Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

reuters.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

261–270 of 1001 posts

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

#261

Post by wnc3141 »

singron wrote: post #149
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…

Instead of a $100k lump sum by the first employer, what about $10k each year by the current employer? Or even $2.5k each quarter? That way there is no particular incentive to poach a "paid-off" H1B employee, and the company doesn't have to worry about making a $100k investment up front.

But then you can't make a placement firm selling access to the US job market.

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

#263

Post by giantg2 »

legitster wrote: post #152
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…

The median pay of an H1B visa holder is $118k. The 25th percentile is $90k. This is from the government's official data: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/O... Any suggestion that the program is dragging wages down instead of dragging wages up is not just misleading but factually wrong.

We would have to look at that by industry. For example, if median developer pay is $130k, then both of your numbers are below that and would bring the median down. $118k for highly skilled workers (purpose of H1B) seems low to me. Additionally, the upper bound for the middle class in all 50 states is above $100k.

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

#264

Post by ChicagoDave »

This will only drive jobs offshore and reduce the H1B population. It doesn’t solve any problems.

This is literally the dumbest administration this country has ever seen. Between tariffs and immigration and now this, it’s like they don’t even know what the consequences of their actions are.

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

#265

Post by jpadkins »

RealityVoid wrote: post #135
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…

I am skeptical that _that_ is what's hollowing the middle class in America, it's equally easy to point to income inequality for this. But you have your story you believe, I'm resigned that the die are already cast. It's kind of sad to see the accelerated downfall of your country.

> it's equally easy to point to income inequality for this

Have you ever considered what causes income inequality? Maybe policy that favors globalist, ownership class over salaried workers? H1B in it's current form favors owners/managers over workers! We are saying the same thing. We have to analyze the causes of income inequality in order to solve it.

I will leave you with one last thought: the states with the lowest gini co-efficient are the ones that have been more conservative over time https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territ...

policy matters!

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

#266

Post by nbngeorcjhe »

leakycap wrote: post #90
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…

No company would ever sponsor someone if the last bullet is part of the deal. You're just killing the visa program another way with that wishlist item alone.

Stopping companies from hiring quasi-indentured servants is a good thing

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

#268

Post by pastel8739 »

ericmay wrote: post #199
davidw wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As always, so much zero-sum thinking in all these discussions. Often, the person may not have been as productive, happy, or well compensated in their own country. Also, over time, some of those people make money in the US and take that, their knowledge and skills and go back home to share there. Everyone is better off. I was discussing this elsewhere, and dug up something I wrote 11 years ago, and I think I'm still p…

> Also, over time, some of those people make money in the US and take that, their knowledge and skills and go back home to share there. Everyone is better off. How are Americans better off in this scenario?

The more smart people we have working on the world's hardest problems, the more likely it is that we'll have breakthroughs that make the world better

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

#269

Post by roughly »

jpadkins wrote: post #123
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…

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…

The hollowing out of the middle class in the US isn't because of immigrants, it's because of a sustained campaign by capital to reduce the power of labor over the last 50-odd years and to concentrate wealth as best they can. Immigrant labor contributes to that because we've got inadequate labor protections and because we bought into the idea that lower consumer prices was a fine reason to ignore both labor and antitrust.

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

#270

Post by kelnos »

ericmay wrote: post #199
davidw wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As always, so much zero-sum thinking in all these discussions. Often, the person may not have been as productive, happy, or well compensated in their own country. Also, over time, some of those people make money in the US and take that, their knowledge and skills and go back home to share there. Everyone is better off. I was discussing this elsewhere, and dug up something I wrote 11 years ago, and I think I'm still p…

> Also, over time, some of those people make money in the US and take that, their knowledge and skills and go back home to share there. Everyone is better off. How are Americans better off in this scenario?

They generated economic activity while they were in the US, no? That seems to be a net positive. You'd otherwise have to be able to argue that, if you replaced them with a US citizen during the time they were here, the greater economic activity would have been generated.
Post reply on HN