H-1B work visa debate: India says it’s a trade and services issue, talks tough

[Independent voter]

So America's version of "free travel" was the H1B visa program that lets foreigners work in the US if there are a shortage of eligible people for that job. Some of these H1B jobs are in nursing cause US girls don't want to be nurses anymore and there is a shortage but some of these H1B jobs pay over $100K a year.

Apple, Google, Facebook etc all make use of thousands of H1B workers, many of whom make over $100K a year.

Many H1B workers in the US are from India. And Canada!

For years a lot of people in the software industry have complained that companies use H1B workers to replace Americans who are eligible for the job.

Trump recently has said he's going to overhaul the H1B program, India is upset, Indian H1B workers send a lot of money back to India.






http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-...9icYokGGM.html

The foreign ministry said on Thursday it was keeping a “close watch” on the US move to tighten H-1B visa rules that will impact the Indian IT industry and its professionals, asserting that the issue will be taken up with the Donald Trump administration.

Union commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the “whole debate” has to be expanded to include several American firms that are earning their profits in India, signalling that New Delhi could retaliate in the face of protectionism by the US and several other countries.

US President Trump has signed an executive order for tightening the rules of the H-1B visa programme to stop its “abuse” and ensure that the visas are given to the “most- skilled or highest paid” petitioners.

The US, under the new executive order, proposes to replace the current lottery system for issuing H-1B work visas with a merit-based approach.

Arun Jaitley will take up H-1B visa restriction issue in US visit: Sitharaman
External affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay called the visa debate a “trade and services issue, and not a matter relating to immigration”.

He said India will make an overall assessment of the impact of the changes after the US’ internal process relating to the visa programme was over.

“There is a mutuality of interests involved,” he said, also referring to large number of US professionals working in American IT companies in India.

For her part, Sitharaman said: “Let us also understand that not just Indian companies in the US, several big US companies are in India too. They are also here, they are earning their margins, they are earning their profits which goes to the US economy.”

“So, it is a situation where it’s not just unilateral just Indian companies having too face the US executive order, there are several US companies in India who are doing business for some years now and therefore I want this whole debate to be ... if it has to be expanded, it has to be expanded to include all these aspects and we shall ensure that all these factors are kept in mind.”

She, however, preferred constructive engagement at this moment, but said India will not accept any “unfair treatment”.


Baglay said the executive order has to be “acted upon”.

“It is an internal process in the US which will unfold in the coming days and weeks and we will keep a close watch on that. We will keep this issue on our radar,” he told reporters.

The MEA spokesperson also said India had already conveyed to the US about the contribution of Indian IT professionals to the the country’s competitiveness and innovation.

He also played down concerns over Australia replacing its popular 457 work visa regime with another programme, saying senior Australian officials have told India that it will have “negligible” impact on Indian professionals who are in high-skill category.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had on Tuesday announced his government’s decision to abolish a popular work visa used by over 95,000 foreign workers, majority of them Indians, to tackle the growing unemployment and replace it with a new programme requiring higher English-language proficiency and job skills.

[KOMO1211]

the only place I see this being a problem is these workers are making less then an American would. According the OP at least these workers are making as much as an American would. just because one is eligible for a job doesn't mean they are best possible candidate for said job. and as the article clearly states, this is not a unilateral issue.

[NED funded]

Australia has the right approach to the issue.

[Vash The Stampede]

H1B has been abused for years now. When you end up training your workers and 95% of them are unfit then it's just a scam for cheap labor, and nothing more. I like the idea that if you really need foreign work, then you must pay them higher than what an American would get.

https://news.slashdot.org/story/17/0...nt-jobs-report

[Independent voter]

H1B has been abused for years now. When you end up training your workers and 95% of them are unfit then it's just a scam for cheap labor, and nothing more. I like the idea that if you really need foreign work, then you must pay them higher than what an American would get.

https://news.slashdot.org/story/17/0...nt-jobs-report

A supervisor of a city's IT department would only hire H1B people, he felt that H1B people often with CS degrees were super qualified. But programming for a city's IT department is a coding job a lot of US citizens could fill.

And a city is government, they have more of an obligation to help citizens than private industry does.

[Rennadrel]

Imo, money made in America should stay in the US economy, that's what keeps it going. That's why I have a problem with TFWs and similar programs, they are sending money out of our countries in order to increase the buying power of poorer nations. Also, considering how many migrants from India I see driving fucking Mercs and Beamers here in Canada, their government can go fuck right off about Trump changing the system that they are so easily abusing.

[Citizen T]

the only place I see this being a problem is these workers are making less then an American would. According the OP at least these workers are making as much as an American would. just because one is eligible for a job doesn't mean they are best possible candidate for said job. and as the article clearly states, this is not a unilateral issue.

On the surface they make at least close to the same as Americans and sometimes even a little more. The problem is that they generally get no benefitshealth insurance, paid vacation, etc) and employers don't have to pay payroll taxes on these individuals which saves in total anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of their "visible" wages.

[Spectral]

H1B has been abused for years now. When you end up training your workers and 95% of them are unfit then it's just a scam for cheap labor, and nothing more. I like the idea that if you really need foreign work, then you must pay them higher than what an American would get.

https://news.slashdot.org/story/17/0...nt-jobs-report

Agreed completely. Opposition to H-1B reform is a Baptists and bootleggers coalition of people that reflexively knee jerk against anything that might diminish immigration and people that profit greatly from driving the costs of skilled labor down. Most people don't realize that the program hasn't been adjusted for salary in decades and has had massive fraud and abuse. This was a program that was introduced to supply labor where there was a legitimate shortage of skilled labor, but it's now used primarily to avoid paying Americans the market rate.

[satimy]

Here's how you solve the H1b problem.

Take the CEOs of companies abusing it and beat them to death in public

[Stacyrect]

On the surface they make at least close to the same as Americans and sometimes even a little more. The problem is that they generally get no benefitshealth insurance, paid vacation, etc) and employers don't have to pay payroll taxes on these individuals which saves in total anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of their "visible" wages.

Prevailing wage for H1-B's are ALWAYS the absolute legal minimum. It's corporate slave labor, as these employees are legally bound to these employee's essentially. It's also a great way to skip the line in the naturalization process.

[Sixnalia]

I remember working under a well educated man from India who was global head of IT security for an aerospace company. He was on one of these visas too.

He was good with basic IT, but had zero sense or background concerning IT security. Instead, one of the senior security engineers had to be in every meeting with him and she essentially had to fulfill the role.

The engineer, who had 3 degrees, various certifications, and 20 years of IT experience(8 of which was security) could have internally filled the role this man took. It was disappointing.

It took me 2 months to convince him default name/pws were bad to have on everything. *cough Telnet*

I think the visa program at its core is good, but is possible to abuse.

The real question is how do you ensure someone is needed/qualified.

The man I worked under has a master's degree in IT with 5 years experience in the field. How does the government ensure he's capable of leading IT security for a billion dollar company.

[Sunseeker]

Here's how you solve the H1b problem.

Take the CEOs of companies abusing it and beat them to death in public

How very Marxist of you.

[Skroe]

Here's how you solve the H1b problem.

Take the CEOs of companies abusing it and beat them to death in public

Here's how you solve the deplorable problem.

You get us decent folk dressed up in Davos-man get-ups to signify globalists, then throw all of you bottom feeders in woodchippers. You can go first satimy. Think you'd make a face like your avatar when you go in feet first? I do. I bet you'd squeal.

See? Saying crazy, ridiculous things is easy.

[Tijuana]

So America's version of "free travel" was the H1B visa program that lets foreigners work in the US if there are a shortage of eligible people for that job. Some of these H1B jobs are in nursing cause US girls don't want to be nurses anymore and there is a shortage but some of these H1B jobs pay over $100K a year.

Apple, Google, Facebook etc all make use of thousands of H1B workers, many of whom make over $100K a year.

Many H1B workers in the US are from India. And Canada!

For years a lot of people in the software industry have complained that companies use H1B workers to replace Americans who are eligible for the job.

Trump recently has said he's going to overhaul the H1B program, India is upset, Indian H1B workers send a lot of money back to India.






http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-...9icYokGGM.html

The foreign ministry said on Thursday it was keeping a “close watch” on the US move to tighten H-1B visa rules that will impact the Indian IT industry and its professionals, asserting that the issue will be taken up with the Donald Trump administration.

Union commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the “whole debate” has to be expanded to include several American firms that are earning their profits in India, signalling that New Delhi could retaliate in the face of protectionism by the US and several other countries.

US President Trump has signed an executive order for tightening the rules of the H-1B visa programme to stop its “abuse” and ensure that the visas are given to the “most- skilled or highest paid” petitioners.

The US, under the new executive order, proposes to replace the current lottery system for issuing H-1B work visas with a merit-based approach.

Arun Jaitley will take up H-1B visa restriction issue in US visit: Sitharaman
External affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay called the visa debate a “trade and services issue, and not a matter relating to immigration”.

He said India will make an overall assessment of the impact of the changes after the US’ internal process relating to the visa programme was over.

“There is a mutuality of interests involved,” he said, also referring to large number of US professionals working in American IT companies in India.

For her part, Sitharaman said: “Let us also understand that not just Indian companies in the US, several big US companies are in India too. They are also here, they are earning their margins, they are earning their profits which goes to the US economy.”

“So, it is a situation where it’s not just unilateral just Indian companies having too face the US executive order, there are several US companies in India who are doing business for some years now and therefore I want this whole debate to be ... if it has to be expanded, it has to be expanded to include all these aspects and we shall ensure that all these factors are kept in mind.”

She, however, preferred constructive engagement at this moment, but said India will not accept any “unfair treatment”.


Baglay said the executive order has to be “acted upon”.

“It is an internal process in the US which will unfold in the coming days and weeks and we will keep a close watch on that. We will keep this issue on our radar,” he told reporters.

The MEA spokesperson also said India had already conveyed to the US about the contribution of Indian IT professionals to the the country’s competitiveness and innovation.

He also played down concerns over Australia replacing its popular 457 work visa regime with another programme, saying senior Australian officials have told India that it will have “negligible” impact on Indian professionals who are in high-skill category.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had on Tuesday announced his government’s decision to abolish a popular work visa used by over 95,000 foreign workers, majority of them Indians, to tackle the growing unemployment and replace it with a new programme requiring higher English-language proficiency and job skills.

I'm glad this issue is getting some publicity. What is going on is shameful; this practice of bringing in foreign workers for less money, to replace qualified workers already in place. However, it's a slippery slope. If you do not allow Silicon Valley to hire foreign workers for cheaper, will Silicon Valley not just effectively move to India? There is no ban on companies having employees abroad. What happens next, is a thing we never seem to ask when issuing knee jerk solutions to systemic problems. The goal should not always be to solve a problem. Rather, the goal should be to create a system without the problem. I would rather have a helmet, than a good doctor to stitch my head injury.

[Omega10]

Where I am working, our company has dealt with the controversy over H1bs by just outsourcing all of IT to India rather than doing some of it here and using foreign H1bs. The H1b issue is unrelated to what is happening in the work force, and is just something for politicians to argue about that has little or no bearing on the reality of what is happening in America. IT jobs are going overseas (and so are engineering jobs), and there is nothing that will bring them back. The fight over H1bs is perfect for American politicians - something that everyone can scream about that has no consequences once actions are taken.

[satimy]

Here's how you solve the deplorable problem.

You get us decent folk dressed up in Davos-man get-ups to signify globalists, then throw all of you bottom feeders in woodchippers. You can go first satimy. Think you'd make a face like your avatar when you go in feet first? I do. I bet you'd squeal.

See? Saying crazy, ridiculous things is easy.

Oh right it's only acceptable to talk tough about the Russians. Why don't you go advocate some more nation building and cry some more about Alex Jones

[Skroe]

Oh right it's only acceptable to talk tough about the Russians. Why don't you go advocate some more nation building and cry some more about Alex Jones

Not at all! Hence I want to discuss my new hobby: throwing deplorables in woodchippers.

[alexw]

Not at all! Hence I want to discuss my new hobby: throwing deplorables in woodchippers.

We can make it a national holiday - woodchipper day.

[satimy]

Not at all! Hence I want to discuss my new hobby: throwing deplorables in woodchippers.

I guess if it makes you happy

[Vash The Stampede]

The man I worked under has a master's degree in IT with 5 years experience in the field. How does the government ensure he's capable of leading IT security for a billion dollar company.

According to Eli the computer guy, they know as much about running IT security as you do. Especially if they use default passwords.

Where I am working, our company has dealt with the controversy over H1bs by just outsourcing all of IT to India rather than doing some of it here and using foreign H1bs. The H1b issue is unrelated to what is happening in the work force, and is just something for politicians to argue about that has little or no bearing on the reality of what is happening in America. IT jobs are going overseas (and so are engineering jobs), and there is nothing that will bring them back. The fight over H1bs is perfect for American politicians - something that everyone can scream about that has no consequences once actions are taken.

At some point it has to be done here. Not that we should be outsourcing our IT jobs to anywhere. If you think there's nothing we can do about it, just remember you get what you pay for. Ask Sony who probably finally hired real IT to stop all the hacking going on with their Playstation Network. Probably cost them millions to fix their network.

It also amazes me that jobs here ask for years worth of experience but clearly the people from India have none.