Trump to impose $100k fee for H-1B worker visas, White House says • Hacker News Board

Re: Trump to impose $100k fee for H-1B worker visas, White House says

#221

Post by gorbachev » Fri, Sep 19, 2025, 9:12 PM UTC

frogblast wrote: post #80

IMO the problem is that H1B employees are stuck at the employer for the duration of their green card process, and so end up both paid lower and unable to escape abuse. I think a very high application fee is actually part of a good solution, but is useless by itself. A flawed proposal: * Dispense with the 'need to search for a qualified American' which just complicates the process without achieving the stated goal, an…

> IMO the problem is that H1B employees are stuck at the employer for the duration of their green card process, and so end up both paid lower and unable to escape abuse.

This is not true. Transferring your H1-B to another employer is entirely possible, the new employer will have to file the application as usual, but the application is not subject to the annual H1-B quotas.

At least this was the way it was several years ago. I doubt the process has changed since.

Re: Trump to impose $100k fee for H-1B worker visas, White House says

#222

Post by CobrastanJorji » Fri, Sep 19, 2025, 9:12 PM UTC

mlyle wrote: post #94

frogblast wrote: post #80

IMO the problem is that H1B employees are stuck at the employer for the duration of their green card process, and so end up both paid lower and unable to escape abuse. I think a very high application fee is actually part of a good solution, but is useless by itself. A flawed proposal: * Dispense with the 'need to search for a qualified American' which just complicates the process without achieving the stated goal, an…

You never get someone to pay a large application fee without some kind of reasonable prospect of getting an exclusive right. Else, if company A pays a $100k fee, company B has an incentive to give the worker $90,000 more to jump ship. And this devolves to no one paying the $100k fee.

What if we make the fee per-year? "It costs $10,000 to sponsor a new H1B immigrant's entry, and then it costs $5,000 per year per H-1B employee you have." H1-B holder is free to leave, and the cost of that happening to their employer is fairly low. Then let's say after 5 years of H1B employment, you automatically become eligible for citizenship, since you're clearly a valued worker.

Re: Trump to impose $100k fee for H-1B worker visas, White House says

#223

Post by llm_nerd » Fri, Sep 19, 2025, 9:12 PM UTC

givemeethekeys wrote: post #16

It hasn't happened yet. All the big money in America says that it will either never happen or won't last longer than a few weeks.

Eh, Trump's administration is so cravenly corrupt and incompetent in every facet and manner that I think it will happen, purely because it's one of those "throw 'em a bone" tactics for the commoners. It's the same reason the aggressive ICE actions have redoubled.

And FWIW, I think the H1B program, like the TFW program in Canada, is outrageously corrupt and has zero legitimacy, and the laughable foundations that people use to justify it -- namely a completely unsubstantiated labour shortage -- is such a ridiculous lie that it deserves to be obliterated. It is a way for the ultra-rich to stomp on worker rights and compensation.

Re: Trump to impose $100k fee for H-1B worker visas, White House says

#224

Post by ljsprague » Fri, Sep 19, 2025, 9:13 PM UTC

This is good start but he needs to go further. After all, we're a nation; not an economic zone.

Re: Trump to impose $100k fee for H-1B worker visas, White House says

#225

Post by klipklop » Fri, Sep 19, 2025, 9:13 PM UTC

Tech companies will just pay the $100k. Over the length of the visa it's still a savings in reduced wages. Never mind that you "lock in" your H1B employees while a US hire will job hop to get a promotion or wage increase since that is the only realistic way to do so these days.

Re: Trump to impose $100k fee for H-1B worker visas, White House says

#226

Post by carabiner » Fri, Sep 19, 2025, 9:13 PM UTC

bettercallsalad wrote: post #194

> India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71% of approved beneficiaries Having worked with the recent generation of Indians, I can safely say this can be a good thing. Baseline morality and work ethics for many (not all, but many) in the recent generation of Indians are so low. It’s a generational shift that I can tell. Get rich quick, wannabe try too hard to fit in and have fun with…

It's downright scary working with indians in a highly regulated industry. "Can we pretty please (with a cherry on top) [do something that bends or breaks federal regulations on national security or public safety]?" No, we fucking can't. Couple that with the occasional browbeating or hierarchical scolding.

Re: Trump to impose $100k fee for H-1B worker visas, White House says

#227

Post by charles_f » Fri, Sep 19, 2025, 9:13 PM UTC

givemeethekeys wrote: post #16

It hasn't happened yet. All the big money in America says that it will either never happen or won't last longer than a few weeks.

I'm not saying that I don't agree with the apparent logic, but the same argument was made about tariffs, yet here they are and there they staid.

Re: Trump to impose $100k fee for H-1B worker visas, White House says

#228

Post by charles_f » Fri, Sep 19, 2025, 9:14 PM UTC

FL33TW00D wrote: post #163

Throw away the H1B, introduce streamlined high skill immigration to the US. Top 1% of talent from all over the world should be able to move in under 2 weeks. The first country that cracks this will have streets paved with gold.

> Top 1% of talent

How do you determine that?

Re: Trump to impose $100k fee for H-1B worker visas, White House says

#229

Post by whatever1 » Fri, Sep 19, 2025, 9:14 PM UTC

jb1991 wrote: post #141

jpadkins wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The top end of H1B has been great for America. In the last few decades, there has been growth of abuse of the program to get mid level talent at below market rates which really hurts the middle class in America. People need to understand that most reformists don't want to get rid of the truly exceptional immigration to the US. We need to limit the volume, especially the immigrants that are directly competing with a h…

This is exactly correct. The H1B visa has not lived up to its original premise in quite some time. A very significant percentage of people who are now working on these visas are not offering anything beyond what is already available within the American workforce, except for lower compensation.

From the reuters table it seems that the biggest H1B beneficiaries are FAANG.

Do you suggest that they check the immigration status and offer to some people lower compensation because of their status?

Re: Trump to impose $100k fee for H-1B worker visas, White House says

#230

Post by LAC-Tech » Fri, Sep 19, 2025, 9:15 PM UTC

roughly wrote: post #85

I think there’s plenty of interesting debates to be had about immigration policy and its effects on the labor market, but one thing worth noting here is that the primary problem that damn near every other country on earth has isn’t immigration, it’s brain drain. A core strategic strength of the US over the last century has been that everyone with any talent wants to come here to work, and by and large we’ve let them…

Sites like jobs.now show the H1B situation is incredibly corrupt. So many hard to find jobs where they ask applicants to physically mail in their resume, so that later on they can make it an H1B job.

I don't think being against exploitive mass migration - which by its definition is brain drain of other countries, which every bleeding hearter likes to ignore - is the same saying no one should ever immigrate ever.