New $100k H-1B visa fee pushes tech jobs offshore

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Sep 14, 2026, 3:36 PM UTC

rbanffy wrote: post #177

kccqzy wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience, people who didn’t make it in the H-1B lottery go to Canada, try the L-1 and come back to the United States. It’s good for Canada to offer a work permit so quickly, but I’m just not seeing people willing to obtain permanent residency in Canada. After all, for the same job, the pay in Canada is way worse. In fact I’m seeing Canadian citizens come to the U.S. to get a big salary bump while doing the sa…

> After all, for the same job, the pay in Canada is way worse. OTOH, you have free universal healthcare - and, the best part is that everyone in Canada gets it. You also have gun-free schools, abortions are considered healthcare, and, on top of all that, a sane government and a population that's considered pathologically nice to each other. Honestly, I'd take the pay cut (in fact, I did - but I live in Ireland instea…

Post by emodendroket » Mon, Sep 14, 2026, 3:37 PM UTC

chuckadams wrote: post #206

emodendroket wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Put another way I don’t think this policy is a good way to address the issues you’re talking about because it’s just moving jobs out of the U.S. altogether.

Jobs that Americans weren't getting because it was cheaper to hire an H1-B indentured servant instead. The current administration will no doubt find a way to make everything worse, but they didn't start with a good program to begin with.

Post by emodendroket » Mon, Sep 14, 2026, 3:39 PM UTC

kypro wrote: post #181

emodendroket wrote: post #74

Nobody is willing to state this but it’s pretty clear if you look at the way officials behind the policy talk: they’re OK with this. They don’t mind economic harm. The purpose has nothing to do with protecting workers and everything to do with creating a more ethnically homogenous country.

May I give a more balanced perspective here while acknowledging that there are bad actors with malign incentives on both sides of this debate? I think we should all be able to agree that in the limit both sides of this debate are wrong, and therefore what we are arguing here is where the balance is whether this fee helps strike the right balance. A nation cannot simply open its labour market up to the most qualified…

Post by peezd » Mon, Sep 14, 2026, 3:39 PM UTC

da_chicken wrote: post #109

bearjaws wrote: post #2

Not surprising, H1B for my entire career was a cost cutting measure. Every time we had a layoff some portion would be replaced with H1B. Every H1B that shared their salary with me has been underpaid. I know its anecdotal but sharing to see if anyone has seen similar.

I have definitely seen job postings that were so detailed and narrow that they couldn't possibly find anyone "qualified". They were clearly making it so that it would be easier to claim that nobody in the country was qualified. But I will say that the only people I have met that are here on H1-B have been uniquely qualified for their position. Such as, they invented a way to scale a given chemical manufacturing proce…

Post by shagie » Mon, Sep 14, 2026, 3:40 PM UTC

ok123456 wrote: post #194

shagie wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Increased scrutiny of H-1B-dependent employers could well be in order. There is already that classification in place and restrictions... though I suspect that underfunding of the Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division may be contributing to that lack of scrutiny. Putting additional restrictions and requirements for reporting would likely be a good thing. I am hesitant to say "H-1B needs to go" when it does serve…

These companies have a demonstrated track record for having no qualms about bald-face lying. Suddenly we'll have an influx of "private sector researchers" to cover those tech jobs.

    The employee's primary duty must consist of:
    The application of systems analysis techniques and procedures, including consulting with users, to determine hardware, software or system functional specifications;
    The design, development, documentation, analysis, creation, testing or modification of computer systems or programs, including prototypes, based on and related to user or system design specifications;
    The design, documentation, testing, creation or modification of computer programs related to machine operating systems; or
    A combination of the aforementioned duties, the performance of which requires the same level of skills.