Trump Is Right: Silicon Valley Using H-1B Visas to Pay Low Wages to Immigrants • Hacker News Board

Re: Trump Is Right: Silicon Valley Using H-1B Visas to Pay Low Wages to Immigrants

#251

Post by valuearb » Mon, Feb 06, 2017, 6:12 PM UTC

thecardcheat wrote: post #23

> The industry lobbyists’ ace-in-the-hole argument is that if they can’t hire more H-1Bs, they’ll ship the work overseas. But for projects on which H-1Bs are hired in the U.S., face-to-face interaction (between themselves and their American coworkers) is crucial. That is why employers bring H-1Bs to the U.S. in the first place rather than sending the work abroad, where the wages are even cheaper. Considering the grow…

There is a significant advantage in doing the work here, but they'll still do some work overseas. And they'll start their own companies overseas and compete with us.

Re: Trump Is Right: Silicon Valley Using H-1B Visas to Pay Low Wages to Immigrants

#252

Post by jsmthrowaway » Mon, Feb 06, 2017, 6:13 PM UTC

t1o5 wrote: post #50

geodel wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks, Do you know how long it might take to get that approved?

If you satisfy the points under this grid - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/express-entry/grid-crs.asp and your documentations are correct, 6 months is the SLA.

For anyone considering this who has an American criminal record, even a misdemeanor (!), understand that it is extraordinarily easy to become permanently barred from Canada if you don't perform the immigration steps correctly. There is an official bribe of up to $1,000 that must be paid before you can even be considered, and unless you are exactly truthful to a fault the Canadians can find cause to permanently and irrevocably bar entry. They have access to American criminal databases and you will be checked, and turned back, at the border for even a day trip. (This bugs me by itself. I didn't harm your sovereign state.)

I know of one person who will never in her life see Canada because she got the paperwork about a twenty-year-old misdemeanor wrong, even after the $1,000 appeal to the Minister. Definitely get a lawyer. The fetish for American criminality is one thing about Canadian immigration that I would hope to see reformed. Canada is very welcoming unless you've had a taste of American justice, then they make you work very hard to enter. Caring about criminal records is common, of course; having direct access to neighboring criminal records is not, among most world countries.

Given that a number of American states are law-and-order criminal record factories, and given that a criminal record is not necessarily indicative of someone's life (if it were, I'd be selling heroin instead of debugging right now), it seems time for Canadians to revisit this policy. I'm guessing there was a flood of cons to Canada at some point that made them skittish and enshrine a bunch of hoops in legislation. With a lot of Americans now looking for possibilities such as these in the current environment, there is a huge reform opportunity here to make Canada even more welcoming.

Re: Trump Is Right: Silicon Valley Using H-1B Visas to Pay Low Wages to Immigrants

#253

Post by valuearb » Mon, Feb 06, 2017, 6:13 PM UTC

rhapsodic wrote: post #210

wnevets wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did provide it, attempting to kill an industry that is already dying is hardly acting tough on that industry

>I did provide it, attempting to kill an industry that is already dying is hardly acting tough on that industry. Tell that to an unemployed coal miner in West Virginia with 5 kids and no other marketable skills. And the point that I was making, and that you did not refute, is that the Democrats have done much more than send strongly worded letters.

That's the same argument poor slave owners in the south were making.

Re: Trump Is Right: Silicon Valley Using H-1B Visas to Pay Low Wages to Immigrants

#254

Post by tdkl » Mon, Feb 06, 2017, 6:16 PM UTC

valuearb wrote: post #203

program_whiz wrote: post #34

Ok what's the suprise here? If you give companies a chance to get cheaper "mostly the same" labor without a downside, or maybe with the upside they can't leave, they're going to take it. That's why I do believe globalization and the availability of huge amounts of cheap unregulated labor does hurt American jobs and industry. Its not xenophobia, its just common sense. I think if you look past any ideas of racism, xeno…

Globalization has made the US massively wealthy since the American Revolution. We rely on the ability to sell our goods and services across the world, cut off the world and we get poorer. Look up Smoot Hawley. These engineers will be working for our foreign competitors if Trump has his way, how is it good for our economy if more apps are sold by foreign firms, that Samsung sells more phones, etc, etc?

It's made the wealthy US 1% wealthier.

Re: Trump Is Right: Silicon Valley Using H-1B Visas to Pay Low Wages to Immigrants

#255

Post by douche » Mon, Feb 06, 2017, 6:16 PM UTC

valuearb wrote: post #223

HillaryBriss wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Shipping lower skilled jobs to other countries mean higher margins for US companies. Which is good in itself for the US economy. US companies and the collection of US voters are different. Their interests do not always coincide. One might say that higher margins are "good for the US economy", but that doesn't mean they're good for every person participating in the US economy -- which is what the US voter cares more…

The shareholders are us, our 401ks, our pensions, etc. Overall, higher margins are good for us. Walmart should not sell higher cost products just to have them made in this country. The ability to specialize is why free trade makes both parties wealthier, if we can't make bicycles as well as the chinese, then let them make the bikes and we'll sell them smartphones and apps. If you were a lawyer making $300 an hour and…

> The shareholders are us, our 401ks, our pensions, etc. Overall, higher margins are good for us.

The people working shit jobs at Walmart don't have 401ks or pensions. Or maybe they did, back when there were some good manufacturing jobs that produced goods locally, instead of being outsourced to the other side of the world.

Re: Trump Is Right: Silicon Valley Using H-1B Visas to Pay Low Wages to Immigrants

#256

Post by okreallywtf » Mon, Feb 06, 2017, 6:17 PM UTC

rhapsodic wrote: post #85

okreallywtf wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So by that you mean, propose changes but then never have any of them implemented in any way and be blocked entirely by an obstructionist opposition party? I'm not sure thats what you really want.

Would you mind phrasing your question a little more clearly, please?

I'm just confused as to what you actually want to see happen to the SV bully-boys. The democrats (as far as I can tell) have had little to no actual effect on coal or guns but your comment makes it sound like they've been able to rein them in or bust them up or something.

I was kind of making a joke because to me the democrats have been largely ineffective against coal and guns. Thats not necessarily their fault, to me they have generally proposed pretty measured policies (even if some peoples rhetoric is bombastic) that end up being totally rejected by the republicans and my guess is that is NOT what you want to see happen with SV.

Re: Trump Is Right: Silicon Valley Using H-1B Visas to Pay Low Wages to Immigrants

#257

Post by convolvatron » Mon, Feb 06, 2017, 6:17 PM UTC

afastow wrote: post #93

> EB sponsorship renders the workers de facto indentured servants; though they have the right to move to another employer, they do not dare do so, as it would mean starting the lengthy green card process all over again. Increasing H-1B pay would be a step in the right direction but I think the green card policy is the biggest thing that needs to be fixed. H-1B workers should be fast tracked for green cards instead of…

idk, if you have an underclass thats forced to work for you for substandard wages due to externalities, that seems worth hanging on to.

i think the most dangerous ideas distorting the software market is the fiction that every team is the best that was ever fielded, and that development takes such unique skills. you're hiring a web dev - stop turning people down because they aren't Guy Steele.

Re: Trump Is Right: Silicon Valley Using H-1B Visas to Pay Low Wages to Immigrants

#258

Post by wnevets » Mon, Feb 06, 2017, 6:18 PM UTC

rhapsodic wrote: post #210

wnevets wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did provide it, attempting to kill an industry that is already dying is hardly acting tough on that industry

>I did provide it, attempting to kill an industry that is already dying is hardly acting tough on that industry. Tell that to an unemployed coal miner in West Virginia with 5 kids and no other marketable skills. And the point that I was making, and that you did not refute, is that the Democrats have done much more than send strongly worded letters.

> And the point that I was making, and that you did not refute, is that the Democrats have done much more than send strongly worded letters.

I'm still going to have to disagree with you on that, the CPP is barely more than a strongly worded letter.

Re: Trump Is Right: Silicon Valley Using H-1B Visas to Pay Low Wages to Immigrants

#259

Post by pkaler » Mon, Feb 06, 2017, 6:18 PM UTC

t1o5 wrote: post #29

ex H1B here. Yes Trump is right.(though I do not like him personally, he is right in this matter) Most of the corporate America is exploiting H1B workers. I have worked in one of those firms and I have friends in many other firms. These are not Indian body shops, these are American companies. Everyone's topic of discussion when we hangout is how our H1B visas were being exploited and there is nothing we could do abou…

Canadian by birth. Indian by ethnicity. Vancouverite by choice. Let me know if you have questions about relocating, personal or professional.

Re: Trump Is Right: Silicon Valley Using H-1B Visas to Pay Low Wages to Immigrants

#260

Post by unprepare » Mon, Feb 06, 2017, 6:18 PM UTC

yummyfajitas wrote: post #244

unprepare wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>unemployed by choice >they are unwilling to move to places where the jobs are. How exactly would an unemployed person move? security deposit/down payment, moving costs, etc all cost real money, and without an income, I'm not sure how you would expect someone to move across the country. Humans are on average risk averse - and certainly no one would advise someone to move out to california on their credit card, in hop…

How exactly would an unemployed person move? security deposit/down payment, moving costs, etc all cost real money, and without an income, I'm not sure how you would expect someone to move across the country. Strangely, illegal Mexicans seem to have solved this problem. In fact, they solved it so well that we plan to build a wall to keep them out. This is why I say we need to import a better working class. Our own lei…

Have you ever met an illegal immigrant? been to their home? asked them about their experience coming to the US?

Its interesting to see you assume so much about illegal immigrants, when you clearly dont have even a foundational understanding of their lives here or in mexico.