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Updates to H-1B

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Re: Updates to H-1B

#711

Post by CrI0gen »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #580
atlgator wrote: post #562

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The pool of Americans that can qualify for a clearance is very small. You'd be surprised how many people have poor credit, bad debt, foreclosures, foreign connections, drug use and/or arrest history. It's not a fair comparison to the applicant pool available to your typical industry business. When I got my TS out of college, the OPM agent went to my old frat house and interviewed people at random, then went to my gir…

If you are a citizen but your spouse is not a US citizen, does that count as an out? I hard a while ago that having a spouse from China could ruin your chances of getting security clearance, but I’m not sure if naturalizing solves that problem or not.

Yes, it will make a huge impact during the investigation and adjudication process. For TS and TS/SCI, even with naturalization the chances for approval will be slim and naturalization likely won't help, especially if they have family in China. For the government, it's all about calculating risk of someones loyalty, character and having things that can be exploited by financial issues (debt is the biggest disqualifier), foreign contacts or family, and anything they'd want to keep secret that could be used for blackmail.

Re: Updates to H-1B

#712

Post by JackYoustra »

crmd wrote: post #68

It’s never been clear to me why this program exists in the first place, other than to put downward pressure on US STEM wages. What am I missing?

Tech exists in a globally competitive market: the companies will exist where the skilled workers are, and the tax benefits will occur there. The US's large immigration rate is a precondition for maintaining its tech dominance and all of the benefits thereof.

Re: Updates to H-1B

#713

Post by forgotoldacc »

throwaway2037 wrote: post #654
superfrank wrote: post #466

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually think that could end up having the opposite effect in lower paying fields. An mid level engineer at Google averages $280k/yr according to levels. A principal mechanical engineer at Boeing averages $170k/yr according to levels. If Google can pay an H1-B engineer 70% of what a non H1-B employee would get ($196k), they can bid up to 80k and still save money. Since Boeing is going for a high level employee who…

> Since Boeing is going for a high level employee who actually highly skilled "actually": Are you saying that mid-level engineer at Google making ~300K/yr is not actually highly skilled?

I don't think that's what they were implying, but with the way google has been going this past decade, I don't think anyone is still under the impression that google employees are highly skilled. They're the butt of tech jokes for a reason.

Re: Updates to H-1B

#714

Post by JackYoustra »

InsideOutSanta wrote: post #144
s1artibartfast wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are mixing up purpose and effect. The purpose is to provide more and cheaper STEM workers. The effect is downward pressure on wages. Phrased differently, the goal is to help industry, not hurt workers. Hurting some workers is an acceptable cost, not the goal. One idea is that having a thriving industrial ecosystem helps those same workers more than the downward pressure.

As somebody who does not live and work in the US, it seems plausible to me that the H1B system helps prevent other countries from obtaining similar talent hubs as Sillicon Valley. A lot of the talent is in the US, which attracts more companies, which attracts more talent, which means it's easier to go to the US and work there and start companies there than to do it anywhere else.

it's not really the goal, but there are many cases of people denied visas going back and having huge success

Re: Updates to H-1B

#717

Post by woodson »

ziddoap wrote: post #19

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/18/2024-29... The tweet is a super brief summary, reproduced below. Founders can self petition (& spouses can work) - Own >50% of the entity, or have majority voting rights Roles tied to research institutions cap-exempt - Organizations where fundamental research is a key activity now qualify - Startups can hire researchers (AI, health, hardware) year-round Students ge…

> Roles tied to research institutions cap-exempt

> - Organizations where fundamental research is a key activity now qualify

> - Startups can hire researchers (AI, health, hardware) year-round

That’s a good change. I’ve seen ML researchers (PhDs) who led DARPA funded projects as principal investigator while working for a for-profit company not being selected for H-1B (lottery and cap) and having to leave the US.

Re: Updates to H-1B

#718

Post by SauciestGNU »

nativeit wrote: post #676
SauciestGNU wrote: post #658

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would I work in person for less money when I can work remote? For in person work on critical applications like satellites, I'd expect (spitballing here) a staff eng to be making 300k base with substantial bonus/espp on top. Consider that most midsize tech companies are going to pay staff level 200k or above and ask how the company in question compares, before pricing in the crushing inflexibility of in person wor…

[flagged]

That's the line they gave all my peers who went into public interest and non-profits. Most of them left from burnout or because the low pay and high demands were exploitative.

Here's the trick these mission-oriented employers don't want you to know: you can use the freedom that money affords in order to build meaningful and fulfilling aspects into your life outside of work.

Re: Updates to H-1B

#719

Post by 8n4vidtmkvmk »

avmich wrote: post #576
biztos wrote: post #535

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to pile on, but if linear algebra is really a part of the day-to-day job and not some manager’s mistaken idea of a proxy for more general talent, then you’re hiring specialists and the pool will not be that large. People who remember all their math and enjoy it and can also code, are also very employable at all the AI companies and departments, including at Meta. And how do you know if someone’s eligible for secu…

> People who remember all their math and enjoy it and can also code, are also very employable at all the AI companies and departments, including at Meta. That's either a wishful thinking or a stretch of definitions, IMHO.

What about the opposite? My math is getting super rusty but it doesn't matter because all I do is push protos around. Yet I seem to be pretty employable.

Re: Updates to H-1B

#720

Post by jkaplowitz »

jkaplowitz wrote: post #498
darth_avocado wrote: post #438

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Companies can chose to not sponsor visas. That’s not illegal.

True, but they aren’t allowing recently admitted permanent residents, asylees, and refugees, all of whom have federal protections against immigration status discrimination in employment. Some places like NYC offer legal protections in this area to all categories of immigration status, of course within what applicable federal and state law requires and allows. Federal law allows preferring citizens over equally equali…

Late typo correction well beyond the edit window: “equally equalities” should have read “equally qualified”.
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