6 ms·

While the stated intention is to prevent abuse by consultancies, I think this effectively kills the H1B program. Who will be able to afford this? Not startups.

by jatins 1y ago

While the stated intention is to prevent abuse by consultancies, I think this effectively kills the H1B program. Who will be able to afford this? Not startups. 100k is like 75% of base comp in most bay area startups Among BigTech, maybe like ~20 companies will be willing to pay this per employee.

nine_k 1y ago
So startups often bring in H1B employees? What prevents them from hiring the same great people remotely?
- pcl 1y ago
  Time zones are probably the biggest limiting factor, followed by remoteness. In my experience, it's really hard and pretty slow to onboard a remote worker if you haven't already worked with that person in the past. And at a startup, you don't usually have the luxury of time on your side.
  - nine_k 1y ago
    Basically all of South America is in US-friendly timezones. I worked with a few quite bright folks from Argentina, for instance. I suspect that flying someone from Buenos Aires to SF or NYC for onboarding and then and back would cost significantly less than $100k. Remote work from Europe is harder in this regard, and from India... would be night shifts only.
    - johnisgood 1y ago
      > Remote work from Europe is harder in this regard, and from India... would be night shifts only. I do not mind working all day until I pass out, and I do not mind adjusting my life to a different timezone as long as I get paid enough, and considering that USD > HUF, it is probably a no-brainer. So yeah, hire me for full remote! Unfortunately traveling is out of the question due to disability.
      - pcl 1y ago
        If you put a means of contact into your profile, people here will be able to follow up with you.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- giveita 1y ago
  If you hire someone in say Australia you would be subject to its fair work act, and its courts. You'd need to sus out the tax situation too. What if they are a contractor? Well usually the law treats these things like ducks and asks if they quack. If it quacks like employment it is subject to that law.
  - vrmiguel 1y ago
    I find that Employers of Record (EoR) make this a non-issue. I work for an American startup, remotely from S. America. I'm hired according to the (extensive, and expensive) local labor laws, while my startup likely knows absolutely nothing about the intricacies of how my countries' labor laws work, the EoR just handles everything and sends the employer a bill every month.
zer00eyz 1y ago
> Not startups. 100k is like 75% I dont know of a single person here on a visa making less than 150k salary. They get the same stock, bonus and benefits that every one else gets.... it's well over 300k to have that staff member when all is said and done. You're not adding on 100k a year, you're adding on 100k for a 3-6 year employee. Even if that works out to 20k a year, it's pocket change in the grand scheme of things.
- leakycap 1y ago
  I don't think there is any reasonable evidence to suggest that most workers here on H1-B visas make more than 150k median salary, much less that they are awarded similar options as other employees. I'm glad to hear this has been the environment you've worked in, but I don't believe it reflects the majority of skilled workers in the US on H1-B.
  - cyberax 1y ago
    The H1b salaries are public. And the L4 prevailing wage for software engineers in the Seattle area is $200k. H1b also only takes into account the actual salary, it completely ignores stock bonuses.
    - leakycap 1y ago
      If this is public information, I'd love to know what the median salary is rather than taking your word for it on a specific area I am not familiar with.
      - cyberax 1y ago
        https://h1bgrader.com/h1b-prevailing-wage/area/seattle-tacoma-bellevue-wa-42660/year/2026 https://h1bgrader.com/h1b-prevailing-wage/area/seattle-tacom... - filter by "Software". Level 4 is $212202, Level 1 is $117749. The USCIS uses the BLS data for the prevailing wage. You can also check it on the BLS website if you want.
robofanatic 1y ago
>I think this effectively kills the H1B program. That exactly is Trump’s intention, no?
- jpadkins 1y ago
  No, his campaign pledges stated: 6. Ensure Our Legal Immigration System Puts American Workers First Republicans will prioritize Merit-based immigration, ensuring those admitted to our Country contribute positively to our Society and Economy, and never become a drain on Public Resources. We will end Chain Migration, and put American Workers first! https://rncplatform.donaldjtrump.com/?_gl=1*18i1due*_gcl_au*MjI5Nzg2Njc5LjE3NTgzMTUyNDM.&_ga=2.121013131.2080222214.1758315243-1825968954.1758315243 https://rncplatform.donaldjtrump.com/?_gl=1*18i1due*_gcl_au*... He has been pretty good at sticking to his campaign promises.
  - Rohansi 1y ago
    I don't see how nearly killing the H1B program goes against that pledge. If anything it sounds like something that they could spin as following this pledge.
    - jpadkins 1y ago
      just like he nearly killed international trade with his 'surprise' tariff announcements? Whitehouse already clarified the new fees apply to new applicants, not current H1B. It's an opening gambit, designed to shock people and get them to the negotiating table. If not, they will continue to ratchet up the pressure.
  - intermerda 1y ago
    > He has been pretty good at sticking to his campaign promises. I wouldn't be too surprised if you genuinely believe that Ukraine war has been over since Jan 20 and that grocery prices are at all time low.
Sevii 1y ago
It's not a bad thing if FAANG gets every single H1B visa. There has long been a complaint that FAANG is willing to pay 300k+/head in salaries but instead Cognizant gets the visa and pays 60k/head. If we have a limited visa pool it makes no sense to give visas to low paying employers until FAANG is completely saturated.
kelnos 1y ago
Do startups often hire H-1Bs? I've only worked for a few, but they didn't start hiring H-1Bs until they we're fairly sizeable and had taken on a couple rounds of funding. Certainly the $100k fee is going to make the application much more expensive (though you can amortize it across 3 or 6 years, right?), but it was already not exactly cheap to deal with the legal costs around H-1B employees. > Among BigTech, maybe like ~20 companies will be willing to pay this per employee. I think that's a vast, vast underestimation. Most companies, even not-so-big ones, will continue to pay it. Maybe they'll think twice a bit more for future hires, and try harder to find someone local, which I don't think is a bad thing. Or, of course, this could just represent another factor in downward wage pressure across the board, which is bad.
- jusgu 1y ago
  It’s 100k per year not per application. So you won’t be able to amortize across 3-6 years
  - cryptonector 1y ago
    But the EO is only good for one year, and anyways it's always subject to change, next week, next year, next President.

by jatins 1y ago

nine_k 1y ago

So startups often bring in H1B employees? What prevents them from hiring the same great people remotely?

pcl 1y ago
Time zones are probably the biggest limiting factor, followed by remoteness. In my experience, it's really hard and pretty slow to onboard a remote worker if you haven't already worked with that person in the past. And at a startup, you don't usually have the luxury of time on your side.
- nine_k 1y ago
  Basically all of South America is in US-friendly timezones. I worked with a few quite bright folks from Argentina, for instance. I suspect that flying someone from Buenos Aires to SF or NYC for onboarding and then and back would cost significantly less than $100k. Remote work from Europe is harder in this regard, and from India... would be night shifts only.
  - johnisgood 1y ago
    > Remote work from Europe is harder in this regard, and from India... would be night shifts only. I do not mind working all day until I pass out, and I do not mind adjusting my life to a different timezone as long as I get paid enough, and considering that USD > HUF, it is probably a no-brainer. So yeah, hire me for full remote! Unfortunately traveling is out of the question due to disability.
    - pcl 1y ago
      If you put a means of contact into your profile, people here will be able to follow up with you.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
giveita 1y ago
If you hire someone in say Australia you would be subject to its fair work act, and its courts. You'd need to sus out the tax situation too. What if they are a contractor? Well usually the law treats these things like ducks and asks if they quack. If it quacks like employment it is subject to that law.
- vrmiguel 1y ago
  I find that Employers of Record (EoR) make this a non-issue. I work for an American startup, remotely from S. America. I'm hired according to the (extensive, and expensive) local labor laws, while my startup likely knows absolutely nothing about the intricacies of how my countries' labor laws work, the EoR just handles everything and sends the employer a bill every month.

zer00eyz 1y ago

> Not startups. 100k is like 75% I dont know of a single person here on a visa making less than 150k salary. They get the same stock, bonus and benefits that every one else gets.... it's well over 300k to have that staff member when all is said and done. You're not adding on 100k a year, you're adding on 100k for a 3-6 year employee. Even if that works out to 20k a year, it's pocket change in the grand scheme of things.

leakycap 1y ago
I don't think there is any reasonable evidence to suggest that most workers here on H1-B visas make more than 150k median salary, much less that they are awarded similar options as other employees. I'm glad to hear this has been the environment you've worked in, but I don't believe it reflects the majority of skilled workers in the US on H1-B.
- cyberax 1y ago
  The H1b salaries are public. And the L4 prevailing wage for software engineers in the Seattle area is $200k. H1b also only takes into account the actual salary, it completely ignores stock bonuses.
  - leakycap 1y ago
    If this is public information, I'd love to know what the median salary is rather than taking your word for it on a specific area I am not familiar with.
    - cyberax 1y ago
      https://h1bgrader.com/h1b-prevailing-wage/area/seattle-tacoma-bellevue-wa-42660/year/2026 https://h1bgrader.com/h1b-prevailing-wage/area/seattle-tacom... - filter by "Software". Level 4 is $212202, Level 1 is $117749. The USCIS uses the BLS data for the prevailing wage. You can also check it on the BLS website if you want.

robofanatic 1y ago

>I think this effectively kills the H1B program. That exactly is Trump’s intention, no?

jpadkins 1y ago
No, his campaign pledges stated: 6. Ensure Our Legal Immigration System Puts American Workers First Republicans will prioritize Merit-based immigration, ensuring those admitted to our Country contribute positively to our Society and Economy, and never become a drain on Public Resources. We will end Chain Migration, and put American Workers first! https://rncplatform.donaldjtrump.com/?_gl=1*18i1due*_gcl_au*MjI5Nzg2Njc5LjE3NTgzMTUyNDM.&_ga=2.121013131.2080222214.1758315243-1825968954.1758315243 https://rncplatform.donaldjtrump.com/?_gl=1*18i1due*_gcl_au*... He has been pretty good at sticking to his campaign promises.
- Rohansi 1y ago
  I don't see how nearly killing the H1B program goes against that pledge. If anything it sounds like something that they could spin as following this pledge.
  - jpadkins 1y ago
    just like he nearly killed international trade with his 'surprise' tariff announcements? Whitehouse already clarified the new fees apply to new applicants, not current H1B. It's an opening gambit, designed to shock people and get them to the negotiating table. If not, they will continue to ratchet up the pressure.
- intermerda 1y ago
  > He has been pretty good at sticking to his campaign promises. I wouldn't be too surprised if you genuinely believe that Ukraine war has been over since Jan 20 and that grocery prices are at all time low.

Sevii 1y ago

It's not a bad thing if FAANG gets every single H1B visa. There has long been a complaint that FAANG is willing to pay 300k+/head in salaries but instead Cognizant gets the visa and pays 60k/head. If we have a limited visa pool it makes no sense to give visas to low paying employers until FAANG is completely saturated.

kelnos 1y ago

Do startups often hire H-1Bs? I've only worked for a few, but they didn't start hiring H-1Bs until they we're fairly sizeable and had taken on a couple rounds of funding. Certainly the $100k fee is going to make the application much more expensive (though you can amortize it across 3 or 6 years, right?), but it was already not exactly cheap to deal with the legal costs around H-1B employees. > Among BigTech, maybe like ~20 companies will be willing to pay this per employee. I think that's a vast, vast underestimation. Most companies, even not-so-big ones, will continue to pay it. Maybe they'll think twice a bit more for future hires, and try harder to find someone local, which I don't think is a bad thing. Or, of course, this could just represent another factor in downward wage pressure across the board, which is bad.

jusgu 1y ago
It’s 100k per year not per application. So you won’t be able to amortize across 3-6 years
- cryptonector 1y ago
  But the EO is only good for one year, and anyways it's always subject to change, next week, next year, next President.