[tro2102]

Did you ignore "H1-B" on purpose?

[cj]

H1B workers can still switch employers, they’re not tied to the employer who originally sponsored them.

[rchaud]

There's significant paperwork and delays involved in switching one's H1B permit to the new employer. For that reason, the companies you can potentially move to are limited to those that have internal processes for handling H1B-based employment.

[cj]

I’ve personally (and successfully) brought a H1B employee from a BigCo into my 15 person startup (we were actually 7 people at the time of hiring them).

There’s some paperwork, but it’s not a major hurdle. Maybe a few grand in legal fees and a few hours of work on the employer side.

[antiframe]

And yet many employers refuse to do that work and will just pass on candidates that need an H1B transfer.

[cowl]

and your personal experience shows what? just go to any job anncouncment website and see how many specifically say that Visa Support is not available (thus requiring US Residence) and how many say it is. the Ratio from a glance is maybe 1/100 has a Visa Program.

[anonymousab]

> Probably, because it’s the minority of workers.

How small of a minority was it for Twitter after Elon fired a supermajority of the regular FTEs?

[cj]

Thanks, I removed that part of my comment. The point still stands.

[williamsmj]

Not if they're trying to get a green card.

[photonbeam]

Its not trivial, or guaranteed to be approved, and takes weeks in the best case

[gnufied]

It also depends on where they are in H1B process. These days perm and i140 approvals are taking ages(2 years). Basically engineer is stuck while they come out at the other side.

Also a lot of employers who had layoffs aren't sponsoring new Green cards because u know...

It is no fun being on H1B...

[Xeamek]

partially, but even then the point still stands, altough then we adjust the pros and cons of staying at your workplace.

But still, that's no way near comperable to working class who, if they loose their current job, won't have just the inconvenience of flying back home, but will actually loose their (already below standard) day-to-day nessecities

[howinteresting]

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Not_as_bad_as

[jrflowers]

I believe the point that’s illustrated here is that it may be possible to find other work that will sponsor an H1-B visa.

[milemi]

When you’re on H1-B you’re applying for the green card through your employer, which is a multi-year process. So even if you find an employer who will sponsor it, you’ll be going back to the end of the line.

[jrflowers]

If you already have an H1-B and are in the US there is a transfer process that is not identical to the original application process.

[milemi]

Only after labor and then I-140 have been approved, which together typically take more than a year. Also, many employers won’t start your green card application until you’ve been there for a year.

[cj]

I’ve done the paperwork myself for a H1B transfer as an employer. Maybe my memory isn’t serving me well, but I don’t remember it taking more than a few weeks to a month. (This was 5 yrs ago maybe my experience is dated). I definitely remember paying additional fees to prioritize every application which significantly sped up everything.

[jrflowers]

To be clear: You are saying that if you are working in the US, having already been granted an H1-B visa, it takes more than a year to complete an H1-B transfer?

Or are you talking about green cards, which is a completely different thing?

[milemi]

You replied to my comment, in which I’m explicitly talking about the green card process. Most people on H1-B are trying to get a green card.

I thought you were talking about transferring the green card process, because I was talking about the green card process. Transfer is possible, but you have to be past a certain point that takes probably a couple of years, which is pretty good compared to how long I had to wait way back when.