H-1B: Government issues first-ever official estimate of visa population in U.S. • Hacker News Board

Re: H-1B: Government issues first-ever official estimate of visa population in U.S.

#101

Post by maxerickson » Tue, Jul 07, 2020, 1:55 AM UTC

sjs7007 wrote: post #23

arcticbull wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For folks from countries that don't have a large backlog, you can get a green card in something like 3 or 4 years today. If you've got a motivated employer you can get it done in 18 months. - PERM takes 6-9 months to prepare. - PERM takes 120 days to certify currently. - I-140, I-485, I-765, I-131 and I-693 can be filed simultaneously for rest-of-world. - I-140 with premium processing takes 1-15 days (3-12 months w…

I think you are missing the point that it's only a pain point for countries with a backlog, not ones without a backlog. 3-4 years in the grand scheme of things is not all that long for gaining PR of a different country.

Why should it take more than a couple of days?

Re: H-1B: Government issues first-ever official estimate of visa population in U.S.

#102

Post by huy-nguyen » Tue, Jul 07, 2020, 2:01 AM UTC

arcticbull wrote: post #93

monoideism wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting about EB1A, didn't know. I agree that we need reform in this area. For one, a bidding system for H1-B type visas could prevent much of the abuse. Like you, I'm not a Trump supporter, but I like the points-based system. Not sure why that got so much criticism (probably simply because it came from him). It's similar to Canada's system, which most people around the globe seem to admire. I hope people can und…

Will read and report back! What I think is most disheartening is that Republicans and Democrats alike have no interest whatsoever in immigration reform. Democrats controlled both houses and the presidency and were unwilling to do anything. And then there's Dick Durbin, who torpedoed the most recent round of reforms.

Dick Durbin was totally right to torpedo that bill because it would ease the Green Card backlog for Indians but will set everyone else back by 5-10 years. Removing the per-country cap must come with increasing the overall Green Card cap. Otherwise it will just be pitting one group of immigrants against another.

Re: H-1B: Government issues first-ever official estimate of visa population in U.S.

#103

Post by moultano » Tue, Jul 07, 2020, 2:01 AM UTC

Grakel wrote: post #79

moultano wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The H1B program is the only reason the US has a tech industry at all. 75% of silicon valley tech workers are immigrants.

Lol. The fact that the entire concept was invented here probably would contradict that.

Britain invented the steam engine.

Re: H-1B: Government issues first-ever official estimate of visa population in U.S.

#104

Post by belltaco » Tue, Jul 07, 2020, 2:04 AM UTC

monoideism wrote: post #61

arcticbull wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also make an O-1 type visa as an immigrant visa. That's unnecessary, as the O-1 has the same requirements as an EB1A green card petition. The immigrant visa form of the O-1 is simply an EB1A petition. It's actually possible to self-petition EB1A. Only India and China have a backlog of EB1A petitions, and their priority dates are ~2017. I'd love to read that study if you dig it up! For what it's worth, I believe in…

Interesting about EB1A, didn't know. I agree that we need reform in this area. For one, a bidding system for H1-B type visas could prevent much of the abuse. Like you, I'm not a Trump supporter, but I like the points-based system. Not sure why that got so much criticism (probably simply because it came from him). It's similar to Canada's system, which most people around the globe seem to admire. I hope people can und…

>Like you, I'm not a Trump supporter, but I like the points-based system. Not sure why that got so much criticism (probably simply because it came from him)

The reason was quite simple, Republicans didn't like it because it did not reduce the legal immigration numbers, and Democrats did not like it because it eliminated pretty much all the family based immigration except for spouses and children which meant people would be not be able to sponsor their parents and siblings.

Re: H-1B: Government issues first-ever official estimate of visa population in U.S.

#105

Post by s1artibartfast » Tue, Jul 07, 2020, 2:10 AM UTC

belltaco wrote: post #96

29athrowaway wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

H-1B1 is not the visa type for the best and brightest. That visa type is EB-1. H-1B is about skills in high demand not extraordinary ability. Many personal friends of mine are H-1B and they would not be even considered the best or brightest in their own household. Of course, you have to be somewhat smart to meet the basic requirements: bachelor's degree or equivalent. But that does not mean you are among the best .

>H-1B1 is not the visa type for the best and brightest. That visa type is EB-1. H-1B is about skills in high demand not extraordinary ability. So Melania Trump was the best and brightest? By what metric?

Presumably modeling. The following two EB-1 via criteria would be sufficient:

Evidence that you command a high salary or other significantly high remuneration in relation to others in the field

Evidence of your commercial successes in the performing arts

Re: H-1B: Government issues first-ever official estimate of visa population in U.S.

#106

Post by SamReidHughes » Tue, Jul 07, 2020, 2:10 AM UTC

russellbeattie wrote: post #26

The H-1B program definitely needs more regulation to prevent abuse by companies (especially when it comes to salary negotiations). But if anything we should increase the number - it's not like those people are just going to not work if they don't come to the U.S. They'll just work in different countries, either driving more offshoring of labor by American companies, or just competing with them directly. It's in the U…

I think most people that grew up in the Bay Area would prefer it if there was reduced traffic and lower rent that you'd get having had less high-skilled immigration. Then California wouldn't have such a large working class exodus. Santa Clara county is 38.07% immigrant. Without that immigrant population, working-class Californians would have more disposable income after rent, faster commutes, and more free time.

The locals seem to agree -- it has been Bay Area communities' policy to hinder international and interstate migration into the area by limiting new construction, on the grounds that more people makes the community a worse place to live.

Re: H-1B: Government issues first-ever official estimate of visa population in U.S.

#107

Post by belltaco » Tue, Jul 07, 2020, 2:13 AM UTC

huy-nguyen wrote: post #102

arcticbull wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Will read and report back! What I think is most disheartening is that Republicans and Democrats alike have no interest whatsoever in immigration reform. Democrats controlled both houses and the presidency and were unwilling to do anything. And then there's Dick Durbin, who torpedoed the most recent round of reforms.

Dick Durbin was totally right to torpedo that bill because it would ease the Green Card backlog for Indians but will set everyone else back by 5-10 years. Removing the per-country cap must come with increasing the overall Green Card cap. Otherwise it will just be pitting one group of immigrants against another.

>because it would ease the Green Card backlog for Indians but will set everyone else back by 5-10 years.

Not really true. There is no special treatment for Indians in that bill. Indians will have to wait the same 5 to 10 years if they apply for a green card at the same time as others.

Even that will happen only 5 to 10 years from now, during which an immigration friendly administration could increase the green cards or give other forms of relief. It's sad to have to say this but when people from Europe, Australia etc. are waiting for a long time it'll be more palatable for Congress and the President to increase green cards compared to the current situation.

>Removing the per-country cap must come with increasing the overall Green Card cap. Otherwise it will just be pitting one group of immigrants against another

Those groups aren't equivalent though, one has been waiting for 10+ years in the green card queue while the other is expecting instant green cards based on their country of birth. The current system already pitts one group against the other and gives one the preferential treatment and disadvantages the other.

Also, the Congressional Research Service's research on the bill says that the current system makes employers prefer Indians for IT jobs since it's much harder for them to switch jobs for a very long time compared to other nationalities who might take off once they get their Green Card.

Re: H-1B: Government issues first-ever official estimate of visa population in U.S.

#108

Post by belltaco » Tue, Jul 07, 2020, 2:22 AM UTC

anticonformist wrote: post #25

rpiguy wrote: post #12

The H-1B program is terrible and needs to be reformed. It is supposed to temporarily shore up the supply of critically skilled workers that are in demand. While it does this, when the program was envisioned no one imagined H-1B visa holders working here for 10+ years. If only there were a word for the importation of minority labor and locking them into employment with their sponsor, effectively reducing their negotia…

Reforming the H-1B to do what it was intended to do would mean eliminating 99% of the visas that are granted. It turns out that the entire H-1B program has been a massive scam. It was created and promoted by American Big Tech companies to make them money at the expense of American citizens. It's been a trillion dollar theft from lower and middle class Americans into the hands of the 1%. Without the H-1B in place, the…

>Without the H-1B in place, these companies would be working to fix America's education system, paying more in salary to workers, and lifting more Americans into the middle class.

Without this system, companies would move a lot of jobs to Canada(which has a much easier immigration system) and to India and East Europe etc. Which would hurt the general economy real hard.

Re: H-1B: Government issues first-ever official estimate of visa population in U.S.

#109

Post by arcticbull » Tue, Jul 07, 2020, 2:24 AM UTC

belltaco wrote: post #104

monoideism wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting about EB1A, didn't know. I agree that we need reform in this area. For one, a bidding system for H1-B type visas could prevent much of the abuse. Like you, I'm not a Trump supporter, but I like the points-based system. Not sure why that got so much criticism (probably simply because it came from him). It's similar to Canada's system, which most people around the globe seem to admire. I hope people can und…

>Like you, I'm not a Trump supporter, but I like the points-based system. Not sure why that got so much criticism (probably simply because it came from him) The reason was quite simple, Republicans didn't like it because it did not reduce the legal immigration numbers, and Democrats did not like it because it eliminated pretty much all the family based immigration except for spouses and children which meant people wo…

Siblings already have to wait 13-14 years. IMO that was no big loss. My brother is 26. If I were in a position to sponsor him today, he wouldn't get a green card until he turned 40. This means he'd have to spend all his peak earning years abroad anyways.

Re: H-1B: Government issues first-ever official estimate of visa population in U.S.

#110

Post by belltaco » Tue, Jul 07, 2020, 2:45 AM UTC

s1artibartfast wrote: post #105

belltaco wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>H-1B1 is not the visa type for the best and brightest. That visa type is EB-1. H-1B is about skills in high demand not extraordinary ability. So Melania Trump was the best and brightest? By what metric?

Presumably modeling. The following two EB-1 via criteria would be sufficient: Evidence that you command a high salary or other significantly high remuneration in relation to others in the field Evidence of your commercial successes in the performing arts

She was a working model back then, not a supermodel. There are plenty of questions around how she qualified for it. Trump promised a press conference on it and of course it never happened.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/questions-linger-abo...