[ido]

Why not set a salary floor for H1-B candidates? That's how the equivalent works in Germany (the floor is quite low imo but if it's too low it can be set higher). If you set the floor (maybe per profession) for software engineers at say $250k p.a. there'll be little benefit to bringing in unskilled labor, but the occasional great candidate could still get in.

[tao_oat]

There is a salary floor already, but it's pretty low at $60k/year.

[ido]

Sounds like it would have been simpler to just raise it to $160k instead of introducing a $100k fee.

[827a]

Yeah; it would have had the added benefit of generating more revenue for the government via increased income taxes ($100k * income tax rate over N years versus $100k only once).

But I think the reality about the H1-B program no one wants to state plainly is that its effectively a system of voluntary indentured servitude, and its important to all of the masters of the program that the visa holders accumulate as little power as possible.

[tracker1]

I've advocated for a long time that the fee should be 1:1 to the salary for the position along with a salary floor of $100k/year as it's for skilled work, which is largely historically been a break point. Today, that may be closer to 140 though.

The money generated should go towards grants for US citizens imo though, as it would shore up the "need" for foreign labor. As long as the economy is growing and there is demand it isn't a problem. If there's a legitimate need, then it should be worth the cost.

To those mentioning outsourcing will skyrocket, I doubt that as it's already widely used and there's a lot of additional friction without embedded staff/managers where the work is getting done, and even then.

[jalapenos]

Not simpler if the goal is tuk urr jaaabs

[fmobus]

I like Germany's BlueCard system (being a BlueCard immigrant myself), but implementing it for the US would have some extra complexity given the wild regional disparity in wages.

[bilekas]

The US has a new GoldCard system actually. : https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/the-...