[ergothus]

This.

My first experience with H1-B workers was working with contractors at a state agency (in Virginia). They were nice, but not highly skilled overall, and terrified of losing the job as they didn't have any guarantee of getting another U.S. job. This, in turn, made work life worse for everyone, as they'd never complain about anything on the job, even when it was egregious and not just software devs being whiny.

My second experience with H1-B workers was when I moved to Seattle. My colleagues were often H1-B, and were vastly skilled (still nice). Good workers (generalizing, of course), but perfectly willing to complain if the workplace or work was subpar, because they knew they could land another job in the U.S. more easily than our employer could replace any of us.

That said, the paperwork process was amazingly bad, and many of them got stuck in jobs (even avoiding promotions) because they had started the citizenship process, and for at least one phase changing your job starts the process over. Ugh.

The difference between the two, and the impacts it had on the workplaces were stark. My leaving the first job was in the middle of most of their non-H1-B talent leaving (you could call that a self-correction, but that just left those that stayed worse off). My second experience left me rethinking everything I thought I learned from the first experience.

[calvinbhai]

I concur. As someone who is here in US on this visa (fortunately, my workplace presence resembles your seattle experience), I can totally understand what you are pointing out.

Something that'll genuinely solve all the problems (qualified americans losing jobs, outsourcing companies abusing loopholes, salaries racing to the bottom), would be to have a concept of temporary green card.

Instead of a 3 year H1b, have a 3 year green card (lets call this the Super H1b). Once an immigrant is here in the US on a Super H1b visa, he/she will be free to take up any employment if need be, even with multiple employers.

This will ensure that an employer sponsoring the Super H1b visa will be paying at or above market rate salary, because the employer truly needs this employee.

Are there chances of this visa being abused? sure. But its way low, much more beneficial (to americans, to the immigrant and also to the genuine Super H1b sponsors).

@ergothus : Do you think having such a visa would have helped (considering your experiences in Virginia and Seattle?)

[ergothus]

I'm hardly qualified to address the nuances of the immigration system: were it up to me, anyone willing to work and pay taxes would be welcome here (I'm particularly baffled that the U.S. will further the education and/or experience of people, then make it hard for them to stay), so it that sense your proposed visa is still too much paperwork, too many unnecessary rules.

That said, it certainly sounds like an improvement over the status quo: slightly better quality of life for the Seattle-like folks, and real options to reduce employers taking advantage of desperate employees.