Trump's H-1B Reform Is to Make Life Hell for Immigrants and Companies

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications
By Joshua Brustein
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/145-current-events-and-hot-social-topics/?do=add

Donald Trump came into office promising a restrictive new approach to immigration and there has been little question about his intention to follow through — with one seeming exception. Despite its enthusiastic rhetoric about the H-1B program, which provides temporary visas to high-skilled workers, the administration failed to make significant changes in time to impact the program’s annual lottery this April, leaving some who had anticipated action fuming. It has also declined to take up any of the legislative proposals for H-1B overhaul. 

 

But a crackdown has been in the works, albeit more quietly. Starting this summer, employers began noticing that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications. Cases that would have sailed through the approval process in earlier years ground to a halt under requests for new paperwork. The number of challenges — officially known as “requests for evidence” or RFEs — are up 44 percent compared to last year, according to statistics from USCIS. The percentage of H-1B applications that have resulted in RFEs this year are at the highest level they’ve been since 2009, and by absolute number are considerably higher than any year for which the agency provided statistics.

 

The H-1B program is controversial largely because IT firms based in India have used it to hire for rote computer programming jobs. These firms, like Infosys Ltd. and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., have been working to reduce their reliance on the program, in anticipation of a less receptive political landscape. The overall number of H-1B applications dropped this year for the first time in five years. The skeptical eye the government is taking to applications has extended to all types of employers, according to immigration lawyers. Many are rethinking their own use of H-1B as a result.

 

It’s unclear how many applications are actually being rejected. In the meantime, the uncertainly alone is taking a toll on those who rely on the visas to work. Some applicants whose cases remained unresolved by Oct. 1, the annual effective date for new visas, have been sent home from their jobs. There are no official statistics tracking how many people are in this situation, but multiple immigration lawyers said this is the first year they’re seeing it occur in any significant numbers. 

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

1 hour ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications
By Joshua Brustein
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/145-current-events-and-hot-social-topics/?do=add

Donald Trump came into office promising a restrictive new approach to immigration and there has been little question about his intention to follow through — with one seeming exception. Despite its enthusiastic rhetoric about the H-1B program, which provides temporary visas to high-skilled workers, the administration failed to make significant changes in time to impact the program’s annual lottery this April, leaving some who had anticipated action fuming. It has also declined to take up any of the legislative proposals for H-1B overhaul. 

 

But a crackdown has been in the works, albeit more quietly. Starting this summer, employers began noticing that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was challenging an unusually large number of H-1B applications. Cases that would have sailed through the approval process in earlier years ground to a halt under requests for new paperwork. The number of challenges — officially known as “requests for evidence” or RFEs — are up 44 percent compared to last year, according to statistics from USCIS. The percentage of H-1B applications that have resulted in RFEs this year are at the highest level they’ve been since 2009, and by absolute number are considerably higher than any year for which the agency provided statistics.

 

The H-1B program is controversial largely because IT firms based in India have used it to hire for rote computer programming jobs. These firms, like Infosys Ltd. and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., have been working to reduce their reliance on the program, in anticipation of a less receptive political landscape. The overall number of H-1B applications dropped this year for the first time in five years. The skeptical eye the government is taking to applications has extended to all types of employers, according to immigration lawyers. Many are rethinking their own use of H-1B as a result.

 

It’s unclear how many applications are actually being rejected. In the meantime, the uncertainly alone is taking a toll on those who rely on the visas to work. Some applicants whose cases remained unresolved by Oct. 1, the annual effective date for new visas, have been sent home from their jobs. There are no official statistics tracking how many people are in this situation, but multiple immigration lawyers said this is the first year they’re seeing it occur in any significant numbers. 

So I am still waiting to hear how this is a bad thing???? If you have anything remotely to do with the IT industry then you would know that companies have being utilizing Infosys and Tata for years now to undercut American workers and offshore the jobs. Basically the American company would hire one of these companies to bring in people to learn the jobs from the American workers that are being fired/laid off(they can't get the severance package unless they train the people),  those people learn the job and do it for several months. Then those same H1B workers are then sent back to India to train new workers in India on how to do the job, the the workers in India do it for pennies a day, saving both the American company and Infosys/Tata loads of money. 

 

This is not mentioning either that a large part of the H1B workers coming in with "Special Skills and Certifications" that Americans don't have are basically paper tigers. That means that they look really good on paper but as soon you put them in front of a computer, server, or a network they don't know what to do at all. But it's ok because their fellow Indians cover for them while at the same time it hurts the company in efficiency. But the company doesn't care because they have saved a butt load off of personnel, benefits, taxes, ui. 

 

Since they crackdown has been going on now for at least 6 months now both of those Indian companies have tried to start hiring American workers to fill the jobs that they have open, and in fact I have applied for a couple of those jobs in the RDU/RTP area. But as soon as I was contacted about interviewing and even got to the 2nd interview for a couple positions the pay scale got brought up and I quickly balked at what they were trying to pay people. I had a woman straight up stare me in the fact and tell me that they will offer me $19.50/hr as a Information Security Engineer. I said thank you for your time and walked out because that was insulting to say the least. 
 

What your leaving out is for a large number of both Democrats and Republicans that get money from companies it's all a game to them because they don't care how average Americans are getting by at all. They just want the money from those companies and their lobbyists to keep sending people into the country to undercut American labor.

Edited November 8, 2017 by cyberfx1024

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

1 minute ago, cyberfx1024 said:

So I am still waiting to hear how this is a bad thing???? If you have anything remotely to do with the IT industry then you would know that companies have being utilizing Infosys and Tata for years now to undercut American workers and offshore the jobs. Basically the American company would hire one of these companies to bring in people to learn the jobs from the American workers that are being fired/laid off(they can't get the severance package unless they train the people),  those people learn the job and do it for several months. Then those same H1B workers are then sent back to India to train new workers in India on how to do the job, the the workers in India do it for pennies a day, saving both the American company and Infosys/Tata loads of money. 

 

This is not mentioning either that a large part of the H1B workers coming in with "Special Skills and Certifications" that Americans don't have are basically paper tigers. That means that they look really good on paper but as soon you put them in front of a computer, server, or a network they don't know what to do at all. But it's ok because their fellow Indians cover for them while  at the same time it hurts the company in efficiency. 

 

Since they crackdown has been going on now for at least 6 months now both of those Indian companies have tried to start hiring American workers to fill the jobs that they have open, and in fact I have applied for a couple of those jobs in the RDU/RTP area. But as soon as I was contacted about interviewing and even got to the 2nd interview for a couple positions the pay scale got brought up and I quickly balked at what they were trying to pay people. I had a woman straight up stare me in the fact and tell me that they will offer me $19.50/hr as a Information Security Engineer. I said thank you for your time and walked out because that was insulting to say the least. 
 

 

Who says I don't know anything remotely to do with the IT Industry ( besides my boss)?

[CaliCat 3,957]

2 minutes ago, cyberfx1024 said:

So I am still waiting to hear how this is a bad thing???? If you have anything remotely to do with the IT industry then you would know that companies have being utilizing Infosys and Tata for years now to undercut American workers and offshore the jobs. Basically the American company would hire one of these companies to bring in people to learn the jobs from the American workers that are being fired/laid off(they can't get the severance package unless they train the people),  those people learn the job and do it for several months. Then those same H1B workers are then sent back to India to train new workers in India on how to do the job, the the workers in India do it for pennies a day, saving both the American company and Infosys/Tata loads of money. 

 

This is not mentioning either that a large part of the H1B workers coming in with "Special Skills and Certifications" that Americans don't have are basically paper tigers. That means that they look really good on paper but as soon you put them in front of a computer, server, or a network they don't know what to do at all. But it's ok because their fellow Indians cover for them while  at the same time it hurts the company in efficiency. 

 

Since they crackdown has been going on now for at least 6 months now both of those Indian companies have tried to start hiring American workers to fill the jobs that they have open, and in fact I have applied for a couple of those jobs in the RDU/RTP area. But as soon as I was contacted about interviewing and even got to the 2nd interview for a couple positions the pay scale got brought up and I quickly balked at what they were trying to pay people. I had a woman straight up stare me in the fact and tell me that they will offer me $19.50/hr as a Information Security Engineer. I said thank you for your time and walked out because that was insulting to say the least. 
 

 

 

You would be better off working for In-N-Out. Better pay, and less stress. Ridiculous.

 

 

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

1 minute ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

Who says I don't know anything remotely to do with the IT Industry ( besides my boss)?

I don't know if you do or not since I know next to nothing about you. Unlike some of the other Leftists on here that we spar with on a daily basis I haven't really chatted personally with you at all. I was just making a generalized statement overall. 

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

9 minutes ago, CaliCat said:

 

You would be better off working for In-N-Out. Better pay, and less stress. Ridiculous.

 

I have done that work before and if need to I will do it again. But I am working Full Time right now here in the Los Angeles area, but at the same time I am trying to move back east preferably VA or NC so that's why I applied for the job. I got through the 1st interview on the phone and the 2nd interview was in person in NC, which I paid my way there and back. So it was insulting to me honestly because I know the industry and the going rate for that position in that area. 

 

That's like after I got back from a 6 month stint in Qatar as a Contractor I was unemployed drawing UI pay in 2010 for about 5 months. I had a couple interviews for a Telecommunications job in Winston-Salem(I was Greensboro) and as soon as it came down to pay then they came up with a figure of $12 an hour for installing telecommunications equipment in a new highrise office building. I said thanks but no thanks the pay is to low, they came back 2 weeks later at $14/hr and said no again.

 

Because I did the math and the money BEFORE taxes was  $100 more than what I was making on UI. So why would I take it? I ended up a month later going to the MENA as a DOD Contractor in Telecommunications so everything worked out in the end.

 

You can bag on me all you want but I am not going to take ####### wages for a job when I know the industry standard for an area. What do you do for a living btw, would you take less pay than industry standard to do a job?

Edited November 8, 2017 by cyberfx1024

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

Just now, cyberfx1024 said:

I don't know if you do or not since I know next to nothing about you. Unlike some of the other Leftists on here that we spar with on a daily basis I haven't really chatted personally with you at all. I was just making a generalized statement overall. 

first of all. 20 bucks an hour for anyone in IT Security is a cyber-crime.  Would you want to hire a subcontractor who was taking so much off the top the folks holding the keys to your business could not afford gas money?

 

If you are open to Seattle or Atlanta I could hook you up > 80-year minimum and i think the Median is around 96K.  You are a vet correct?  ++++ points to hire for government contract.  Maybe I am spoiled by big city wages but i do not see network ops wages that low and in the business-end working on SOX compliance and vendor analysis stuff they are not even asking for certs and are routinely over 90K starting.  Don't waste your time with a lowballer who is keeping + 70% of your billing.  PM me if you get stuck.  

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

2 minutes ago, cyberfx1024 said:

 

I have done that work before and if need to I will do it again. But I am working Full Time right now here in the Los Angeles area, but at the same time I am trying to move back east preferably VA or NC so that's why I applied for the job. I got through the 1st interview on the phone and the 2nd interview was in person in NC, which I paid my way there and back. So it was insulting to me honestly because I know the industry and the going rate for that position in that area. 

 

That's like after I got back from a 6 month stint in Qatar as a Contractor I was unemployed drawing UI pay in 2010 for about 5 months. I had a couple interviews for a Telecommunications job in Winston-Salem(I was Greensboro) and as soon as it came down to pay then they came up with a figure of $12 an hour for installing telecommunications equipment in a new highrise office building. I said thanks but no thanks the pay is to low, they came back 2 weeks later at $14/hr and said no again.

 

Because I did the math and the money BEFORE taxes was  $100 more than what I was making on UI. So why would I take it? I ended up a month later going to the MENA as a DOD Contractor for Telecommunications. You can bag on me all you want but I am not going to take ####### wages for a job when I know the industry standard for an area. 

We gotta keep looking for you

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

Just now, Il Mango Dulce said:

We gotta keep looking for you

I actually have a 2nd interview tomorrow for job in the Triad area as a Telecommunications Manager for a nationwide trucking firm. They are basically wanting to start about $5k less than what I am making now but the COL is a lot lower so it I would be ahead overall. 

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

4 minutes ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

first of all. 20 bucks an hour for anyone in IT Security is a cyber-crime.  Would you want to hire a subcontractor who was taking so much off the top the folks holding the keys to your business could not afford gas money?

 

If you are open to Seattle or Atlanta I could hook you up > 80-year minimum and i think the Median is around 96K.  You are a vet correct?  ++++ points to hire for government contract.  Maybe I am spoiled by big city wages but i do not see network ops wages that low and in the business-end working on SOX compliance and vendor analysis stuff they are not even asking for certs and are routinely over 90K starting.  Don't waste your time with a lowballer who is keeping + 70% of your billing.  PM me if you get stuck.  

I thought the same way and that's why I walked out. I have BS in Information Security, Security+ Certification, working on my MBA now as well. I have been up to Seattle before and it's alittle to cold for me, but I do have a former platoon commander who works as the ISO for AWS. He offered me a job if I wanted to move up there and I said no due to the weather. 

 

Yes, I am a veteran with Telecommunications and IT experience through out my time in the Marines and as a Contractor. I never see those wages that low either for anything having to do with Network Security so it left a bad taste in my mouth honestly. The RDU/RTP area is one of the largest metros in NC besides Charlotte but their are a fair number of jobs there and the idea like you said is to just network, which I have been doing the last 2 weeks and that's how I landed the Telecommunications Manager interview. 

 

Thank you sir.

[CaliCat 3,957]

17 minutes ago, cyberfx1024 said:

 

I have done that work before and if need to I will do it again. But I am working Full Time right now here in the Los Angeles area, but at the same time I am trying to move back east preferably VA or NC so that's why I applied for the job. I got through the 1st interview on the phone and the 2nd interview was in person in NC, which I paid my way there and back. So it was insulting to me honestly because I know the industry and the going rate for that position in that area. 

 

That's like after I got back from a 6 month stint in Qatar as a Contractor I was unemployed drawing UI pay in 2010 for about 5 months. I had a couple interviews for a Telecommunications job in Winston-Salem(I was Greensboro) and as soon as it came down to pay then they came up with a figure of $12 an hour for installing telecommunications equipment in a new highrise office building. I said thanks but no thanks the pay is to low, they came back 2 weeks later at $14/hr and said no again.

 

Because I did the math and the money BEFORE taxes was  $100 more than what I was making on UI. So why would I take it? I ended up a month later going to the MENA as a DOD Contractor in Telecommunications so everything worked out in the end.

 

You can bag on me all you want but I am not going to take ####### wages for a job when I know the industry standard for an area. What do you do for a living btw, would you take less pay than industry standard to do a job?

 

I would not work anywhere in this industry for less than top dollar. I'm in IT in a way, and semi-retired, in Silicon Valley. I got in early on a few successful startups, and cashed in on my stock options. If I were to find myself looking for work in this market, and they offered me a ridiculous wage, I'd tell them what they could do with it. It's stressful, demanding, and you should be paid accordingly. The cost of living in VA/NC is nowhere near what it is in LA, but still, you should be able to draw a salary that inspires you to work, instead of just making ends meet. 

 

Note to add: My company does a lot of business with IT companies in Georgia. The North Atlanta area is known as "payment alley" because of the concentration of payment processing companies. In addition, Atlanta is becoming the Silicon Valley of the south, with many start ups coming to the market. Consider looking in that area, if you were willing to go further south than NC. 

 

 

Edited November 8, 2017 by CaliCat

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

Just now, cyberfx1024 said:

I thought the same way and that's why I walked out. I have BS in Information Security, Security+ Certification, working on my MBA now as well. I have been up to Seattle before and it's alittle to cold for me, but I do have a former platoon commander who works as the ISO for AWS. He offered me a job if I wanted to move up there and I said no due to the weather. 

 

Yes, I am a veteran with Telecommunications and IT experience through out my time in the Marines and as a Contractor. I never see those wages that low either for anything having to do with Network Security so it left a bad taste in my mouth honestly. The RDU/RTP area is one of the largest metros in NC besides Charlotte but their are a fair number of jobs there and the idea like you said is to just network, which I have been doing the last 2 weeks and that's how I landed the Telecommunications Manager interview. 

 

Thank you sir.

5

I remember years ago between jobs I found some criminal lowball offers.  I said, No thanks I will go hang out in front of Home Depot.  In reality, I spent another 30 days passing MCDBA and scored a 50 % increase over my prior job 

 

Bonne Chance my friend.  

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

4 minutes ago, CaliCat said:

 

I would not work anywhere in this industry for less than top dollar. I'm in IT in a way, and semi-retired, in Silicon Valley. I got in early on a few successful startups, and cashed in on my stock options. If I were to find myself looking for work in this market, and they offered me a ridiculous wage, I'd tell them what they could do with it. It's stressful, demanding, and you should be paid accordingly. The cost of living in VA/NC is nowhere near what it is in LA, but still, you should be able to draw a salary that inspires you to work, instead of just making ends meet. 

 

Note to add: My company does a lot of business with IT companies in Georgia. The North Atlanta area is known as "payment alley" because of the concentration of payment processing companies. In addition, Atlanta is becoming the Silicon Valley of the south, with many start ups coming to the market. Consider looking in that area, if you were willing to go further south than NC. 

 

 

lotta Telcon in Atlanta too

[CaliCat 3,957]

2 minutes ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

lotta Telcon in Atlanta too

 

And it's not a bad city either. There is a lot of diversity, good restaurants, fine museums and theaters, and options for all lifestyle$... 

Edited November 8, 2017 by CaliCat

[CaliCat 3,957]

22 minutes ago, cyberfx1024 said:

I actually have a 2nd interview tomorrow for job in the Triad area as a Telecommunications Manager for a nationwide trucking firm. They are basically wanting to start about $5k less than what I am making now but the COL is a lot lower so it I would be ahead overall. 

 

Make sure you have the right set of wheels!  :-)

 

Edited November 8, 2017 by CaliCat