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H-1B visas mainly go to Indian outsourcing firms

economist.com

41–50 of 467 posts

Re: H-1B visas mainly go to Indian outsourcing firms

#41
post #26
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are correct. But there are market solutions: If visas were auctioned like spectrum, only high value positions would be filled by H1-Bs, which would actually implement the stated purpose of enabling only those who cannot be found domestically to get H1-Bs. And it would largely prevent H1-Bs from lowering wages. AND that "lurking Sergey Brin" would be more likely to be found among those high-value candidates.

The problem is startups would find it hard to hire since it's hard to value equity in a visa application.

You do auctions for 64k and 500 for startup founders. Then you set up an extra pool of 10k for startup employees. The company has to be younger than 6 years, raise at least 1 mln from venture capital and only 30% of the workforce could be on visas. It will make pseudo startups expensive to run by outsourcing companies.

Re: H-1B visas mainly go to Indian outsourcing firms

#42
post #9

For those in the thread who struggled for H1B's chance of winning, I'd recommend considering an O1 visa - I think the requirement is slightly lower to apply than previous years, and O1 doesn't have a lottery process. I've stayed in the US as a collage student, then graduate student from a top university then starting my company for a total of 9 years. I lost the H1B lottery twice and have been on F1 then F1-OPT, then…

Are you sure your O1 is a single-entry? I have an O1 as well, for about 2 years now, and I have traveled out and in multiple times. Did you get the individual-associated O1 or one sponsored in the name of the employer (your startup)? Edit: just noticed @seanmccann's comment. Dang that sucks. Apply for your EB1 asap! Under the O1, the requirements are pretty colinear, and you can skip the nationality queue that has an…

My company sponsored my O1 and yes I'm a Chinese national. I'm starting my EB1, thanks for the advice!

Re: H-1B visas mainly go to Indian outsourcing firms

#43

I did some analysis on the number of applications for H1B, E-3, and PERM to contrast outsourcing firms and other firms in terms of count and wages: http://ashwinikhare.in/tech-firms-guest-visa/ All this data is out there and is released by Department of Labor every year

Your unicorn chart is identical to that for the public companies - could you update it?

Re: H-1B visas mainly go to Indian outsourcing firms

#44
post #7

Article's concluding sentences: "Reducing the number of visas for TCS and its brethren would probably result in them shifting work to India. A better change would be to end the rule whereby H-1B recipients must stay with the company that sponsored them. For within their ranks may lurk the next Elon Musk or Sergey Brin." Personally I find this line of thought (cliche?) frustrating. Not just because apparently us prole…

It is an extremely nutty addition to the article, and it is editorializing at its most blatant.

I mean, it's the Economist. Editorializing in favor of the global Capitalist order is kind of their premise.

Re: H-1B visas mainly go to Indian outsourcing firms

#46
post #10

"Given that the unemployment rate for college graduates sits at 2.5%, it is fair to say that most native workers displaced by H-1Bs land on their feet." That's completely ignoring the fact that if you have cheaper workers, you end up being underpaid and/or doing a job you'd rather not be doing. Unemployment rate alone don't tell the whole story, and failing to acknowledge that sounds like poor/partial journalism to m…

The point is that these Indian outsourcing firms would hire a white face as a sales person and use them to sell the exact same people on L1 visas (which are temporary work visas; but easy to get) at foreign rates and ship most of the work offshore.

It would cost a little more for the outsourcing firms, sure, but it would be a net drain on the US economy (especially since it would keep real job creating entrepreneurial talent from coming to the US).

Re: H-1B visas mainly go to Indian outsourcing firms

#47
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Like all the other executive orders, it’s just words The hypocrisy here is truly disgusting. One moment, executive orders are the end of the world. The next moment, they don't mean anything at all. If a person can't see past this man's partisanship, then they are hopeless; when reason and logic are out the window, it's over. For those who want evidence from the mouth of Chuck Schumer himself [1]: >Schumer said that…

The only purpose Schumer and Pelosi serve in Washington is to sling mud at every single thing the administration does. It makes no difference what it is or where they stood prior.

A month ago: Chuck Schumer proclaims "hey! thing A actually affects people! doing thing A is too powerful to use without careful thought!"

A few weeks later, after Trump does thing A: Chuck Schumer says "thing A is meaningless. thing A doesn't matter at all"

I truly don't understand how people can read the comment above yours and then disagree with you.

Re: H-1B visas mainly go to Indian outsourcing firms

#48
Of course they ought to just increase the number of H1-B visas... They have always been a drop in the bucket on the technology market, even in the worst times (2001 and 2009). These are the future immigrants that we want in the US, highly educated, driven, mobile upwards and ready to buy a house. If you can't find a job or compete with H1-Bs in this economy you probably should consider another occupation. I work for a unicorn, and on on the inside we are 80% foreign born, most started as H1-B.

The whole narrative of low skilled and cheap foreign H1-Bs taking American jobs exists somewhere in a parallel universe. In reality, it is hard to find even simply qualified people, regardless of their origin.

So, stop whining and leave H1-B alone, or better increase the cap, like the article suggests. The real danger is your job simply going overseas and being done remotely.

Re: H-1B visas mainly go to Indian outsourcing firms

#49
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Economist is correct that's why it "Triggers" so many people like you, just take a look at electronics industry, if you think that the jobs wont be shipped out to india/China/Canada or reduced due to automation you are living in fantasy land. By improving portability of H-1B the government can make market fairer and less prone to misuse. Simply banning the visa will just lead to a rush of outsourcing/offshoring drain…

Sorry guys, but voting his comments down do not change the laws of economics. If someone in Romania can do your job - with the same quality - at 1/10th the price, the market will find a way to move the work there. In most cases, it really isn't equivalent and the price difference isn't that much for really qualified people, but shutting out lots of talented people might tilt things in that direction.

Except the market already tried that, with pretty poor results.

Re: H-1B visas mainly go to Indian outsourcing firms

#50
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Economist is correct that's why it "Triggers" so many people like you, just take a look at electronics industry, if you think that the jobs wont be shipped out to india/China/Canada or reduced due to automation you are living in fantasy land. By improving portability of H-1B the government can make market fairer and less prone to misuse. Simply banning the visa will just lead to a rush of outsourcing/offshoring drain…

Sorry guys, but voting his comments down do not change the laws of economics. If someone in Romania can do your job - with the same quality - at 1/10th the price, the market will find a way to move the work there. In most cases, it really isn't equivalent and the price difference isn't that much for really qualified people, but shutting out lots of talented people might tilt things in that direction.

I wouldn't be surprised if a good developer in Romania makes $40k a year (net salary) which is equivalent of $70k ($130k gross) in SF? The market is working.
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