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H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

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Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#41
post #27

US immigration policies for Indian and Chinese nationals has been a blessing for their home grown tech ecosystem. There is no path to a green card or citizenship for anyone who immigrated in the last ~15 years, and the top 5% talent that used to come over by default is now working at or founding companies at home instead. This is directly correlated to the number of tech unicorns in these countries growing exponentia…

And for Canada

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#43
post #27

US immigration policies for Indian and Chinese nationals has been a blessing for their home grown tech ecosystem. There is no path to a green card or citizenship for anyone who immigrated in the last ~15 years, and the top 5% talent that used to come over by default is now working at or founding companies at home instead. This is directly correlated to the number of tech unicorns in these countries growing exponentia…

I don't know about India, but China's policy to block US big techs is the reason why China have the tech companies they have today.

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#44
post #32
post #26

In the early 1990s when I came here, the prevailing wisdom was that its categorically better to immigrate to the US from India if you get a chance. India was too far back in the tech space, too much bureaucracy, corruption, red-tape etc etc... In the 2020s, the consensus is quite mixed. A lot of people I personally worked with, who successfully got their visas and green cards, have given it all up and gone straight b…

People are making an error based on the past 20 years of debt binge and capital flooding that took over the world. When the FDI dries up, India is a very weird place. The energy costs will put a number in Asia and Europe in the next decade with dramatic food security challenges. Overall, at macro level, US beats India, but are there positive offshoots in some niches.. perhaps!

The US may beat India in macro level economic factors for quite a while to come, but for a more senior professional with a marketable resume I think it's not too hard to find the positive niches.

Honestly the main thing that keeps me from moving back is quality of life concerns with traffic, air quality, and noise pollution.

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#45
post #32
post #26

In the early 1990s when I came here, the prevailing wisdom was that its categorically better to immigrate to the US from India if you get a chance. India was too far back in the tech space, too much bureaucracy, corruption, red-tape etc etc... In the 2020s, the consensus is quite mixed. A lot of people I personally worked with, who successfully got their visas and green cards, have given it all up and gone straight b…

People are making an error based on the past 20 years of debt binge and capital flooding that took over the world. When the FDI dries up, India is a very weird place. The energy costs will put a number in Asia and Europe in the next decade with dramatic food security challenges. Overall, at macro level, US beats India, but are there positive offshoots in some niches.. perhaps!

Not all countries are blessed with the nature's bounty that the US is blessed with. I agree Energy is something India will be working on furiously in the coming decade. I presume both nuclear and renewable will be expanded rapidly. In the interim, India does have good relationships with most energy producing countries (Russia, Saudi).

What food security challenges does India have? India has been much poorer in the past and hasn't had any food security issues in a long time.

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#46
post #38
post #14

Three worst addictions: Heroine, Carbohydrates and a monthly salary - Nassim Taleb It's more common for people who are in-between jobs to take things that would be otherwise compromise their monthly salary income. It's less common for someone to quit a high paying job and take on a risky endeavour. Relatedly, the Tarzan strategy is another way to mitigate this risk (side projects or finding your next gig before just…

I would think alcohol would be worse than carbohydrates

alcohol is a carbohydrate with a twist.

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#47
post #27

US immigration policies for Indian and Chinese nationals has been a blessing for their home grown tech ecosystem. There is no path to a green card or citizenship for anyone who immigrated in the last ~15 years, and the top 5% talent that used to come over by default is now working at or founding companies at home instead. This is directly correlated to the number of tech unicorns in these countries growing exponentia…

Thanks to "consulting" companies' abuse of H1B. We should've just have a stack ranking of H1B candidates, based on income (and severe penalties for regression in comp, so you can't just do it for the visa). This would immediately break companies like Infosys that simply spams the lottery system with bogus applications.

The previous administration wanted to do this, but it was way too late and they ran out of time to implement it properly - https://insights.dice.com/2021/07/07/trump-h-1b-rule-could-h...

Soviet-style labor lotteries are not a good system. Those "consulting" companies know how to abuse that system.

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#48
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The current system is in place only because all of the US companies that benefit from cheap labor provided by the likes of Infosys have lobbied for it.

I doubt it is cheaper at all. H-1B applications must pass the prevailing wage test, i.e. applicants cannot earn less than the prevailing wage for their position at the chosen employment location. Companies like Tata, Infosys, WiPro, etc. need to maintain a part of their workforce in the US for certain projects anyway, so they slave away these applicants with draconian contracts. It's not that they pay them significan…

A shortage at a certain wage level probably indicates that the prevailing wage is too low. So targeted visa programs designed to provide more workers at the prevailing wage can suppress wage growth, which, over time, really is no different from a reduction in wages.

This is why a lot of people, like me, favor high levels of general immigration but don't support targeted visas like the H1B. I'm especially opposed to visas that are controlled by the employer and restrict the personal and economic freedom and mobility of immigrant workers in the US. If employers are lobbying for visas that allow someone to work in the US only on the condition that they remain in a specific role at a specific company at a specific salary, that should raise all kinds of red flags. You're allowed to be a software developer in the valley, but you'll be deported if you try to open a small business or enter a different profession or even change employers without new "sponsorship"? I find it remarkable that so many people don't see the egregious problem here.

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