Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Gaming the H-1B system for good

blog.triplebyte.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

191–200 of 227 posts

Re: Gaming the H-1B system for good

#191

Post by dirkdk »

rb2k_ wrote: post #186
dirkdk wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Europe is not that bad. Yes it is nice to earn $120k in Silicon Valley, but life is extremely expensive with $3500/m rent for a 1br apt. Get a job in my home town Amsterdam, earn $80k and spend only $1000 on an apartment. Uber moved its mobile engineering team there for a reason. In general, the entrepreneurial scene is much smaller, but if you want to concentrate on SE Europe is fine.

> nice to earn $120k in Silicon Valley > $3500/m rent for a 1br apt I think you are a bit off on both :) Salary: As a Software Engineer, chances are you can a bit more (especially including bonus + RSU). If you're "senior" you can earn quite a bit more. Also: There are tons of other small perks that add up (phone/internet reimbursement, free food, public transport pass, free electric car charging, ...) Rent: You can…

In San Francisco you need $4,225 for a 1br

http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2015/06/02/san-franciscos-...

Re: Gaming the H-1B system for good

#192

Post by gopalv »

proberts wrote: post #151

I practice immigration law and work with startups. I think that this is an excellent idea/model. My only concern is that the startup/employer not seek reimbursement from the employee for any of the costs associated with the H-1B process (filing fees and legal fees), including the fee (equal to 25% of the employee’s first year salary) paid to TripleByte by the startup/employer. This is prohibited. The main point of th…

> my standpoint is that startups should not shy away from hiring employees who are in H-1B status simply because they are startups.

This does solve the hiring manager's problem, but will raise red flags with the outsourced employee's personal risk profile.

There is another rush for a lawyer if the startup you were hired into gets restructured (acquired/merged).

Honestly TripleByte can offer a small "outplacement" insurance package to the employee being hired (as a revenue stream) - which works out nearly the same as having a "talent agent" retainer in the business, except one who knows how to navigate the legal wrangles when you need a new gig.

Re: Gaming the H-1B system for good

#193

Post by dirkdk »

In general I think no visa is compatible with startups. Even a relative simple H1B transfer takes months. All work visas are linked to an employer, and this is at odds with the fluid nature of startups

Re: Gaming the H-1B system for good

#194

Post by finance-geek »

aianus wrote: post #173
finance-geek wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you provide a source that shows the laws of economics not applying to technology labor markets? As for your source -- how about common sense and the most basic econ 101 chart on supply, demand and price? http://www.investopedia.com/university/economics/economics3.... The higher the supply the lower the price.

I don't know if it counts as a 'source' but tech companies in NYC/Seattle/SF pay $75,000/yr+ to 19-20 year old interns with almost no experience. And not as a rare occurrence, I had 10 offers at the same time any given term and so did most of my classmates. Hardly sounds like they're being exploited and suffering due to a glut in supply. Either that or "exploitation" rates in the US are double the market rate in Cana…

Except that you dont get to decide whether someone is being exploited at a certain salary or not. The Market Decides, that is how markets work. If you want to pay below market, usually the only way is to broaden the labor pool by importing workers. If that is your goal, then just be honest about it. Dont say "x wage is good enough."

Since you do bring up salaries though, after taxes, health premiums, co-pays, 75 will get you a shared 1br rent in SF. If that is good for you, great. Don't say it "should" be good for everyone, it isnt. We live in a market economy, so everyone needs to play by the rules, not try to justify market manipulations with "well, oh, that should be good for you."

Re: Gaming the H-1B system for good

#195

Post by finance-geek »

s73v3r wrote: post #147
finance-geek wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For one thing...the pay is often too low. Qualified individuals may be on the market, but not on the tech market. Same reason why so many Physics PhDs who can program C++ in their sleep choose to go to Wall St instead of Silicon Valley. Labor sits on the periphery but wont dive in unless they get market pay.

"For one thing...the pay is often too low." Sounds like something pretty easy to fix.

That is the central debate isnt it? The market fix is to increase wages until "shortages" disappear. The disingenuous fix is to claim there is a "shortage" and import workers to broaden the supply. That is great for hard-working foreign workers, but sucks for the domestic graduate pool that has a higher standard of living -- most Americans simply will not raise a family in a shared 2br apartment -- while that is common for immigrants. So they will instead seek better pay in other industries.

This is all fine, but it is disingenuous to claim shortages when the real problem is a refusal to pay market wages.

Re: Gaming the H-1B system for good

#196

Post by refurb »

dirkdk wrote: post #191
rb2k_ wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> nice to earn $120k in Silicon Valley > $3500/m rent for a 1br apt I think you are a bit off on both :) Salary: As a Software Engineer, chances are you can a bit more (especially including bonus + RSU). If you're "senior" you can earn quite a bit more. Also: There are tons of other small perks that add up (phone/internet reimbursement, free food, public transport pass, free electric car charging, ...) Rent: You can…

In San Francisco you need $4,225 for a 1br http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2015/06/02/san-franciscos-...

That's not true at all. Check out Craigslist. You can still find one-bedrooms for under $3K.

Re: Gaming the H-1B system for good

#197

Post by refurb »

finance-geek wrote: post #129
refurb wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you're saying H1-B workers can't leave? That's not true.

Are you saying they can leave with the same ease that citizens can leave? That's not true.

Of course not, they aren't citizens. Are you suggesting we give immigrants the same rights as citizens as soon as they arrive?

Re: Gaming the H-1B system for good

#198

Post by something123 »

So is this a program that makes it easier for people to change jobs after coming to the US on an H1B? Doesn't sounds like they're gaming anything, but it does sound like something that's sorely needed.

As and aside, with all the offtopic comments going one: while the H1B program is definitely flawed I think it's amazing that no one stops to consider the ethics of draining the 3rd world of its talent.

If there are all these amazing talented programmers in India or wherever, then maybe YC should open an office there

Re: Gaming the H-1B system for good

#199

Post by briandear »

frigg wrote: post #190
_hartem wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having lived in both Switzerland and US I have to say that US is much more friendly towards the immigrants from non-EU countries. Swiss make it nearly impossible for people outside EU to get a permanent redidence permit (have to wait for 10 years for a C permit) whereas in US there are multiple paths (EB1-3, NIV) and a plethora of employers (tech companies in West and East coast at least) who would offer GC sponsorsh…

Switzerland is the most unfriendly country for non-EU.

And the irony is that Switzerland isn't actually in the EU. However, they act like they are.
Post reply on HN