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USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

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Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#121
post #17

Two points: 1) Given that the numbers did indeed end up proving that wage arbitrageurs like Accenture were dominating the H1B lottery [ https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/06/us/outsourcin... ], reform would seem to be necessary. 2) Trump has repeatedly called for a Canadian or Australian style skills-based immigration system to replace chain and quota-based immigration. One would think HN would generally sup…

> Trump has repeatedly called for a Canadian or Australian style skills-based immigration system to replace chain and quota-based immigration

coupled with slashing immigration in general.

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#122
post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"the US is lagging far behind every developed nation in education" I wouldn't say that for college level education. Why is then the US the top study abroad destination in the world?

I can't research this at the moment but a couple obvious explanations: - The USA is massive compared to every first-world nation (in the West) in terms of size / population / schools. I'd be shocked if a place like Sweden were somehow the top, statistically. - I know a few people who came from India to study here because it put them on a fast track for a visa (or whatever they're using to work here after graduating).…

Just looking at CS, there are a few schools in India that are as good as any but the very best US school.

But assuming you can't get into those schools, any middle ranked US state school is a better bet.

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#123
post #23

> Aegis applied for a half-dozen visas this spring, and only one of them made it through the lottery. The year before, Aegis secured a visa for someone filing a type of job he’s filled with H-1B workers in the past. So Narayanan set up a client project for the prospective new employee, a woman who was living in Dehli, India, at the time. Sounds like they are exactly the type of consulting firm the administration is a…

I always wondered why not make the H1B salary minimum the same as someone exemplary in that field ( H1B salary 1.5x the average for the position ). If someone is truly extraordinary then a company wouldn't mind paying a little extra but it would influence the average price up and not down for the field.

> If someone is truly extraordinary

That's not the bar for the visa and never has been.

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#124

I deeply understand the need for H-1B's for bringing in highly talented individuals. However, I can't stand how the argument seems to completely ignore the Americans who are displaced because of abuse of the H-1B system. It seems a bit deceitful to paint this story solely through the lens of "immigrants" while lots of Americans are being directly replaced by H-1B workers. I do not expect to go to another country and…

Which is the class of poor Americans being displaced by H1B workers earning in excess of 100k at companies like Microsoft,Amazon,Google,etc which are constantly hiring anyways?

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#125
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently saw a job advertisement for a front office role at a major bank that literally included the person's name.

They'd already printed up name placards for Sam Fakename, so it was really important that they could reuse those for the next candidate.

They didn't list the name as a requirement, but they said Firstname will be working on X, Y, and Z.

I assume the person writing the advertisement just forgot that they're technically looking for a local candidate.

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#126
post #13

Conservatives may generally view this as "good" regardless of the impact because (according to arguments I've heard) "the less globalization, the better." In my mind, however, it boils down to two pretty simple points: Given that (1) the US is lagging far behind every developed nation in education, and higher education in the US is prohibitively expensive compared to other developed nations, (2) the only way for the…

Are USA so far behind the nation you mentioned ?

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#127
post #40

Ah yes, gotta love H-1B threads. The latent nativism among the Hacker News crowd is laid bare. Here's a radical proposal: give anyone with a clean criminal record and a job offer a green card. No limits, no $100k minimum wage, no protectionism. If you, with all the advantages that natives get (networks, language, NETWORKS), can be beat by an immigrant with zero social connections, you probably are worth less than you…

Hey, I worked really hard to be born where I was ;-)

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#128

As an aspiring immigrant, I feel this is great. Instead of a situation where immigration to US sort of works, sort of doesnt, is a hassle, but not really a bad one, a lot of companies were still keeping major offices in US. Now that Americans have made up their mind that they dont want immigrants, companies will spend more money on opening engineering centers in immigration friendly countries (Canada\west Europe\Aust…

That's already happening in Canada. All the major US IT companies started establishing large offices here. All the announcements happened after Trump got elected.

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#129

> Centro had applied for visas for three young employees > He’d received a letter from USCIS saying it would reject his application unless Centro proved the position required someone with specialized skills > The position — which consisted of writing algorithms and required knowledge of multiple programming languages as well as a solid understanding of relational data storage systems — wasn’t a borderline case. I'm g…

Why shouldn't they do that?

If I have a bunch of people to keep them on track then hiring the cheapest workers who can do the job sounds like good business.

Re: USCIS is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications

#130
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The stated purpose of the H1-B program is to allow companies to fill vacancies with international applicants if they are unable to find US employees qualified for the roles. I've never heard any sane, rational person object to this use case. The issue most people have is that the program seems to be rampantly abused. Companies are replacing US workers with H1-B's sourced from companies like Tata and Infosys at much l…

The logical remedy would be to eliminate the lock the employer has on these people so that they can get competitive offers and see their salaries bid up to something better.

Bingo !
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