Your experience with H1B1 engineers

[cbum]

It sounds to me like you are both highlighting problems and benefits of the H1B program from different angles, but I'm missing what should be done (setting aside that in the next administration, nothing good will happen).

How do we keep the benefit of the H1B, for both employers and employees, without depressing the market clout of qualified US citizens?

Stipulating that US employers will always try to maximize their profits (and public institutions to minimize their payroll costs), what would improve the situation?

Decreasing the "indentured servitude" aspect by limiting the allowed H1B duration, followed by automatic green card eligibility?

Anything to decrease the financial "attractiveness" of hiring an H1B vs US, such as mandatory higher rates of employers copay for SS/Health insurance etc. for H1B vs US employees?

 

[Cmaier]

How do we keep the benefit of the H1B, for both employers and employees, without depressing the market clout of qualified US citizens?

What is the benefit of the H1B to employees (I assume you mean U.S. employees)? I’ve never been helped by the H1B program.

The benefit to employers is clear - much cheaper skilled labor. I don’t believe there’s ever been a case where a company has been unable to find a U.S. employee that had the required skills. They just don’t want to pay that salary.

If you want to benefit both U.S. employers (by getting them cheaper labor) and U.S. employees, I’d suggest figuring out a way to lower the tuition burden and improve primary and secondary education. Then you’d end up with a bigger pool of engineers, scientists, etc., with less student loan debt, willing to work for less money. Both because of a bigger supply of such people, and because they won’t need extra money just to pay their loan debt back.

 

[Eric]

It sounds to me like you are both highlighting problems and benefits of the H1B program from different angles, but I'm missing what should be done (setting aside that in the next administration, nothing good will happen).

How do we keep the benefit of the H1B, for both employers and employees, without depressing the market clout of qualified US citizens?

Stipulating that US employers will always try to maximize their profits (and public institutions to minimize their payroll costs), what would improve the situation?

Decreasing the "indentured servitude" aspect by limiting the allowed H1B duration, followed by automatic green card eligibility?

Anything to decrease the financial "attractiveness" of hiring an H1B vs US, such as mandatory higher rates of employers copay for SS/Health insurance etc. for H1B vs US employees?

I see two major issues with it. First is that those on H1B are willing to work longer and harder hours, and second is they'll do it for a fraction of the salary. That said, Americans are just as, if not more, qualified for the same jobs and that's never been the real problem.

Rich corporation owners don't care about your personal wellbeing, they only care about their own bottom line. I would ask whether you make $100 million that year instead of $300 million, how does that help or hurt you either way when you already own 10 mansions and a fleet of yachts? It's a question about one's humanity and these fuckers simply have no soul.

 

[Yoused]

In other words, the underlying issue seems to revolve around the corporate/investment financial power structure and the counters of beans, and until we find a way to address that, the system will simply get worse.