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

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

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 487 posts

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

#121

Post by winter_blue »

anondon wrote: post #42
ones_and_zeros wrote: post #25

Here is the summary straight from the horses mouth: https://lofgren.house.gov/uploadedfiles/high_skilled_bill_sx... A few points: - This does not raise the salary requirement to $130k/yr. This only applies to employers that do not want to do the extra paper work for "attestations regarding recruitment and non-displacement of U.S. workers" - It takes a "market based" allocation strategy which allows "cash bonuses and…

I get the impression that this new bill is like putting lipstick on a pig which is the current system. I was hoping the amendments to the H1-B bill would be one of the silver linings of a Trump presidency, but I guess not anymore.

I've commented on this before, at: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13433540 I'm copying the comment below:

---

I'm on an H-1B, and the thing that infuriates me about the dialogue on this is that they are effectively trying to ban skilled immigration, and exclude people like me from coming.

If you don't qualify for the family-based or refugee route, employment-based immigration is the only viable pathway. The amount of hate I see piled on people trying to come here via the employment-based immigration seems insane to me. These people make it seem like employment-based immigration is not as respectable or legitimate, compared to refugee/asylum and family-based immigration.

The problem with requiring higher wagers is that for people like me, who were students in US -- it's very hard to get an ultra-high salary for the first job out of college. (I did my undergrad here, and I don't have a Master's.) I was a student (on an F-1 visa), and my first job out of college offered me $60,000/year. On my first job on my H-1B visa (in NYC), I was offered $85,000 a year (got slightly over $100,000 with bonuses). Then, just about a year and half later, I was paid (incl. lucky cash bonuses) slightly over $200,000 in a single year. (My base salary is $130,000 now.)

If you raised wage requirements, you'd basically be not allowing people like me to continue to stay and work in the US (after graduation from college), and would instead only allow people from outside who have lots of experience (and skill) and can command a much higher salary upfront.

---

It's very disappointing to see the level of vitriol directed towards people who are just trying to build a better life in this country, especially here on HN.

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

#122

Post by alextheparrot »

trollpan2 wrote: post #90

This is a blatant hypocrisy on American side. They will sue the shit out of Indian Solar, Pharma, Angri industries if it has competitive prices but won't allow india/emerging nations to do the same in their market. Emerging nations are bullied by developed nations for a long time and the saga goes on. I get that H1b visa was used to provide cheap services but globalization works both way. Powerful nations can't just…

I think we've seen throughout history that what you listed above is largely possible for powerful nations. It is a "benefit" of being a powerful nation to express that power. This is much more an optimization problem than a logical debate.

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

#123

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.

Oh, and comparing to the average probably isn't what you want to use to make your argument, you probably want to compare to the median.

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

#124

Post by ajmurmann »

lokithor wrote: post #97
masklinn wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Same for the cash bonuses. All the workers might underperform and never see the bonus.

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

#125

Post by samfisher83 »

readhn wrote: post #22

Whoever is working on the bill is disconnected from reality and the damage it is doing long term here. Why's everyone so focused on IT? Everyone can learn how to code, it's not a real science.. Oh it's hacker news :) Now walk into any major university science department. See who the newly minted PhD students are in biology, chemistry, physics, math ... Most are foreigners. This bill will send them home after they gra…

There aren't a ton of job for PHds in chemistry, biology, chemist, math etc. They end up working at hedge funds or web developers or things not necessarily related to their PHd. Look at big pharama and see how much they spend on R&D or basic research. Its a very small percentage of revenues.

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

#126

Post by TheArcane »

readhn wrote: post #57
hocuspocus wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, hard science PhD students are typically hired on J-1 (when they stay in academia/research) or O-1 visas (if they find a relevant position the industry).

After you graduate you have to get h1b to work. Nobody is going to pay straight out of school biologist 130k.

O-1 is only awarded to an exceptional few.

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

#127

Post by winter_blue »

trishume wrote: post #29
ones_and_zeros wrote: post #25

Here is the summary straight from the horses mouth: https://lofgren.house.gov/uploadedfiles/high_skilled_bill_sx... A few points: - This does not raise the salary requirement to $130k/yr. This only applies to employers that do not want to do the extra paper work for "attestations regarding recruitment and non-displacement of U.S. workers" - It takes a "market based" allocation strategy which allows "cash bonuses and…

I grant you this is in fact not the perfect reform bill, the question is, is it better than the current situation? To me it looks like it's at least somewhat better, so as a Canadian who may want to move to the US at some point, I'm hoping it passes.

> as a Canadian who may want to move to the US

You can move to the US on the TN visa (as long as NAFTA is still valid). I've met programmers from Canada and Mexico who are on the TN visa.

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

#128

Post by fadelakin »

School-Cotton wrote: post #106
itshoptx wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand the nuances of immigration and why people seek the worker visas... My dad moved here from Europe in the early 60s, went through INS, got a green card, a job, and 6 months later was drafted into the Army and went to Vietnam. Unlike Americans at the time, my dad was given the choice to accept the draft or go back to Europe. He accepted the draft, fought in Vietnam, was injured, and EARNED his citizenship t…

What does "went through INS" mean? What papers or visa did your dad have that gave him the right to live here, and how was it meaningly different from an H1-B ?

From what I read, I don't think OP knows. My dad came here on a J-1 visa as a student which meant my mum, my sisters and me came here on a J-2 visa since we were dependent on his visa status.

It took us 10 years of constant applying, thousands of dollars spent before we got our green cards. I still remember my interview because I got my green card in 2015 and it was the most invasive thing I've ever gone through. I still even remember all the interviews we had to do before we got our visas to come to America.

In my opinion, I don't think OP really knows how difficult it is to get to America in the first place as an immigrant. It's not as simple as the media makes it out to be.

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

#129

Post by jessaustin »

winter_blue wrote: post #121
anondon wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get the impression that this new bill is like putting lipstick on a pig which is the current system. I was hoping the amendments to the H1-B bill would be one of the silver linings of a Trump presidency, but I guess not anymore.

I've commented on this before, at: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13433540 I'm copying the comment below: --- I'm on an H-1B, and the thing that infuriates me about the dialogue on this is that they are effectively trying to ban skilled immigration, and exclude people like me from coming. If you don't qualify for the family-based or refugee route, employment-based immigration is the only viable pathway. The amo…

Parent comment contained none of the "vitriol" you've imputed to it. Perhaps you meant to reply to something else?

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

#130

Post by ajmurmann »

winter_blue wrote: post #121
anondon wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get the impression that this new bill is like putting lipstick on a pig which is the current system. I was hoping the amendments to the H1-B bill would be one of the silver linings of a Trump presidency, but I guess not anymore.

I've commented on this before, at: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13433540 I'm copying the comment below: --- I'm on an H-1B, and the thing that infuriates me about the dialogue on this is that they are effectively trying to ban skilled immigration, and exclude people like me from coming. If you don't qualify for the family-based or refugee route, employment-based immigration is the only viable pathway. The amo…

People who studied here is a huge untackled problem. I wish there was more movement to make it easier for them (us actually) to stay.

I studied here, but never really had to deal with the immigration aspect because I'm here to be with my American wife. However, I vaguely remember that F1 students could work for a very limited amount of time with the F1 visa and work even longer if they studied a STEM field. I guess that's something. But having to hustle like nuts to get above some magical salary boundary is crazy. Especially since that likely would include changing employers since that seems to be the best way to get a raise.

Post reply on HN