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Trump administration announces overhaul of H1B visa program requiring higher pay

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Re: Trump administration announces overhaul of H1B visa program requiring higher pay

#651

Post by hiram112 »

not_a_moth wrote: post #604
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #522

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think we disagree with it, it just isn't very significant. A couple of city states agreeing to recognize Israel? Ok, a nice step forward, but it doesn't seem very substantial or that a real solution is in the works.

One of the nominators said: "Trump has broken a 39-year-old streak of American Presidents either starting a war or bringing the United States into an international armed conflict." Isn't this significant?

Even doubly as funny when you go back to 2016 and the biggest haters were screaming REEEEEEE because he was sure to start WW3.

Re: Trump administration announces overhaul of H1B visa program requiring higher pay

#653

Post by hiram112 »

Cherian_Abraham wrote: post #117

“ Because those required wage increases take effect this week, existing H-1B holders looking to renew their visas might not qualify unless their employers raise their salaries accordingly.” This is really bad. Families are going to get told to leave. I’m surprised that there is no discussion on this thread about the impact to people who haven’t done anything wrong.

H1Bs were never supposed to have been immigration visas. Congress set the law to two 3-year stints - max of 6 years and then you're gone.

Somewhere in the last 20 years, they began rubber stamping renewals for anybody who'd paid a few thousand dollars to get into the Green Card line, which is absurd because the Green Card line for Indians is at about 100 years due to their population.

You didn't do anything wrong except assume the corruption would go on forever and Americans wouldn't eventually notice they were being replaced by foreign workers, and vote accordingly.

Re: Trump administration announces overhaul of H1B visa program requiring higher pay

#654

Post by Florin_Andrei »

hal9000-tng wrote: post #258
Cherian_Abraham wrote: post #117

“ Because those required wage increases take effect this week, existing H-1B holders looking to renew their visas might not qualify unless their employers raise their salaries accordingly.” This is really bad. Families are going to get told to leave. I’m surprised that there is no discussion on this thread about the impact to people who haven’t done anything wrong.

> This is really bad. Families are going to get told to leave. I’m surprised that there is no discussion on this thread about the impact to people who haven’t done anything wrong. It's not a moral issue (except for the big H-1B mills that are gaming the system.) But nothing has changed: these are not an offer of citizenship. They are temporary work visas with no guarantees: an opportunity to do temporary specialty wo…

> If someone were to bring their family, they have done so with the explicit knowledge that the situation could change at any time.

I don't disagree - and I'm a US citizen, who previously was a greencard holder, who previously came here via the H1B process.

But look at it this way: the whole greencard approval process sometimes takes years, or even over a decade. When people spend 10 years in some place, the perspective changes a bit. It does become a complicated issue, with moral overtones too.

Make the goddamn greencard approval (or rejection) faster. If processing the papers took a few months, instead of years, after which you got your yea or nay decision, then the whole issue would be much simpler - and, indeed, as you say it would not be a moral issue at all.

But think of someone who spent here 10 years, brought their spouse here, had a couple kids (that clock doesn't stop ticking just because you're waiting for a rubber stamp to hit the paper), the kids go to school, and from a cultural perspective the kids are American - and then they are all told to get the hell out of here. That's terrible.

Speed up that stupid process. Then sure, tweak the rules any way you see fit.

Re: Trump administration announces overhaul of H1B visa program requiring higher pay

#655

Post by [deleted] »

reissbaker wrote: post #200
jedberg wrote: post #9

Credit where credit is due, this is a good move. The H1B program has been abused for a long time. It sounds like these changes should help make it too expensive for the fraudulent abuse to continue.

The higher pay seems like an overall positive change to reduce the prevalence of "body shops" and so that H1-Bs aren't an easy way for companies to lower overall pay rate. I'm not sure that narrowing degree qualifications is a win; high-skill immigration is a significant boon to America's economy, and I think ability to do the work, and American company willingness to pay above-rate salaries (legally mandated now to…

[deleted]

Re: Trump administration announces overhaul of H1B visa program requiring higher pay

#657

Post by tequila_shot »

jedberg wrote: post #9

Credit where credit is due, this is a good move. The H1B program has been abused for a long time. It sounds like these changes should help make it too expensive for the fraudulent abuse to continue.

Why is this on the top of the hacker news? The article talks about nothing that will stop the abuse. There are indeed a lot of RFEs that are being given out if you don't have a CS degree and apply for a Software Developer position already.

The Pay structure that the article mentions is NOT true anymore. Take a look at the links[1], it's withdrawn and the rule is not valid.

How is hiring folks with a CS degree for an SWE position a solution to H1b abuse?

The rule published here specifically talks about three things(Yes, I read it line by line just so that I can do my due diligence before I comment here)[2]:

1/ Change the meaning of "Speciality Occupation" and tie this to the College degree that the person has.

2/ If you are part of these "body shops" and you are working as a contractor, your visa will only be extended for 1 year.

3/ Some general statements about Site Visits.

4/ No comment on increasing the wage.

The first child comment that we see below is an anecdotal evidence about seeing a house with dozen(?) folks in a 3 BHK flat? What does it do with H1B visa abuse? How is sending money home AFTER taxes H1B abuse?

Still debating how we went from thoroughly researched and thought provoking comments to these.

I don't debate that there is H1B abuse.

- Programmers are paid very less when compared to prevailing wage.

- Programmers cannot leave their employers so employers hold them by their balls and get work done overtime.

- Programmers stay away from their family, contribute to taxes AND to social security. KNOWING that they may never see a day to collect Social security.

All of this is H1B Abuse. There is no evidence that folks on H1B visa compete with a US Citizen's job. (I'm taking about H1B, not offshoring).

Literally NONE of the changes that this administration is doing is addressing ANY of these concerns for both the US Economy and the H1B individual. Comments like these are dangerous since they give an illusion that the administration is doing something to improve the economy, but they are just party tricks.

[1]https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eoDetails?rrid=131148

[2]https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2020-22347.pdf

Re: Trump administration announces overhaul of H1B visa program requiring higher pay

#658

Post by Florin_Andrei »

reissbaker wrote: post #200
jedberg wrote: post #9

Credit where credit is due, this is a good move. The H1B program has been abused for a long time. It sounds like these changes should help make it too expensive for the fraudulent abuse to continue.

The higher pay seems like an overall positive change to reduce the prevalence of "body shops" and so that H1-Bs aren't an easy way for companies to lower overall pay rate. I'm not sure that narrowing degree qualifications is a win; high-skill immigration is a significant boon to America's economy, and I think ability to do the work, and American company willingness to pay above-rate salaries (legally mandated now to…

What makes the immigration process in the US truly horrific is the extraordinary time it takes to approve or reject a greencard petition. In many cases it takes years - or even over a decade or more. That's insane. People bring their spouses here, they have kids who are born and go to school here, and all along the way their immigration status is uncertain. And meanwhile they are tied to whatever job they're in. It's insane.

Make that process faster. Give people a thumbs-up or thumbs-down like 10x faster. Months not years.

Re: Trump administration announces overhaul of H1B visa program requiring higher pay

#659

Post by pankajdoharey »

bdcravens wrote: post #627
splintercell wrote: post #591

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost all of those people you saw there are now living in pretty enviable situations for most Americans. Calling these 'guest houses' as people living in second class of the society is as incorrect as calling the residents of Pied Piper house in 'Silicon Valley' as 'living like second class citizens'.

Silicon Valley is satire, and meant to make fun of the idea, and even on that standard, they aren't as cramped as the parent comment is referring to.

Similar conditions do exist in actual startup Incubators.

Re: Trump administration announces overhaul of H1B visa program requiring higher pay

#660

Post by [deleted] »

munk-a wrote: post #246
runarberg wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Xenophobia is more expected, when the immigrant population is ghettoized, alienated, given fewer opportunities and stricter policing, and made to compete with the local population for limited jobs. A more reasonable policy would be to make sure the that doesn't happen. Say by abolishing racist policing, better urban planning, better labor laws, and partly socialized job market. EDIT: Changed wording, previously incor…

Xenophobia is never natural, it's comprehensible but there are a lot of folks able to resist falling into it as a scapegoat from bad circumstance. I agree with improving society to help less folks fall into it, but I don't believe in allowing any excuses for xenophobic views.

[deleted]
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