USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications • Hacker News Board

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#211

Post by bsvalley » Tue, Nov 07, 2017, 9:06 PM UTC

I don't understand why companies are still trying to bring people in the US to work for them. What's the point for the employer? How about investing overseas and training people here to handle remote offices? That's where we failed in the past... because it was too hard to manage and would require spending extra money to fix the mess. So we all decided to bring everyone in-house which is obviously a much bigger issue. I think we should invest more time in building infrastructures in other countries in order to create top of the line working places outside of the US. This would probably end up costing less and would help hiring way more people.

Again, create new positions in the US like a "Remote Office Manager" and build kick ass campuses in India, China, Europe, etc.

The whole immigration thing would be totally obsolete... I mean, we will be able to travel to Mars soon... why can't we even manage remote employees in 2017?

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#212

Post by dmode » Tue, Nov 07, 2017, 9:06 PM UTC

throwkgaj wrote: post #63

sumitgt wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not like that. Most top companies do detailed paperwork. This causes other side effects and stress. For example, you could be working at Google / Facebook earning top $$$$ every year and you paperwork could be spotless. But the stress of having to go through an uncertain renewal process every 3 years prevents you from investing in big things like buying a house or having kids. You are always worried about being…

This was me. Working at big tech firm, $190+ salary, 6 years. Green card applied and approved in 2014. But Indians have to wait at least 5years for a green card(EB-2). And this was before the current admin. I’m now in Canada. Permanent Resident (took 8 months), $180k+ salary, big tech company. Going to buy a house in the summer.

You really need to spill the beans on how to move to Canada and retain that kind of pay. All I hear is that Canadian pay is abysmal.

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#213

Post by bduerst » Tue, Nov 07, 2017, 9:06 PM UTC

dominotw wrote: post #192

bduerst wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It already is. H1B visa holders are required to be paid more than the prevailing wage for citizens working the same SOC job classification in the same region.

>prevailing wage This is a joke as it is currently implemented.

Is there something wrong with OES or SCA? How exactly?

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#214

Post by damnyou » Tue, Nov 07, 2017, 9:07 PM UTC

rpowers wrote: post #206

damnyou wrote: post #40

Ah yes, gotta love H-1B threads. The latent nativism among the Hacker News crowd is laid bare. Here's a radical proposal: give anyone with a clean criminal record and a job offer a green card. No limits, no $100k minimum wage, no protectionism. If you, with all the advantages that natives get (networks, language, NETWORKS), can be beat by an immigrant with zero social connections, you probably are worth less than you…

Your proposal is a feel-good hurrah, but oversimplifies a few complex issues. No protections = Exploitation of workers. Instant green card = Increased competition for Housing/public services. So unless you think that lowly-paid immigrants with limited access to social services is the best path forward, I'd advocate for some protections. I agree with no limits. If a company can provide for the workers, then go for it.…

> No protections = Exploitation of workers.

I said no protectionism (in the form of visa caps), not no protections.

> Instant green card = Increased competition for Housing/public services.

Sounds like a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to provide those services and make lots of money.

I wonder why the otherwise enterprising Hacker News crowd is blind to the incredible market opportunities open borders would provide. I truly, deeply wonder why.

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#215

Post by nonamechicken » Tue, Nov 07, 2017, 9:08 PM UTC

8ytecoder wrote: post #163

damnyou wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The stated purpose of the H1-B program is to allow companies to fill vacancies with international applicants if they are unable to find US employees qualified for the roles. This canard keeps getting repeated in HN threads. This is WRONG. 100% absolutely completely WRONG. The only stated purpose of the H-1B program is to allow foreigners with degrees (or equivalent experience) to perform skilled work in the US. Her…

Not just that, the alternative is outsourcing to India/another country. The companies that bring in the TCS/Infosys employees are typically looking to cut cost any which way possible. While I hate the gaming by TCS/Infosys and think it needs to be fixed, making H1B unnecessarily hard is not going to help fix that. A H1B employee living in the US, pays the taxes here and spends the money here. An outsourced job is an…

"pays the taxes here"

Not just taxes. They also pay for social security even though they don't get anything from it. If that is not enough, they also have to pay tax for the income they get in their parent country while they are in US. I get paying US taxes, but why pay tax for income that has nothing to do with US?

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#216

Post by anigbrowl » Tue, Nov 07, 2017, 9:08 PM UTC

majormajor wrote: post #51

maxerickson wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What disadvantage are you talking about?

Generally churn factors. Stuff like importing young talent opening up further exposure to that talent moving on but also atrophying your in-country educational structures and investment. Kinda the societal version of "publish or perish" - always chasing just short-term dollars, without regard to long-term planning. If you want to import people to do the good jobs, but also want to ship the cheap jobs away, what happe…

We can retrain and redistribute resources to them, but for some reason the people who are most concerned about short term profits are the least willing to share them with others.

You might like to ruminate on teh fact that while Trump demonizes immigrants out of one side of his mouth, the resort he owns at Mar-A-Lago- was able to get 70 H1-B visas to hire hotel staff, despite the availability of some 5000 such people in Florida's state employment opportunities database and a whole lot of US citizens in Puerto Rico that are in search of economic opportunity right about now. Not that you were making a partisan point, but this is a great example of how the rhetorical divisions in American politics do not line up with the business practices.

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#217

Post by anigbrowl » Tue, Nov 07, 2017, 9:10 PM UTC

gozur88 wrote: post #103

ashleyn wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Paleoconservatism/populism isn't concerned about the economic benefits of immigration; it's concerned about "protecting" culture so that immigrants don't have the opportunity to reshape it in any capacity. A sizeable portion of Trump's base believes that they are in danger of becoming a minority in "their own" country and will sidestep the economic benefits of immigration to retain a demographic majority. To these vo…

>A sizeable portion of Trump's base believes that they are in danger of becoming a minority in "their own" country... Why did you put scare quotes around "their own"? Is it not their own country? Culture changes over time no matter what you do, but is it completely unreasonable to want your culture to change slowly enough that you can still function in your dotage?

We could put them on reservations or something where they can enjoy their simpler way of life undisturbed by the forces of progress.

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#218

Post by dmode » Tue, Nov 07, 2017, 9:11 PM UTC

asfsa wrote: post #185

Serious question here: Why not get rid of the closed number and charge a 100% immigration tax to the employer? Cheap labor would be priced out unless American really cant substitute the imported labor. Employers would encourage employees to get a green card (as opposed to doing everything in their power to keep them chained to the H1B) What are the negatives (except for the obvious problems of taxes, of course)

This will basically kill all immigration. Employers have to go through a LOT to hire an immigrant, and I almost feel sorry to ask an employer to file an H1 transfer. They have to hire an army of lawyers and pay steep fees to file all the paperwork and go through a process when it comes to green card. If you ask them to pay a lot, they will just hire somewhere else.

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#219

Post by bischofs » Tue, Nov 07, 2017, 9:11 PM UTC

and0 wrote: post #114

bischofs wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is a good point, however most of the immigrants in the 1920s were from europe. Now that is not the case, they are mostly from asia and southeast asia. There is an argument that there is enough of a cultural difference for it to affect the country one way or another.

You know, HN usually slaps me on the wrist for insinuating that someone is a white nationalist, which is why I was pretty low key about it, so.. thanks for just coming out and admitting it, I guess?

Hot stuff champ, pulling the old white nationalist insult sure shut down the conversation didn't it.

I guess you will sit in your camp and I will sit in mine; no reason to have a civil discussion about the complex topic of immigration.

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#220

Post by masterrex » Tue, Nov 07, 2017, 9:11 PM UTC

pm90 wrote: post #200

masterrex wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

White males. Laugh, disregard it - but it's true. If you're a poor white male, you don't really get a lot of assistance. I don't get special grants for being white, I don't get a padded SAT score, I don't get preferential treatment - in fact, it's the opposite. Not all white males are born with a silver spoon, and they're certainly not all given an 'equal opportunity' when a "diverse" person of lesser intellect can g…

> Frankly, over time the average white American family is going to find it more and more difficult to afford higher education, as if by design, to push them out of the middle class. Meanwhile, poor non-whites will be granted scholarships based on non-whiteness. No they wont. White females are still eligible for many of the same (gender based) diversity advantages. The majority of college students in the US are female…

> White females are still eligible

Ok, great, just not white males. Half of the white population. Also, this shows contempt and disregard for the concept of a stay-at-home mother. Women in the workplace are great - but this entire scheme/system destroys values the West was built upon.

> most of the wealth in this country is controlled by white families

I doubt this is true anymore, and even if there are wealthy white families, your sentiment is utter disregard for those who are merely average or low-income. An average-income white father earning a modest living will have a hell of a time raising a family - meanwhile low-income blacks are paid to reproduce and get shoved into the finest institutions at tax payer expense at comparative advantage with padded SAT scores. Do you not see the hypocrisy? That isn't equal opportunity, it's an attempt at forcing an equal outcome.