←back to thread

1321 points mriguy | 1 comments | | HN request time: 1.703s | source
Show context
cogman10 ◴[] No.45306123[source]
IMO, the fee is the wrong thing that needs adjusting. It's the salary that should be adjusted. The minimum salary for an H1B should be $200k. It's something like 50k right now which is ridiculous especially with all the restrictions an applicant is under. It both suppresses wages and abuses the worker.
replies(11): >>45306145 #>>45306221 #>>45306228 #>>45306250 #>>45306297 #>>45306340 #>>45306493 #>>45306620 #>>45306997 #>>45307107 #>>45309827 #
ericmcer ◴[] No.45306297[source]
Is it too complex to just look at the companies taxes and be like... "Hey you are paying H1B workers 25% less than their peers. You get hit with a fine".

If you couldn't undercut H1B salaries there is little incentive to use them except for their desired purpose (you can't find any local workers).

replies(3): >>45306350 #>>45306496 #>>45312485 #
OkayPhysicist ◴[] No.45306350[source]
Even paid identically, a company might prefer H1Bs for retention purposes. Having an indentured serf who's difficult for other companies to hire and is at constant risk of deportation if they lose their job is a winning prospect for the worst companies.
replies(2): >>45306456 #>>45307307 #
firstplacelast ◴[] No.45306456[source]
It also prevents wages from rising, can't find anymore local talent at 80K/year so you hire H1B at that wage. If that didn't happen, wages would rise until they found someone local. I think something like equal pay and then a 10-20% fee that is funneled into american education/up-skilling efforts.
replies(1): >>45313730 #
1. czl ◴[] No.45313730[source]
Wages must rise to simulate local supply. If instead a foreign worker is hired and wages do not rise the local supply is not stimulated and the foreign worker being a short term solution causes a growing long-term problem: a growing inadequate local supply of high skilled labor.

And if foreign workers are a "better deal" because they take more abuse (due to terms of their immigration) this further disincentives fair competition and makes the long-term problem larger.