Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016

uscis.gov

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 114 posts

Re: USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016

#81

Post by discardorama »

Alleluja wrote: post #17

This is the process I went throught back in 2005 to get a job in IT after graduating in Business in Poland: 1. Got a position with an Indian company that promised a job after paid training ($5k) 2. After 3-month long training they totally and completely faked my resume. I.e. included 5-years experience, fake credentials, fake references. 3. Got me a job with large, large bank. 4. Got half my salary for 6-months. 5. A…

And then you also have the fake universities giving out diplomas and OPT: http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_25410171/visa-mil...

Re: USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016

#82

Post by jrbancel »

JOnAgain wrote: post #43

IMHO, fix this by replacing the 'random' with 'highest salary' (or total comp). Just go down from the top. - It would alleviate (though probably not solve) the downward pressure on salaries. - It would ensure that companies are well motivated to find domestic workers since they would, theoretically, be cheaper. - It would ensure that H-1B's go to the people who would add the most value to the economy (or else the com…

I don't think it would impact recent graduates as much as you think. The H1-B program is mainly criticized because of these consultancies importing cheap workers to the U.S. and applying for 10,000's of visa every year. I don't know anyone that complains about immigrants that are employed by top companies such as Google, Palantir, etc... These companies pay top salaries even to new employees without experience. I am sure they would be granted most of the visas they would request if salary was a criteria.

Re: USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016

#83

Post by gusmd »

cplease wrote: post #76
gusmd wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good point, I have given that some thought too. Besides the problems already cited in the other comments, another problem is that smaller companies trying to grow might have a competitive disadvantage because of the upward pressure on the salaries.

I fail to see the problem here under this proposal. Small companies can buy the same talent at the same price, whether it's domestically or abroad. You seem to be arguing that small companies should have special dispensation versus large companies to circumvent immigration laws in order to lower their labor costs. If you think small companies have a thumb on the scale, then give them a thumb on the scale. e.g. specia…

Where do you see me arguing that smaller companies should be allowed to circumvent any immigration laws?

I simply argued that OP's proposal - which is a not a law - would put companies with scarcer funds in disadvantage against bigger companies with more money to burn. I'm all for a free market, but what the OP is proposing is a market distortion since there are a limited number of visas.

Anyhow, you do realize that H1B filling requires a certified LCA, don't you?

Re: USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016

#84

Post by klipt »

cplease wrote: post #77
nabucodonosor wrote: post #58

The worse part is that there are a lot of applicants filing multiple applications. They pay some agencies just to file H1B applications for them. This itself is against H1B application policy. There is an ongoing petition trying to get government's attentions: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov//petition/remove-and-ban-ch...

Multiple petitions with multiple legitimate sponsors is not actually disallowed. That being said, there are few situations where a legitimate sponsor would be on-board with an applicant simultaneously filing another petition. I'm not sure if an applicant is legally (as opposed to morally) required to disclose this to sponsors. It is certainly abused all the time.

It's a tragedy of the commons. In order to have a chance against 233k other petitions, if people can get multiple petitions filed on their behalf, they would be stupid not to. Which then inflates the overall number even further.

The people it really hurts are highly qualified individuals sponsored by a single well known tech company ... like I was two years ago. Luckily I got my H1-B then and am now well on the way to a green card.

Re: USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016

#85

Post by x0x0 »

luisdaniel12 wrote: post #59
qdpb wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> let's be real, this country doesn't have nearly enough STEM professionals to meet demand ... at current salaries.

not sure what you mean. Elaborate?

First, you simply asserted -- without any evidence whatsoever -- that the US lacks sufficient stem professionals.

Two points:

1 - plenty of stem surveys (lumping all of stem together, as you did) show plenty of available candidates as calculated by the percentage of domestic stem graduates working in stem post graduation. see, eg,

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/09/15/stem-gradu...

2 - if you wish to limit the discussion to sf/valley type jobs, a honest claim is there aren't sufficient already trained engineers who wish to live in sf/valley at the prices employers wish to offer who already have the desired skills. There are lots of ways to address it: pay enough so that living here isn't a financial disaster (compare housing prices in sf/nyc (much cheaper than sf!), seattle, chicago, boston, etc), solve transport problems making san jose and sf essentially separate cities, figure out remote employees, hire women (and even retain them!), train engineers, etc.

2b - even a smidge of economics will tell you it's very hard for an actual shortage to exist; there's a clear lack of evidence of wage increases (over cost of living increases) that would accompany an actual tightening of the labor market

Re: USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016

#86

Post by x0x0 »

trhway wrote: post #61
qdpb wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> let's be real, this country doesn't have nearly enough STEM professionals to meet demand ... at current salaries.

what in your opinion the current salaries are and what they must be in order to attract enough professionals? I mean do you see a lot of people who aren't STEM professionals because they feel the salaries are too low? If they aren't STEM professionals than where they are?

I see a continued loss of excellent, experienced -- 10-15 years into their careers -- engineers from sf to Seattle, Chicago, Colorado, Boston, and Austin driven by an admixture of the poor wages in sf/peninsula compared to housing costs, poor transport plus long commute times, very high education costs for children, high daycare costs, and family unfriendly work policies. Three friends and at least nine acquaintances over the last 24 months.

Compare the housing prices of what a three bedroom condo in sf (what a 2 child family wants) vs the other cities, plus the ability for mothers to take a couple years off work. Losing 15 to 20% of your salary to save 50% or more of housing costs is often a great deal.

Re: USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016

#87

Post by x0x0 »

jedmeyers wrote: post #80
fernandotakai wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

is there any cap on how many visas one single company can apply to?

No. And here, as an example, is the breakdown of visas issued per company for 2013: Rank H1B Visa Sponsor Number of LCA Average Salary 1 Infosys 16,397 $75,154 2 Wipro 7,178 $76,920 3 Tata Consultancy Services 6,732 $64,350 4 IBM 6,502 $83,883 5 Deloitte Consulting 4,727 $98,264 6 Microsoft 4,075 $109,546 7 Larsen & Toubro Infotech 3,793 $59,408 8 Accenture 2,653 $72,704 9 Ernst & Young 2,353 $86,380 10 Satyam Comput…

   Rank  H1B Visa Sponsor           Number of LCA *   Average Salary
   1     Infosys                    16,397            $75,154
   2     Wipro                      7,178             $76,920
   3     Tata Consultancy Services  6,732             $64,350
   4     IBM                        6,502             $83,883
   5     Deloitte Consulting        4,727             $98,264
   6     Microsoft                  4,075             $109,546
   7     Larsen & Toubro Infotech   3,793             $59,408
   8     Accenture                  2,653             $72,704
   9     Ernst & Young              2,353             $86,380
   10    Satyam Computer Services   2,310             $70,495

Re: USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016

#88

Post by rogeroga »

HarryHirsch wrote: post #21
gokhan wrote: post #20

So, let's say Google wants to move you to US and wants to pay you $200.000+ because you're a unique scientist that filling a position that can't be filled by a US citizen. After spending time and money for the interview process, they apply for H-1B on behalf of you. Than there goes the lottery, than no luck, than what? 168.000 is pretty decent number to turn down after your own companies spend all those resources jus…

For Nobel Prize winners and champion soccer players there's O-class visa. H1-B is for the plebs.

actually, Miguel de Icaza, from Gnome and Mono fame, got an O visa, I wonder what was the initial Visa that Linus Torvalds got, but he could well apply for that O, with no objection from me.

Re: USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016

#89

Post by klipt »

x0x0 wrote: post #86
trhway wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what in your opinion the current salaries are and what they must be in order to attract enough professionals? I mean do you see a lot of people who aren't STEM professionals because they feel the salaries are too low? If they aren't STEM professionals than where they are?

I see a continued loss of excellent, experienced -- 10-15 years into their careers -- engineers from sf to Seattle, Chicago, Colorado, Boston, and Austin driven by an admixture of the poor wages in sf/peninsula compared to housing costs, poor transport plus long commute times, very high education costs for children, high daycare costs, and family unfriendly work policies. Three friends and at least nine acquaintances…

The Bay Area is fundamentally broken in that cities refuse to build new housing and schools. Supply is limited, demand exceeds supply, and engineers are competing against each other for that very limited supply.

So if all us engineers' salaries went up, it wouldn't help. We'd just end up spending even more to out compete each other. (Well, I guess it would help push non-engineers out of the Bay Area, but is that really what we want?)

Re: USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016

#90

Post by qdpb »

klipt wrote: post #89
x0x0 wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see a continued loss of excellent, experienced -- 10-15 years into their careers -- engineers from sf to Seattle, Chicago, Colorado, Boston, and Austin driven by an admixture of the poor wages in sf/peninsula compared to housing costs, poor transport plus long commute times, very high education costs for children, high daycare costs, and family unfriendly work policies. Three friends and at least nine acquaintances…

The Bay Area is fundamentally broken in that cities refuse to build new housing and schools. Supply is limited, demand exceeds supply, and engineers are competing against each other for that very limited supply. So if all us engineers' salaries went up, it wouldn't help. We'd just end up spending even more to out compete each other. (Well, I guess it would help push non-engineers out of the Bay Area, but is that real…

If there is nowhere to house new engineers, why do companies apply for H1-B?
Post reply on HN