwed up and some churn like this is needed to potentially fix things.