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Rather than looking at fixing a broken visa system that's specifically employee tied we should just look at relaxing the requirements for O1 visa qualification
by munk-a 2y ago
Rather than looking at fixing a broken visa system that's specifically employee tied we should just look at relaxing the requirements for O1 visa qualification and allowing non-employer tied skilled immigration.
There's a classic story that used to be told about Cambridge and Silicon Valley - both were good candidates for the tech boom but Silicon Valley won because Massachusetts allowed extremely harsh non-competes that prevented employees from freely switching jobs. The H1B visa vs. O1 visa argument is basically the exact same scenario - forcing workers to stay in specific positions hurts innovation and competitiveness. Once you're accepted into the US you should be free to participate in the labor market like everyone else.
- pkaye 2y agoI know plenty of H1B visa friends that move around jobs. They are not stuck at one employer.
- stackskipton 2y agoand I know plenty who won't because while you CAN, if anything goes wrong, you are going home. They prefer to play it safe with known quantity then roll the dice, have a paperwork SNAFU and end up on the plane home.
- pkaye 2y agoThere is no "play it safe" in the US since workers can be easily fired. Best solution is to give every worker better job security.
- pembrook 2y agoWhether it's "fixing" H1B or expanding O1, it doesn't matter. Having more industrious high skilled people in the economy makes us all richer. The job market is not a zero sum game.