3 ms·

> "H1 workers who’re not citizens of these handful of sucks-to-be-born-here countries can get Green Cards within 1-2 years and enjoy unfettered job mobility."

> "H1 workers who’re not citizens of these handful of sucks-to-be-born-here countries can get Green Cards within 1-2 years and enjoy unfettered job mobility." Yes, and this still results in 1-2 years of indentured servitude. As the author defines at the very beginning of the blog post: > "inden′tured serv′ant: A person who is bound to work for another for a specified period of time." There is a substantial period of time - longer for some, shorter for others, where your employer has your entire life in a stranglehold and can throw you under the bus at a moment's notice. I'm not sure how that doesn't qualify as indentured servitude?

udit99 13y ago
Because as I clarify in the post, no H-1 is BOUND to work for their employer. They are free to quit and go back home, or change employers. Yes, the employer has an advantage of being in a position where he can kill your American Dream, but H-1 workers change jobs ALL the time.
- potatolicious 13y ago
  And most indentured servitude arrangements around the world aren't bound to their employers either - but there are other highly coercive forces at play that prevent people from leaving. Imagine holding someone's family hostage in exchange for them doing something - while they are technically free to do whatever the hell they want, the reality of it is that they are, for all practical intents and purposes, bound to your will. This is, at the end of the day, somewhat of a gray area. How much influence do you need over someone's life before you become a coercive force? IMO the ability to completely unravel your life - to force you to suddenly move (within days!), to eject you from your resident country, etc, clearly falls under this umbrella. H-1Bs change jobs all the time. I've done it myself. But once the green card is in the works, the indentured servitude begins. So perhaps more accurately, H-1Bs aren't indentured servants, but a very large subset of them (i.e., anyone after a GC) are.

udit99 13y ago

Because as I clarify in the post, no H-1 is BOUND to work for their employer. They are free to quit and go back home, or change employers. Yes, the employer has an advantage of being in a position where he can kill your American Dream, but H-1 workers change jobs ALL the time.

potatolicious 13y ago
And most indentured servitude arrangements around the world aren't bound to their employers either - but there are other highly coercive forces at play that prevent people from leaving. Imagine holding someone's family hostage in exchange for them doing something - while they are technically free to do whatever the hell they want, the reality of it is that they are, for all practical intents and purposes, bound to your will. This is, at the end of the day, somewhat of a gray area. How much influence do you need over someone's life before you become a coercive force? IMO the ability to completely unravel your life - to force you to suddenly move (within days!), to eject you from your resident country, etc, clearly falls under this umbrella. H-1Bs change jobs all the time. I've done it myself. But once the green card is in the works, the indentured servitude begins. So perhaps more accurately, H-1Bs aren't indentured servants, but a very large subset of them (i.e., anyone after a GC) are.