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New H1-B Visa bill doubles the salary requirements to $130K/yr

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Re: New H1-B Visa bill doubles the salary requirements to $130K/yr

#91

Post by angry_octet »

scarface74 wrote: post #66
angry_octet wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet that delay is antithetical to starting to work in a new area, innovating rapidly, etc. The ability to attract and retain employees from anywhere around the world is a massive advantage, and this sounds like a disincentive program. I agree with you that training is part of the solution, but for niche applications that can be pretty hard, you're talking people who have studied for years. So if you are doing wor…

"but for niche applications that can be pretty hard, you're talking people who have studied for years." How many people that have studied for years to become experts at niche applications are being paid only $60,000 a year - the current minimum for H1B Visas? I would think that getting such an expert is well worth $130,000 a year.

Agree that 60k is too low. But 130k is too high.

Consider someone who has just finished their PhD in a relevant area. You want to employ them in your startup in e.g. Orlando, where the cost of living is much lower than SF. Maybe 80k is reasonable. But you'll have to pay a 50k premium.

Or you could set up an office in Montreal. And then your tech team will come to Florida for a 3 month code camp every December anyway...

Re: New H1-B Visa bill doubles the salary requirements to $130K/yr

#92

Post by adrianm »

thr1234567 wrote: post #33
webmaven wrote: post #31

This is a good but flawed move. In very high COL places like NYC and SFBA $130k is barely a living wage unless you can put up with a 2h commute. OTOH, in low COL markets (eg. KC) this eliminates H1-Bs from consideration for most entry-level positions. For many markets in the middle (an example doesn't come to mind, perhaps Los Angeles?) where $130k+ is a decent salary for an entry-level position this new minimum work…

> NYC and SFBA $130k Really ? Surely it can't be that expensive ?

This is complete hyperbole. $130k is considered a good salary in NYC.

Re: New H1-B Visa bill doubles the salary requirements to $130K/yr

#94

Post by webmaven »

refurb wrote: post #83
thr1234567 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> NYC and SFBA $130k Really ? Surely it can't be that expensive ?

I think it's a combination of hyperbole and being out of touch. $130K is not "barely a living wage". It's a very good salary in the Bay Area and 1.5 times the average wage in SF.

OK, it is a bit exagerated, but try living on $130k in SF (as opposed to, say, East Palo Alto), paying off student loans, saving a bit, etc.

$130k is a very good salary if you moved to SF a couple of decades ago and bought a house then.

Re: New H1-B Visa bill doubles the salary requirements to $130K/yr

#95

Post by sjg007 »

fps wrote: post #48
wmccullough wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, but I'll leave it at that since this is very public. However, I'd counter that the average Senior Engineer salary is 112k/year; according to Glass Door anyway. https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/senior-software-engineer-...

I can't say for certain why, but GlassDoor is significantly lower than reality for positions in my area (Boston, MA.) Of the jobs I see advertised for Senior developers, most of them are in the $140-$170K range these days. Assuming that glassdoor is accurate, perhaps the issue is that people who stay in positions more than a few years fall behind new hires because yearly raises don't keep up with market rates.

That and as you get older with more responsibilities many people don't jump ship as often for higher wages. And the higher wage thing is a fairly recent (5-10 year) thing. We can thank Millenials and Vic investment pushing salaries up from bottom. That being said, if you want the money, try to find a 10x company winner take all in growth mode. Life is otherwise too short. Finance also pays well.

Re: New H1-B Visa bill doubles the salary requirements to $130K/yr

#96

Post by readhn »

LordKano wrote: post #74
pkd wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thing is that the whole of US isn't Silicon Valley or Seattle. Startups in upcoming hubs like Portland and Boulder will suffer(sic) because the salary requirements are too high for them to satisfy given the living costs. It basically means that the only companies who are gonna be able to hire through H1Bs are the big cos or unicorns.

It basically means that the only companies who are gonna be able to hire through H1Bs are the big cos or unicorns. It also means that there is an economic incentive at all levels to consider hiring Americans first. Which is the point.

Have you seen the article where Siemens tried hiring people for the new factory...and the majority of American people who showed up to apply couldn't even pass school level tests...?

Educational system in usa is broken. THAT should be number one item to address for this administration. Instead they are playing smoke and mirrors game worth us diverting our attention from the real issues.

P.s. it is convenient to have poorly educated constituents - they are much easier to brain wash and control. So chances are education system will not be fixed any time soon.

Re: New H1-B Visa bill doubles the salary requirements to $130K/yr

#97

Post by lokithor »

masklinn wrote: post #86
lokithor wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. The fact that compensation is included, is useless. Companies give you unvested shares worth tonnes that take > 4 years to fully vest. The attrition rates are so high, the sweat shops can get away with it.

Startups offer equity, consulting companies don't. That would actually tend to favor startups as the equity they grant drives the "compensation" upwards despite it being monopoly money until the shares actually vest and assuming they're even worth printing at this point.

Absolutely! I completely agree. But what stops the consultancies from doing this without actually ever letting it to fully vest?

Re: New H1-B Visa bill doubles the salary requirements to $130K/yr

#98

Post by lokithor »

BhavdeepSethi wrote: post #75
lokithor wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. The fact that compensation is included, is useless. Companies give you unvested shares worth tonnes that take > 4 years to fully vest. The attrition rates are so high, the sweat shops can get away with it.

None of the sweat shops offer equity.

Absolutely! I completely agree. But what stops the consultancies from doing this without actually ever letting it to fully vest?

Re: New H1-B Visa bill doubles the salary requirements to $130K/yr

#99

Post by angry_octet »

readhn wrote: post #84
angry_octet wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no shortage of biologists. Pay and conditions in the life sciences is abysmal. The sausage factory relies on graduates for cheap labour. So if foreign students knew the couldn't even get a poorly paid job after graduating, would they go elsewhere? Would this cause a collapse of the university pyramid scheme? Would labs have to start paying real living wages for staff? Lots less science would get done in the…

Let's hope you are not in a life/death situation later in your life where you get some disease for which treatment could have been available earlier if that foreign student was "allowed" to stay and do the work in the USA... All because of some delusional billionaire who is allowed (by us) to play his real life monopoly game.

The lack of graduate jobs in biology is one of the reasons why fewer Americans choose to study in the area, and often rapidly leave the field after graduation, usually with a massive student debt. Its extremely hostile to women, a career break is a career end. Its typical of America's decline in STEM fields.

So the system is so fundamentally broken it needs massive re-engineering. I don't think the trumpists have a clue about how to do it, nor care, but their magic 8-ball approach to reform will have an impact.

Re: New H1-B Visa bill doubles the salary requirements to $130K/yr

#100

Post by webmaven »

aianus wrote: post #47
thr1234567 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> NYC and SFBA $130k Really ? Surely it can't be that expensive ?

It's not. Maybe he's assuming a stay at home wife and/or children which would be a stretch on $130k, it's true. You can live well and have savings as a single guy on $130k in both those areas.

Yeah, I am assuming kids aren't being deferred until someone is in their 30s.

I am also assuming you want to live in something larger than a matchbox, and don't want a commute over 30m.

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