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H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

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Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#71
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curious if you have example of racist US visa/immigration policy? There's a lot deserved criticism of current system, but can't think of anything specifically racist.

Green card quotas are based entirely on your country of birth. For example, a UK citizen can obtain a green card far, far faster than an Indian citizen. If a UK citizen and Indian citizen on an H1B visa start the Green Card process at the same time, the UK citizen will obtain permanent residency typically in 9-18 months. For the Indian applicant, who applied on same day with same visa and process, it will likely be o…

Exactly, H1B visas should be entirely blind to country of origin since to do otherwise would amount to de facto racism due to the racial demographics of many countries.

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#72
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…

be careful generalising india because anything that one can claim, the opposite is also true. A major reason countries like the USA and the UK flourish is stability. Stability is not something india has and that is a very difficult thing to put a price on. Indian capital markets are not transparent though that is less of an issue for startups. What should be telling is the number of "Indian" startups that are registe…

The UK isn't thriving - 18% inflation, low salaries (except in the money laundering industry), bad and very expensive housing, no infrastructure investment, etc.

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#73
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…

I only see one role here that is even ballpark for a SWE in SF.

https://h1bdata.info/index.php?em=&job=software+developer&ci...

The prevailing wage test fails to account for stock and bonuses and is basically a joke.

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#74
post #9

Note this was in 2007, during the height of the H1B body shop scams. The USCIS visa system was overwhelmed by companies like Infosys and Tata just submitting 1000s of applications for clearly underqualified, yet cheap candidates for jobs that didn't exist. This writer probably got their visa rejected over a less qualified candidate because of the quota limits for H1b.

This is unfortunately still the case. H1B lottery is still a thing. I had to lose a team member and the person saw a similar email in their inbox. Sucks!

The lottery is still a thing but not for India and China.

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#75
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I think the pollution, weather, water quality, noise, dust, and overall lack of high quality public spaces is a big deal.

India is amazing and dynamic in a lot of ways, but there are major intangibles to account for (like how much one values a quiet evening walk in fresh air).

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#76
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Three worst addictions: Heroine, Carbohydrates and a monthly salary - Nassim Taleb Nassim Taleb is a bit of a wack. This sentence doesn't make sense. I really hope it was taken out of context, because otherwise, there's absolutely no value to it other than glorifying risk for the sake of it. May as well be talking about gambling money away.

Huh, just a couple of centuries back maybe 90% of world population was self employed. It was not the greatest risk but simply a way of life.

Self employed in the sense of being part of the gig economy (serfdom), working all day for a modest living under Uber (local ruler of the day). The risk was dying when the next war broke out or it stopped raining for a year.

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#77
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…

be careful generalising india because anything that one can claim, the opposite is also true. A major reason countries like the USA and the UK flourish is stability. Stability is not something india has and that is a very difficult thing to put a price on. Indian capital markets are not transparent though that is less of an issue for startups. What should be telling is the number of "Indian" startups that are registe…

The U.S has stability? Mmm not really.

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#78
This is definitely an inspiring story but isn't it an isolated data point?

On average, the US has a lot of things going for it for a young software professional if he or she can navigate the immigration maze and is reasonably lucky. Might not be for everyone but for the average person, getting a cushy job in a large company might be better for stability and long term satisfaction that risking it on an attempt to create a unicorn (which is rarely successful).

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I think the pollution, weather, water quality, noise, dust, and overall lack of high quality public spaces is a big deal. India is amazing and dynamic in a lot of ways, but there are major intangibles to account for (like how much one values a quiet evening walk in fresh air).

You don't have to live in a Delhi or a Mumbai or a Bangalore. Cities like Dehradun, Ranchi, and more provide many of these amenities.

Re: H1B rejected – builds unicorn back home

#80
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…

What's "LC" ?

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