Okay since the H1B visa and country caps and the tech sector and India an Indians are all a hot topic right now, I would like to address this as someone who has worked behind the scenes in H1B consultancies in the tech sector and explain EXACTLY why Iām against removing country caps, against the H1B visa, and against the entire canard that we need to import more people from anywhere, let alone India, to do ājobs that the tech sector canāt find Americans to do:
1) Sourcing Talent- Big companies like Google and Meta have the resources to go and actually pluck out the ACTUAL best talent from these countries, and itās not hard for them to attract those applicants either because they have the brand recognition. All the best want to work for the best. This isnāt necessarily the problem. The problem is all the no name consultancies and mid size/small size consultancies. They can petition for H1Bās too. How are they sourcing them? Well, they (usually run by Indians) just find a guy from India through their networkā¦whoās willing to work for them and come to America. Thatās it. Theyāll make sure they have some kind of Bachelors or Masters from some college out there and have the aptitude to learn and understand software thatās it. They arenāt actually āgeniusesā or anything like that. They are just willing to work and can learn to ātalk the talkā quickly.
2) Importation- once the prospective worker agrees, the consultancy petitions the American government (USCIS) on their behalf, saying they tried to recruit for the job (job doesnāt exist) in America and couldnāt find anyone, thatās why they need to bring this guy. Key part of this is that the visa is tied to the employer, so if the employer drops the worker, worker has to go back. He canāt just find another job. This is the indentured servitude model.
3) The Gambit- the consultancy makes sure the guy speak English, and thatās really it. USCIS canāt actually vet the workers on the knowledge they claim they have, especially a vast and sophisticated field like software. USCIS doesnāt actually have a way to tell if someone is lying about their skills or not. All they have to do is convince the USCIS that they can speak English so they can come and immediately start working here.
4) The Actual Job- once they get the petition for visa approved and they come here, they find out (or already know) they actually donāt have a job here yet. The consultancy now tries to find Corp to Corp contract gigs for the worker. Thatās if they actually know the tech and theyāre not faking. If they are faking their skills, another workflow is initiated.
5) Training Day (or months) - the fakers are trained for up to 3-4 months in a software thatās marketable and fetch a good hourly contract rate. Basically a coding Bootcamp style program. They go from zero to superficial knowledge in the tech, just enough to pass an interview with a potential client.
6) Sell the fake - after training the fake for 3-4 months, the fake is provided with a fake resume claiming 7-8 years of experience. Why? Because thatās how much experience is needed to demand a minimum of $50 per hour on a contract. Does it work? Duh. These workers trained for 3-4 months routinely fool interviewers looking for 7-8 years experience.
7) The Split- once the job and rate is secured, the consultancy bills at $50 per hour and pays the actual worker the minimum (about $27.50) an hour, and the consultancy pockets the difference. Imagine a 100 H1Bs on a roster doing this for you.
Does this sound like fraud? Well thatās because it is, from beginning to end.
1) Sourcing Talent- Big companies like Google and Meta have the resources to go and actually pluck out the ACTUAL best talent from these countries, and itās not hard for them to attract those applicants either because they have the brand recognition. All the best want to work for the best. This isnāt necessarily the problem. The problem is all the no name consultancies and mid size/small size consultancies. They can petition for H1Bās too. How are they sourcing them? Well, they (usually run by Indians) just find a guy from India through their networkā¦whoās willing to work for them and come to America. Thatās it. Theyāll make sure they have some kind of Bachelors or Masters from some college out there and have the aptitude to learn and understand software thatās it. They arenāt actually āgeniusesā or anything like that. They are just willing to work and can learn to ātalk the talkā quickly.
2) Importation- once the prospective worker agrees, the consultancy petitions the American government (USCIS) on their behalf, saying they tried to recruit for the job (job doesnāt exist) in America and couldnāt find anyone, thatās why they need to bring this guy. Key part of this is that the visa is tied to the employer, so if the employer drops the worker, worker has to go back. He canāt just find another job. This is the indentured servitude model.
3) The Gambit- the consultancy makes sure the guy speak English, and thatās really it. USCIS canāt actually vet the workers on the knowledge they claim they have, especially a vast and sophisticated field like software. USCIS doesnāt actually have a way to tell if someone is lying about their skills or not. All they have to do is convince the USCIS that they can speak English so they can come and immediately start working here.
4) The Actual Job- once they get the petition for visa approved and they come here, they find out (or already know) they actually donāt have a job here yet. The consultancy now tries to find Corp to Corp contract gigs for the worker. Thatās if they actually know the tech and theyāre not faking. If they are faking their skills, another workflow is initiated.
5) Training Day (or months) - the fakers are trained for up to 3-4 months in a software thatās marketable and fetch a good hourly contract rate. Basically a coding Bootcamp style program. They go from zero to superficial knowledge in the tech, just enough to pass an interview with a potential client.
6) Sell the fake - after training the fake for 3-4 months, the fake is provided with a fake resume claiming 7-8 years of experience. Why? Because thatās how much experience is needed to demand a minimum of $50 per hour on a contract. Does it work? Duh. These workers trained for 3-4 months routinely fool interviewers looking for 7-8 years experience.
7) The Split- once the job and rate is secured, the consultancy bills at $50 per hour and pays the actual worker the minimum (about $27.50) an hour, and the consultancy pockets the difference. Imagine a 100 H1Bs on a roster doing this for you.
Does this sound like fraud? Well thatās because it is, from beginning to end.
Ask yourself, if some Indian fresh off the boat, getting 3-4 months of training is able to fool an American that they are actually a seasoned 7-8 year professional, why canāt we just train Americans to do that? Why import anyone?
Thatās where the indentured servitude model of tying the visa to the employer is highly important. Americans can take the training and leave and take their talents to another company, because Americans have rights and will not tolerate being mistreated. Imported workers on a H1B do not have such rights or a path for recourse. If the H1B worker doesnāt comply or keep their mouth shut, they are sent back.
This is why Americans arenāt being trained or selected for these jobs, because they can go to another company at any time for any reason. The H1Bs canāt by design.
Merit has nothing to do with anything, and the Americans who are in charge of gatekeeping the system canāt actually sus out merit or fraud. Even worse, they might be scared of denying applications due to āracismā.
Thatās where the indentured servitude model of tying the visa to the employer is highly important. Americans can take the training and leave and take their talents to another company, because Americans have rights and will not tolerate being mistreated. Imported workers on a H1B do not have such rights or a path for recourse. If the H1B worker doesnāt comply or keep their mouth shut, they are sent back.
This is why Americans arenāt being trained or selected for these jobs, because they can go to another company at any time for any reason. The H1Bs canāt by design.
Merit has nothing to do with anything, and the Americans who are in charge of gatekeeping the system canāt actually sus out merit or fraud. Even worse, they might be scared of denying applications due to āracismā.
The consultancies in the middle are the ones making the big free sweet money, and theyāre neither brilliant nor bright at anything. They just have a network back in India of people who are willing to work for them and put up with whatever to make that sweet American dollar that converts so well back in India. Thatās the game-plan for them. Make as many dollars here and save them so they can go back to India and ālive like kingsā. They donāt intend to build or invest here. Just gut America for dollars and bounce.
The biggest insult is that the Silicon Valley tech bros (who only recently accepted MAGA and America First whether opportunistically or genuinely) want to tell the OGs of MAGA what America First really is. Anyone actually MAGA for long enough know that cutting down illegal AND LEGAL immigration is the top priority for America by far. Anyone who tells you otherwise doesnāt actually understand the movement and is gaslighting to their own benefit.
I like Razib and all the Indian names mentioned here (save for National Review Ramesh perhaps) but please donāt attribute my views on stuff without actually getting it from me. I am vehemently against the H1B system and Iām especially against more of them coming from India.
Too many of them have a penchant for being complicit in this fraud, and then well meaning Indians wonder why anti-Indian sentiment is so rampant. Itās festering because we are facilitating this fraud and crying racism at anyone who fights against it. I prefer not to lie in that bed my fellow Indians are making for me
Too many of them have a penchant for being complicit in this fraud, and then well meaning Indians wonder why anti-Indian sentiment is so rampant. Itās festering because we are facilitating this fraud and crying racism at anyone who fights against it. I prefer not to lie in that bed my fellow Indians are making for me
The actual problem at the very root is that Americans donāt value education at a cultural level like Indians do and therefore arenāt initiating themselves to learn the necessary skills needed to thrive in this new economy. Perhaps itās also because they donāt know that itās much EASIER and less of a mystery than they are lead to believe about the space. Remember a FOB Indian with 3 months of training is able to fool an American interviewer that heās a 7 year pro. It really is not that complicated, but that knowledge is hidden from everyday Americans.
We need to let Americans know that itās not rocket science. That means a new initiative to educate Americans and invest in Americans to teach them these skills.
We need to let Americans know that itās not rocket science. That means a new initiative to educate Americans and invest in Americans to teach them these skills.
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