Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Trump Admin Takes First Steps To Overhaul H-1B Visa That Tech Companies Use To Hire Internationally (geekwire.com)

Posted by msmash on from the up-next dept.

President Donald Trump's immigration authorities are moving to enact broad changes to a visa that allows American companies to bring international workers to the country. From a report: On Friday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of Homeland Security released a proposed rule that takes the first steps toward overhauling the H-1B visa. The new rule would prioritize applications for workers with advanced degrees from American universities. The policy would also change the application process companies go through when they want to secure H-1B visas for foreign talent. Instead of completing a petition for the new employee, companies would register for free online to enter what's been described as the "H-1B lottery." Immigration law caps the number of regular H-1B visas that can be awarded each year at 65,000. An additional 20,000 may be awarded to workers with master's degrees and PhDs. Under the new system, USCIS would review all applications, including those for workers with advanced degrees, during a registration period before the actual petitions are filed.

10 of 252 comments (clear)

  1. So... by sit1963nz · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The alternative is to set up software hubs in those other countries.
    It will be just like hardware really, the design, testing, etc etc will be done in the USA, but the construction is done overseas.

    Over all it will not see much change in the number of US citizens employed in the USA, it will mean that those H-1B jobs simply get filled overseas. The US government looses the income tax paid, and other countries benefit. Long term, the knowledge and skills that gets transferred to another country will improve the knowledge and skills available in that other country, success breeds success. It could see even MORE US jobs going.

    Capitalism is a wonderfull thing, it means the USA can get their shoes cheaper, but it also means companies will seek lower wage economies.

    There is no law to say USA wages must be higher. Competition is a double edged sword

    1. Re:So... by sit1963nz · · Score: 3, Interesting

      That was said about Japanese cars too.

    2. Re:So... by sit1963nz · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Neither did Japanese and Korean cars and electronics. Things change, especially when time and investment are made.

    3. Re:So... by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 5, Interesting

      There is no law to say USA wages must be higher. Competition is a double edged sword

      This is exactly correct. Instead of pulling other countries up, we're pulling our own country down to their level. A race to the bottom only benefits corporations, not workers. The solution for this is to place taxes on goods made by workers paid less than 95% the average wage in the US. The idea is to effectively make the cost of labor closer to being flat. This will raise the standard of living for workers in other countries significantly while preventing using it as a wage suppression tactic.

      Competition only works if the wages are comparable. The current disconnect in wages has allowed rampant exploitation.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  2. Large amount of H1Bs by BrookHarty · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I worked at ATT Wireless when number portability was released, and people could finally switch cell phone providers and keep their number. The VP of finance fired the entire department running the software/services and brought in Mindtree (i think) to replace the workers. He had a couple hundred H1B's working months in advance of the migration.

    The Migration failed horribly. ATT Wireless missed the deadline, hundreds of people lost their jobs, and ATT wireless couldn't enact number portability quick enough and was fined millions of dollars a day.

    My engineering department was moved into the same building as the H1B's, and it was a nightmare. I've worked with H1B's over the years, but never experienced the mess of the restrooms and building. Working at other companies with H1B's and Indian Nocs, and no issues, so no idea why ATT and Mindtree was so horrible. My experience with H1B's have been mixed, some cheap companies pushing Cisco certified engineers who didn't even know how to use SSH to talented skilled programmers who became citizens. So I do think some H1B's are being used as an excuse that no US workers can be found, theres always unemployeed looking for work, when I know some engineers who took 3-6 months, and a Storage engineer who took a year to find a storage architect job. YMMV.

    Also up here in Seattle, there are entire blocks of apartment buildings around Microsoft that Indian consulting companies rent out, and put 3-5 H1B's to an apartment, they live dirt cheap, its rather depressing to see how they live. Its not like theres not enough engineers around this area, we have Amazon, Google, Facebook, ATT, TMobile, Verizon, Apple, Blackberry, Tableu, and a zillion other tech companies here. Lots of us citizens looking for work. Last time I needed a job, I just posted what I wanted on craigslist in internet jobs, and had a recruiter calling me with what I wanted. But I admit I'm lucky, I had telecom experience in a telecom town.

    So is cleaning up H1B abuse good? Sure. Companies posting for database admins with 10+ years experience, programing, and paying 7 dollars an hour, so they can post "cant find any workers!" to hire H1B workers, is a scam. And that should be ended.

    Also, I like the 20K for PHD/Masters H1B, those people will demand high wages, and should help boost up wages for everyone. (I hope)

    1. Re: Large amount of H1Bs by BrookHarty · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I was speaking too some of the H1B engineers and the said the company they worked for had mandatory hygiene classes. The more American H1B's that lived in the western countires tended to not have the hygiene issues. The restrooms where so bad at ATT some people filed HR complaints, that's why we got moved out of the building after a few months, the employees would refused to use shit covered bathrooms. ATT was the only place I worked at that like that, at many companies never experienced or seen that again, but I've heard others mention the hygiene issues with some H1B's. So Dont judge all H1Bs, and this was many many years ago.

  3. Here's a better reform by jeff4747 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Don't hand out the visas in a "lottery". Sort the applications by salary. Start handing them out for the highest-paid workers, and work your way down.

    If you really can't find these workers in the US, you'd be willing to pay more to import them.
    If you're just looking for cheap bodies, well you're gonna end up towards the bottom of the list and not get any visas.

  4. The 65k cap is a lie by rsilvergun · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is what I hate about corporate media. They're left on social issue but hard right on economics.

    Companies get 65k H1-Bs every year. Those visas are good for 4-6 years. There's over 800,000 H1-B visa workers in this country. Most of them tech workers.

    If Trump wants my attention he can start by reversing the Obama era executive order that let H1-B spouses work. That basically doubled the number of H1-Bs to 1.6 million overnight. That would also put upward pressure on H1-B wages since they'd have to pay for a stay at home spouse. He promised that during the campaign. It's been over 2 years and I'm still waiting. And no, the courts don't matter. It's an executive order. If anything the courts would side with reversing it. Obama overstepped his bounds signing the order.

    This same Congress is getting ready to double the number of H2-Bs, by the way. With the help of the Clinton Democrats like Pelosi and Chuck Shumer, I might add. I'm not expecting anything here. Donald Trump's also staffed his admin with the same ex-Goldman Sach's people who've been running the country since Clinton.

    If anyone wants to vote the bums out you'll get your chance in 2011. Show up at your primary. Also, and I know this isn't popular to say, but don't vote GOP. The Dems have Clinton Democrats, and those bastards need to be primaried, but the Dems have a _few_ pro worker folks like Bernie and Liz Warren. Yeah, they won't gut immigration, but birth rates are down, do you really want it gutted? What's gonna happen to your 401k if we're short workers. No, what you want is for some of that money the immigrants are earning to make it to you and your community. The GOP has been pushing trickle down economics again. The Tax Cut Trump did proved that. And it's not working, like always. GOP is out of ideas, Clinton Democrats are out of ideas. Time to give the Berniecrats a go.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  5. Re:FROM PRISON?!?? by ravenshrike · · Score: 1, Interesting

    That you find Trump jailbait is kinda odd. Are you perhaps used to sexually abusing the membership of an old folks home?

  6. Re:How're "ORANGE MAN BAD" idjits gonna respond? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    He doesn't get credit for recognizing an OBVIOUS problem. And once again, all he is doing is telling people what they want to hear.

    The real problem isn't even bringing people HERE to work. It's companies laying off U.S employees only to replace them with workers in places like India and now Africa.

    I mean, just how stupid is this trump guy? And worse, just how stupid are the morons who follow him?