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"Anti-H1B people love to rave about my taking jobs from US citizens." I'm largely opposed to the H1B visa, but I definitely don't like to rave about your takin

by geebee 17y ago

"Anti-H1B people love to rave about my taking jobs from US citizens." I'm largely opposed to the H1B visa, but I definitely don't like to rave about your taking jobs from US citizens. I certainly don't think that you have. This visa was truly a miserable piece of public policy, and I think the US should regard it as a failure and try to implement something that is in the better interest of the American public as well as the people who would like to work here and would make great contributions. I read a bit about Australia's points system, and I think it's a good approach. You get points for having valuable skills, proficiency in english, and so forth. If you exceed a certain threshold, you get a "visa" (I'm not sure if that's the term they use, it's a residency and work permit). What's so cool about this system is that the visa is granted directly to the individual, so it preserves freedom. I also like it because it doesn't single out high tech - lots and lots of different professions and trades get full points, so engineers/programmers won't feel singled out and thrown under the bus, so to speak. While the needs of employers are a factor (a job offer adds points), it doesn't give employers control over the worker's right to reside in Australia. I know you've had a bad time of the US immigration system, and anti-H1B ranters have given you plenty of opportunity to view critics of the program as anti-immigrant (and even potentially racist). But I'm hoping you can also agree that many US citizens who work in technical fields are legitimately outraged about abuses of this program. I don't mind at all if you personally disagree that the H1B program has deterred Americans from entering the field at a time we badly need to ensure a steady supply from our own population, but I do think you should recognize that this is a reasonable point of view that can and should be debated.

linuxconvert 17y ago
Putting my frustrations to one side, it seems clear to me that there are problems with the program, there are abuses of the program, and there are people like me caught in the middle of it all. However, some of the worst abuses, such as by Indian consulting companies that bring people over and then don't pay them while they are "on the bench" should be solved simply by enforcing the existing rules. Anytime you hear some consultant mention "the bench" there are these types of abuse going on. Both the Australian and Canadian processes look far more sane to me. The Canadian one also runs roughly along the lines you mention. I don't know whether Americans have been deterred from entering the field or not. However, I do know that in my particular subfield there is a distinct shortage of qualified people of any nationality.

by geebee 17y ago

linuxconvert 17y ago

Putting my frustrations to one side, it seems clear to me that there are problems with the program, there are abuses of the program, and there are people like me caught in the middle of it all. However, some of the worst abuses, such as by Indian consulting companies that bring people over and then don't pay them while they are "on the bench" should be solved simply by enforcing the existing rules. Anytime you hear some consultant mention "the bench" there are these types of abuse going on. Both the Australian and Canadian processes look far more sane to me. The Canadian one also runs roughly along the lines you mention. I don't know whether Americans have been deterred from entering the field or not. However, I do know that in my particular subfield there is a distinct shortage of qualified people of any nationality.