Seems like 150,000 H-1B visa applications were filed on April 2 against a quota of 65,000 visas. April 2 was the first day for companies to file for H-1B and this year, remarkably the quota was exhausted in just one day. Now seems like USCIS will do a lottery to determine which of these 150k applicants will actually get an H-1B visa.
Horrible!!
On one hand it shows how much interest there still is for people to come and work in the US (many will be students who have completed studies in US uni’s and want to work now); and on the other it shows how frustrating this whole process is for many highly qualified and able people. To now be praying for their name to come in a lottery!
maybe they will appreciate it more and not sit in this country earning big bucks and bad mouth the country, its people and culture at every opportunity.
maybe they will appreciate it more and not sit in this country earning big bucks and bad mouth the country, its people and culture at every opportunity.
Well said. US rocks period, when it comes to opportunities, work and many other great things!
I don't want to politicize the issue, of course. Just curious how does this huge demand for H-1B visas match up against the current unemployment rate in the US. My guess is that a large portion of H-1B's are still going to high-tech workers, and I keep hearing mixed comments about the job opportunities in the high-tech marketplace.
Is it that US employers are prefering foreign skilled workers over their US equivalents; or is there a genuine shortage of highly skilled people in selected industries? My guess is employees have to pay prevalent market salaries to H-1B folks anyway, so whats the disconnect here?
1) Are these assigned to companies or to individuals? Are these for new applicants or current ones renewing their visa?
2) How come I hear tech training schools on desi radio stations in the US saying they will help with H-1B job placement. All the visas got snapped up so quickly, how are they going to get someone that?
3) Don't you think some companies take advantage of H-1B individuals? They probably tell them we will sponsor you, and will pay you less than others, but you will have to be quiet about this.
1) Are these assigned to companies or to individuals? Are these for new applicants or current ones renewing their visa?
H-1B visas are issued to individuals, but they are only issued when their employer sponsors them for this visa. If an individual then changes employers, H-1B visa must be transferred to the new employer. The H-1B visa cap as mentioned in the first post ONLY applies to new H-1B candidates. Those who change employers or are just renewing their H-1B visas do not fall under this 'cap'.
2) How come I hear tech training schools on desi radio stations in the US saying they will help with H-1B job placement. All the visas got snapped up so quickly, how are they going to get someone that?
They promise to sponsor a candidate for the H-1B visa. Not all employers even sponsor foreign workers who need an H-1B visa. In addition to visa fees, there are many other administrative forms to fill out for the employers, and if there are enough local candidates available, many employers do not feel the need to get into H-1B hassles. Usually (in prior years) the window for H-1B visas remained open for a few weeks before the 'cap' was reached. This year, unfortunately, the entire cap was reached in just opening day (April 2). This is unprecedented (to my knowledge) and must have screwed up a lot of plans; or at least created a lot of uncertainty, for many people.
3) Don't you think some companies take advantage of H-1B individuals? They probably tell them we will sponsor you, and will pay you less than others, but you will have to be quiet about this.
I am sure that happens. As Fraudia mentioned there are DOL rules, the Companies have to abide by, including posting the wages being paid to an H-1B in common areas of the office (lunch rooms etc). However, the most blatant abuse I have seen in the tech world is when companies hire these foreign workers to work as "consultants", and promise them decent hourly rates. However, if these employees are not assigned to a billable project, they merely make a minimum salary. This is called "sitting on the bench". In addition, employers include hefty penalties in the contract for these foreign employees which say that if they leave employment within a certain time frame they have to reimburse all the legal costs incurred in sponsoring them for the initial H-1B visa. And since its a hassle for the H-1B employee to switch employers, so they tend to just go through the grind. Their job mobility is not as seamless as a regular local citizen.
some employers also build in some kind of contract that says if they go on to sponsor your green card, you must work for them for x amount of years.
i know of a guy who was a US resident here abt 6 yrs ago. He was earning abt 70k then. He went to Pak to attend to his ailing father, and then due to some unavoidable circumstances, couldn't return to maintain his status. So he lost his green card... now he's trying to come back, and the only avenue open to him is the H1-B. some company promised to get him here on the H1, but he'd have to work for them 5 years at a salary of 45k. Imagine that! After a US education, US experience... this!
it's true that their job mobility is significantly restricted; also the sitting on the bench business... i've heard some of the companies put up these H1 workers who are on the bench in a house, abt 2-3 ppl sharing a room.
it's tough, but some ppl will do anything for a chance to live in this country.
Namkeen,
Your friend (or friend of a friend) is getting majorly screwed. Or he's not exactly competent, OR working in a low end technology.
If he was in IT, any half decent consulting firm will offer him upto 70K. Kids with 2 yrs of experience from India get that if theyre working in a hot technology.
The good news is that companies selling such ludicurous contracts, usually dont have the clout to enforce them. So your friend can actually get his H1 transfered and leave them in months of arriving here.
khirox, i do know that he's very well qualified and was working for a well known company while he was in pak. however it seems that something went very wrong with his immigration status, why else would he be getting such a sour deal? i know ppl from india come here all the time on H1... i wonder, do men from pak have a harder time getting the H1? is it the background checks or something of that nature that is the major obstacle? he has family that is well-settled here, i can't imagine what the problem is, and i don't know the details anyway.
i too suspect that it would be illegal for the company to make him work for them at that rate for 5 yrs.. but i have heard of such things happening.