Outrage against the H1B visa program is understandable. Despite its many flaws, it does contribute to the US economy and success to a large extent. Compared to other Options: Illegal Immigration.

What is H1B?

It is a temporary immigration program to hire skilled foreign workers for a maximum of 6 years. H1B visa requires renewal after every 3 years. If an employer files an I-140 for the visa beneficiary and PERM is approved, they get an unlimited H1B extension until the green card priority date is current. It is not fun at all, especially for Indians who have to wait years before becoming eligible to get a green card. Most of them will never see green cards due to the current backlog.

Who should we blame for this Program?

Like all government programs, H1B was also created with loopholes. Unfortunately, people who exploit loopholes are more powerful than the ones who follow all the rules. Over the years, there have been many chances to reform this program, but all the bills keep dying before the vote. Why no one wants to fix it? Why elected officials who are selected by US citizens don’t want to address this issue? Why the US keeps sending money to foreign countries its citizens can’t locate on the map?

The answer is, that it is by Design. H1B is technically a modern voluntary slavery that provides plausible deniability to governments. Everyone wants to work and be in the US. Some are crossing the border illegally, go on welfare from day one, and are not vetted. Some chose to at least come here through this visa and start contributing to this economy from day one. For tax purposes, H1B employees are treated as US citizens. They have to pay social security taxes and Medicare for some reason even though the visa is designed to be temporary.

At least with H1B you know who is coming into this country, it is the best of the worst ways to be here. With the H1B program, at least you know who your neighbor is.

Does H1B replace American workers?

Yes and No.

Everyone thinks that IT jobs are very glamorous and rewarding.

Not all of them pay high wages and some are so boring that even immigrants think twice before doing those jobs. Some jobs require being on call to fix issues in high-pressure environments. Most Americans want to go on vacation and enjoy Christmas and holidays. Unfortunately, stock markets, modern banking systems, and other technologies need to work during this time. Trust me when I say this, Americans don’t want these jobs. They will probably change the job within 2 months.

People born in the US need more exciting roles and they have no immigration issues to take many jobs that H1B folks are not capable of getting into.

While few H1B visa holders are exceptionally talented, most usually help fill the jobs that probably Americans won’t take. It is a small compromise to keep the engine running.

Talented H1B holders contribute a lot to the US economy and are needed to fight tech and cyber warfare with other competitors.

What about the folks who are getting green card illegally using loopholes like marrying US citizens and family based petitions. They can technically  do 3-4 jobs. At least H1B is restricted to 1 job.

Don’t shoot the messenger? Some H1B employees don’t deserve to be here.

To Americans who are angry at all Indians; India has a lot of states. There are some states where people can’t even get married if they don’t have a US visa.

These people have spoiled it for all of us. You need to understand that hating and generalizing won’t help in any way. You need to find the ones who exploit the H1B visa and work for pennies. These employees usually replace American workers.

It’s easy to spot these people and fix the H1B visa by isolating the culprits.

Conclusion:

Don’t hate the player. Hate the game.

Instead of targeting H1B, first focus on Illegal immigration. God knows you will get only 4 years of Trump to fix the biggest problem America is facing right now.

People are using H1B as a scapegoat. Use your short attention span to fix the real issues.

H1B while problematic is needed and can be fixed in a way that outcome is good for everyone.

Trust me, you will need talented H1B workers on your side, or learn to speak Chinese.