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H-1B abuse: Bay Area tech workers from India paid a pittance, feds say
141–149 of 149 posts
Re: H-1B abuse: Bay Area tech workers from India paid a pittance, feds say
#142Earlier quoted context omitted.
If I was living in India I’d probably take that deal.
I know that it is a common belief that India is 3rd world country and people would jump at any chance to get out. Not all of India is like that and not all of us are wage slaves doing menial jobs in IT. Some of us have a better quality of life, friends, family, culture and social life. Not to mention the amazing home food.
I think this would be a big step up for more than 90% of the population, do you agree?
Re: H-1B abuse: Bay Area tech workers from India paid a pittance, feds say
#143Earlier quoted context omitted.
I know that it is a common belief that India is 3rd world country and people would jump at any chance to get out. Not all of India is like that and not all of us are wage slaves doing menial jobs in IT. Some of us have a better quality of life, friends, family, culture and social life. Not to mention the amazing home food.
Agreed. I am a software engineer in Bangalore. And quality of life is good enough that I would consider moving to US only for salary > $100k.
Are you the exception or the rule for the population?
Re: H-1B abuse: Bay Area tech workers from India paid a pittance, feds say
#144Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is it OPT or H1B?
It should be none of them, it should be TN "The nonimmigrant NAFTA Professional (TN) visa allows citizens of Canada and Mexico, as NAFTA professionals, to work in the United States"[0] [0] https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/employme...
Oh I see. I work on OPT, but am not Mexican or Canadian citizen. I think all STEM majors who studied in an American university have the right to work in US for 3 years in a job very close to what they studied.
Re: H-1B abuse: Bay Area tech workers from India paid a pittance, feds say
#145Why not just adjust the H-1B program so that the highest paid positions get priority? That way companies could still hire abroad for in-demand skills, but it would eliminate bringing people into the country to avoid paying the prevailing wages for IT workers. You could even make exceptions for academic or medical work as needed. It seems like a common sense adjustment to the program, but I don't see many people offer…
Salaries vary not just on individual skill and talent but also on the city of the job. This will make all the H1 jobs go to Bay Area, may be some to NYC, LA & Boston too. But primarily Bay Area.
If someone truly has such rare skills that they need to be imported then they should be getting top dollar anywhere in the country.
Re: H-1B abuse: Bay Area tech workers from India paid a pittance, feds say
#146Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed. I am a software engineer in Bangalore. And quality of life is good enough that I would consider moving to US only for salary > $100k.
Are you the exception or the rule for the population?
I'd say most software engineers in Bangalore would feel like me. Not the general population though, remember we are still a 3rd world country.
Re: H-1B abuse: Bay Area tech workers from India paid a pittance, feds say
#147TLDR: Overhaul H1b L1 visas. Replace work restrictions with 6yr temp Green Cards equivalent EAD (work authorization).
Here's how I think the offshoring model works with many of these companies:
1) US company wants to get rid of its aging workforce (benefits costs will be too high, due to rising insurnace costs) 2) US (IBM, Accenture, HP etc) and Indian (Infosys, TCS etc) outsourcing companies bid on a project, get trained as replacements, jobs get offshored. 3) Quality complaints and rising costs of offshoring/outsourcing makes the company end the contract, and start hiring younger employees. 4) Profit! Firing / Laying off older employees in the US companies is not easy. But taking this route, the employer gets to wash hands off from the rising costs issue.
This problem with tech workers paid low is because: - Healthcare and Insurance is broken in the US (it works for those who are healthy and are in a company with younger workforce) - H1b is basically a high tech indentured labor visa: If an employer is willing, the employee on H1b can be treated as such (no job mobility, no hikes, no option to even raise a voice against something going wrong). Fortunately, those on H1b visa as employees of actual companies (not outsourcing firms), they are treated much better, and it doesn't feel like indentured labor.
Solution? Turn H1b, L1 and F1 OPT into time limited Green Card equivalents EADs: - An international student graduating with a degree gets a 3 yr green card equivalent work authorization - Once the student green card expires, give them a 6 yr green card (instead of an h1b). At the end of 6 yrs, if the employee has not been sponsored for an employment based permanent green card, he/she has to leave. - No limits on the number of these green cards available. - No H1b or L1 visa work restrictions. H1 and L1 dependents can work with a similar EAD.
How will this work? - Giving true job mobility and freedom to switch jobs at any time, without giving the employer any hold in the immigration process, helps bump up the wages for the employees (US citizens or those on 3yr temp green card). - Employee has no fear of job loss / retribution from employer. - Employer has to pay at market or above market salaries. Or else employee will jump ship. - This will automatically regulate the number of jobs that get outsourced to teams/companies that genuinely address the problem if inefficiencies, and immediately create a penalty for those companies that are body shops running on indentured labor. - Having H1 and L1 dependents be able to work (with the new green card equivalent EAD), enables the primary visa holder to risk it and start a new venture.
About me: I came to the US on F1, worked on OPT, got H1. now sick of the US immigration system, I'm moving to Canada soon! :D
Re: H-1B abuse: Bay Area tech workers from India paid a pittance, feds say
#148Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's the whole point. Unless you are a direct descendant of native Americans, you too are a guest of theirs, regardless of whether you are a first generation immigrant, or the grandchild of one. But strangely, nobody is in much of a hurry to ask for native opinions on immigration policy. I am here under the same set of rules as any native born settler - which accurately describes most Americans - is. Maybe even mor…
That's an utterly fallacious argument and you know it. We're talking about current US immigration policy, not the history of the US, which no one is in a position to change. Your attempt to reframe this debate by painting all US citizens who are not the descendants of indigenous peoples as 'guests' only weakens your arguments because it is crystal clear that you're using US history as a straw man. Whether you like it…
Your recent comments have been abusing HN by crossing into incivility and doing political flamewar. We ban accounts that do these things, and have had to ask you not to do them in the past. Please (re-)read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and fix this.
Re: H-1B abuse: Bay Area tech workers from India paid a pittance, feds say
#149Earlier quoted context omitted.
I doubt that would be even remotely legal. If it were, you would have seen tons of minimum wage jobs paying below minimum wage through these schemes.
It's easy to exploit immigrants though. Cultural differences (less likely to speak out), as well as lack of knowledge and experience of local laws, make the likelihood of legal action very low indeed.
Maybe. We're talking highly educated immigrants though, whike you're probably thinking of immigrants who are not as educated.