4 ms·

I can't believe this comment is at the top of this thread. Ridiculous. > out in favor of saving tens of thousands of dollars and hire an H-1B. What evidence d

by sheri 13y ago

I can't believe this comment is at the top of this thread. Ridiculous. > out in favor of saving tens of thousands of dollars and hire an H-1B. What evidence do you have that they saved tens of thousands of dollars with an H1B? They spent over 5000$ in legal fees just trying to get the H1B.

eshvk 13y ago
I actually upvoted the comment because this statement comes up again and again. Eventually reasonable arguments float up to the top. My hope is that the responses to the drive-by-attack are read so that people understand how the system works.
gcb0 13y ago
h1b here. I get 20-30k year less than my native counterparts. but since it's a big company I'm still in the "salary range for position". If you count my experience and the position i had before, I'm making much less because I'm in a much lower bracket that i would be back home. I know my company spend 10k to sponsor me. Which is peanuts for saying 40k year considering all that. Also, it's very hard for me to look better pay as a native could do. Even the ones making 10k more than i do already left...
- untog 13y ago
  Well, I am a counter anecdotal example to that. I am here on an H1B and am paid on an equivalent level to my co-workers, slightly higher than some. Without wanting to sound like an asshole here, you are within the salary range for your position- maybe the difference between you and your coworkers is performance based? Why not just get a job elsewhere?
  - gcb0 13y ago
    because after you're married you can't move to a new city every week. Also the other company that wanted to hire me didn't want to go thru the h1b thing. But mostly because I'm still a sucker believing in non written promises.
    - eshvk 13y ago
      > because after you're married you can't move to a new city every week. Americans face this issue too. > Also the other company that wanted to hire me didn't want to go thru the h1b thing. Life is filled with disappointments; such is the nature of life. > But mostly because I'm still a sucker believing in non written promises. I am not clear how you are getting shafted because you are an immigrant then. An American who is naive would also get shafted.
    - potatolicious 13y ago
      eshvk may not be phrasing it in the most sensitive way, but he/she is right. If you are not in a major tech hub, your pay is going to be low, and the ability for your employer to abuse you is going to be high given the small market of jobs. This applies to both natives and immigrants alike. You are also unlikely to be in a market where companies are willing to pull out the stops to find qualified talent. In the Bay Area, Seattle, Austin, NYC, etc, I have found the majority of companies willing to consider visa requirements when hiring. The competition for candidates is fierce enough that this is a non-issue. As an international in this country also, just get out of that job. If they've violated a non-written promise before, they will do so again. As you mentioned yourself, the natives at your company are treated poorly too - but they have left for greener pastures where you have not. There is no shortage of high-paying tech jobs in this country, even when you limit the search to companies that will sponsor a visa. You don't need to move to a new city every week. You just need to move once, to a market that has more choice, therefore fewer incentives for abuse.
      - eshvk 13y ago
        I am being harsh because money is a false signal that doesn't serve both sides of the debate. I am against the H1B as it stands now because it is exploitative, indentured labor. How does it matter if I get paid 10% more or 10% less when I have to work under fear, constant persistent fear? Disclosure: I spent five months in an H1B. At one point, I was three days before my green card interview. My company kept dithering on whether I would be laid off or not. A layoff would have met all the work done for my green card would have gotten fucked because I would become out of status immediately. Now I didn't get laid off and got the green card. Yet, that system continues to exist because companies don't want to change that; immigrants are too scared to protest. An immigrant from India/China goes through 5+ years of this. That is the key advantage from an employer's perspective. Not a few thousand dollars. But the ability to get these people working all the time under threat of deportation. Also, it doesn't matter how good you are. Getting a good new job takes time.
- vosper 13y ago
  I'm also an H1B, I get paid the same as my counterparts at my work, and I suspect more than some of them. In my first job in the US I was paid less as a Senior engineer than some Juniors were - when I found out and kicked up a fuss my pay went up. When I changed jobs I had no difficulty negotiating for a competitive salary - I think in part due to an H1B transfer being much less intimidating (and cheaper) than an initial sponsorship. Maybe you should start talking to other employers?

by sheri 13y ago

eshvk 13y ago

I actually upvoted the comment because this statement comes up again and again. Eventually reasonable arguments float up to the top. My hope is that the responses to the drive-by-attack are read so that people understand how the system works.

gcb0 13y ago

h1b here. I get 20-30k year less than my native counterparts. but since it's a big company I'm still in the "salary range for position". If you count my experience and the position i had before, I'm making much less because I'm in a much lower bracket that i would be back home. I know my company spend 10k to sponsor me. Which is peanuts for saying 40k year considering all that. Also, it's very hard for me to look better pay as a native could do. Even the ones making 10k more than i do already left...

untog 13y ago
Well, I am a counter anecdotal example to that. I am here on an H1B and am paid on an equivalent level to my co-workers, slightly higher than some. Without wanting to sound like an asshole here, you are within the salary range for your position- maybe the difference between you and your coworkers is performance based? Why not just get a job elsewhere?
- gcb0 13y ago
  because after you're married you can't move to a new city every week. Also the other company that wanted to hire me didn't want to go thru the h1b thing. But mostly because I'm still a sucker believing in non written promises.
  - eshvk 13y ago
    > because after you're married you can't move to a new city every week. Americans face this issue too. > Also the other company that wanted to hire me didn't want to go thru the h1b thing. Life is filled with disappointments; such is the nature of life. > But mostly because I'm still a sucker believing in non written promises. I am not clear how you are getting shafted because you are an immigrant then. An American who is naive would also get shafted.
  - potatolicious 13y ago
    eshvk may not be phrasing it in the most sensitive way, but he/she is right. If you are not in a major tech hub, your pay is going to be low, and the ability for your employer to abuse you is going to be high given the small market of jobs. This applies to both natives and immigrants alike. You are also unlikely to be in a market where companies are willing to pull out the stops to find qualified talent. In the Bay Area, Seattle, Austin, NYC, etc, I have found the majority of companies willing to consider visa requirements when hiring. The competition for candidates is fierce enough that this is a non-issue. As an international in this country also, just get out of that job. If they've violated a non-written promise before, they will do so again. As you mentioned yourself, the natives at your company are treated poorly too - but they have left for greener pastures where you have not. There is no shortage of high-paying tech jobs in this country, even when you limit the search to companies that will sponsor a visa. You don't need to move to a new city every week. You just need to move once, to a market that has more choice, therefore fewer incentives for abuse.
    - eshvk 13y ago
      I am being harsh because money is a false signal that doesn't serve both sides of the debate. I am against the H1B as it stands now because it is exploitative, indentured labor. How does it matter if I get paid 10% more or 10% less when I have to work under fear, constant persistent fear? Disclosure: I spent five months in an H1B. At one point, I was three days before my green card interview. My company kept dithering on whether I would be laid off or not. A layoff would have met all the work done for my green card would have gotten fucked because I would become out of status immediately. Now I didn't get laid off and got the green card. Yet, that system continues to exist because companies don't want to change that; immigrants are too scared to protest. An immigrant from India/China goes through 5+ years of this. That is the key advantage from an employer's perspective. Not a few thousand dollars. But the ability to get these people working all the time under threat of deportation. Also, it doesn't matter how good you are. Getting a good new job takes time.
vosper 13y ago
I'm also an H1B, I get paid the same as my counterparts at my work, and I suspect more than some of them. In my first job in the US I was paid less as a Senior engineer than some Juniors were - when I found out and kicked up a fuss my pay went up. When I changed jobs I had no difficulty negotiating for a competitive salary - I think in part due to an H1B transfer being much less intimidating (and cheaper) than an initial sponsorship. Maybe you should start talking to other employers?