H-1B visas in IT.

[some_al_fan]

Then I guess there won;t be a lot of pushback to the idea of raising the minimum to $139k.

There likely won’t be pushback from coastal blue states. But in lower cost-of-living red states, the proposed $139k could be much higher than the prevailing wage, which might limit companies from bringing in foreign help to stay competitive.
If you want to increase the minimum, then you need to account for the cost of living and local wages.

 

[Tidewater]

There likely won’t be pushback from coastal blue states. But in lower cost-of-living red states, the proposed $139k could be much higher than the prevailing wage, which might limit companies from bringing in foreign help to stay competitive.
If you want to increase the minimum, then you need to account for the cost of living and local wages.

Only if your goal is to allow foreigners to underbid Americans for jobs in the United States. That is not my goal.

 

[Tidewater]

I have said this before, but Americans, as a nationality, suck at exercising judgment. We have limited capacity to say, "This one is worthy, but that one is not." Instead, we tend to side-step the question and say, "Everyone is worthy."
H1B visas is a great case in point.
We went from "An American company needs X to stay competitive. The entire company is going to go belly up if we don't get X and there are no Americans that can do X, so either we hire a foreigner or the company goes under and everybody gets laid off." Somehow, we went from there to "any company that wants to hire a foreigner because they will work cheaper than Americans may do so." Congress (as usual) did not exercise their due diligence and set boundaries to a stop-gap program, neither in numbers, nor salary to be offered, nor time limit (either for the individual or the entire program).
The net effect is the most egregious form of corporate welfare, helping business's bottom line while yanking the rug out from under American jobseekers.

 

[some_al_fan]

Only if your goal is to allow foreigners to underbid Americans for jobs in the United States. That is not my goal.

My goal is for US corporations to stay competitive in global markets while ensuring we’re not underbidding Americans for jobs.
With your approach of reducing access to the foreign workforce, there’s a risk of limiting access to the foreign brainpower and ultimately weakening and stagnating US companies.

 

[Tidewater]

My goal is for US corporations to stay competitive in global markets while ensuring we’re not underbidding Americans for jobs.
With your approach of reducing access to the foreign workforce, there’s a risk of limiting access to the foreign brainpower and ultimately weakening and stagnating US companies.

In the video I attached, the author was arguing that the purpose of the program at inception was that the best of the best (as measured by high salaries) would have an opportunity in these United States.
What it seems to have become is a program for foreigners to underbid American entry level job seekers.
I am not one of those who hates American corporations, but if giving them a government-sponsored benefit means screwing over a bunch of Americans, I'll pass.
H1B visas ought to be very rare, maybe a hundred each year for the entire country, so corporations ought to have to choose wisely.

 

[some_al_fan]

In the video I attached, the author was arguing that the purpose of the program at inception was that the best of the best (as measured by high salaries) would have an opportunity in these United States.
What it seems to have become is a program for foreigners to underbid American entry level job seekers.
I am not one of those who hates American corporations, but if giving them a government-sponsored benefit means screwing over a bunch of Americans, I'll pass.
H1B visas ought to be very rare, maybe a hundred each year for the entire country, so corporations ought to have to choose wisely.

Are you accounting for F-1 visa conversions?
I could not find the exact numbers, but a vast number of H-1B visas are issued to F-1/J-1 visa students who are already residing in the USA, and the USA has invested in their education.
That is probably the main issue with the “entry level” part, since we have US-trained and highly skilled 23-year-olds with college degrees in STEM, who are already physically in the US, and it is in our best interests to keep them in the USA. H-1B is the only available path to them (not counting marriage).

 

[some_al_fan]

@Tidewater
You are going to like that:

Trump administration to add $100,000 fee for H-1B visas

The Trump administration is targeting a visa widely used by tech companies and other employers to hire foreign workers.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Huckleberry]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1969186304966455299

Trump signs an EO on H-1Bs raising "the fee that companies pay to sponsor H1-B applicants to $100,000"

This will be absolutely devastating in the medical field.

~30% residents are international medical graduates & ~10k of 43k residency spots are filled by docs with H1-B visas.

Previously the h-1B fee was <$5,000.

No hospital will pay a $100k fee for a $55k resident salary.

There are 43,000 US residency spots & 28,000 US medical school graduates each year.

 

[some_al_fan]

There is more to this news. Apparently, the new EO goes into effect tonight; thus, any person on an H-1B visa who is currently outside the country (e.g., on vacation) will have to pay $100k on re-entry.
That is hard to believe, but that is what the internet sources are reporting.

 

[92tide]

There is more to this news. Apparently, the new EO goes into effect tonight; thus, any person on an H-1B visa who is currently outside the country (e.g., on vacation) will have to pay $100k on re-entry.
That is hard to believe, but that is what the internet sources are reporting.

i'm sure the well akshually this is a good thing explanations will be forthcoming.

 

[some_al_fan]

'Indians pleaded to get off': Chaos on plane in US after Trump's H-1B shock | Video

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation to raise the H-1B visa fee to a staggering USD 100,000 annually.

www.hindustantimes.com

 

[some_al_fan]

I have no idea how reliable these news sources are….

H-1B visa fees news live updates: Firms tell workers to return to the US asap, MEA issues statement

H-1B visa fees news live updates: The President Donald Trump-led US administration has issued a sweeping order in which H-1B visa will attract an annual fee of $100,000. Failure to pay the fee would restrict entry of certain non-immigrant workers to the US, a major chunk of whom are Indians.

www.hindustantimes.com

H-1B visa holders told to return to US by immigration attorneys and companies before $100,000 fee takes effect - The Economic Times

Immigration attorneys and companies are urgently advising H-1B visa holders to return to the US immediately, fearing they could be stranded due to President Trump's new plan imposing a hefty USD 100,000 fee on these work visas. The proclamation, set to take effect on September 21, 2025, has...

economictimes.indiatimes.com

 

[some_al_fan]

Of course, it is also seems to be illegal, since only Congress has that power:

Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Fee Invites Immediate Legal Challenges

President Donald Trump’s new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas flouts clear requirements of federal immigration law and will invite immediate lawsuits, attorneys said.

news.bloomberglaw.com