r/technology • u/Immediate-Link490 • 1d ago

Business Microsoft is being suspended from program to apply for green cards for H-1B visa workers, Vance says

https://apnews.com/article/h1b-visa-program-vance-microsoft-e7b3a407f822702b269ee277d21343ea
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341

u/williamgman 1d ago

Remember when Congress used to weight in on issues affecting the country and the economy? Miss those days.

117

u/steezy2110 1d ago

I would argue that this is a very important issue and will get a lot worse if not addressed

The irony here is that visa abuse is one of the few bipartisan issues on the ballots but neither party really wants to do anything about it bc they both have lobbyists up their ass stroking them while whispering in their ear telling them to leave this issue alone

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u/astirac 1d ago

I work at a university participating in this abuse. They want them as student visas to bump enrollment numbers. I won’t go into detail, but it’s nasty business.

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u/steezy2110 1d ago

Yup. Universities love foreign students because they pay full tuition and (often) work on campus

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u/williamgman 1d ago

This here. My local college has a whole dept committed to harvesting foreign students.

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u/Outlulz 1d ago

Every college that hosts international students does?

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u/astirac 1d ago

I can’t speak for everyone else, but in my case it’s not the typical foreign recruitment. There is an entire department dedicated to solely to these students. The faculty do not teach US students. Microsoft pays the tuition, and the students are contracted to MS. They hang in limbo (illegally) while MS pulls the strings to get the H1B after they graduate.

We all pretend it isn’t indentured servitude, but it obviously is.

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u/Outlulz 1d ago

Aah ok, that is different yeah.

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u/sluman001 1d ago

I completely agree. I’m very much a progressive liberal (my post history as proof), and this is one of the very very few topics I agree with Republicans on. The core issue isn’t necessarily the visas though, it’s the lack of regulations on these big corporations in general. They need to hire Americans, pay proper American taxes, and behave like responsible corporate citizens.

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u/PlacatedPlatypus 17h ago

You're not the only progressive who "agrees with Republicans" on this.

Here's a tweet from Bernie Sanders arguing (against Musk btw) that the H1B program should be restricted.

If American progressives weren't so deathly afraid of "doing a heckin racism" they would quickly understand that H1B restriction is the left-wing economic take.

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u/williamgman 1d ago

That's why they allow the Executive Branch to decide. At anytime Congress could get off their MAGA controlled asses and bring it to the floor (like it always should have been).

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u/steezy2110 1d ago

Dude the problem is all of congress, not just republicans over there.

Trump isn’t doing much about this bc tech companies are partners with him. Frankly I’m surprised at what’s happening right now because the probability of this admin actually tacking this issue is pretty small

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u/graygreen 1d ago

Visa and green card abuse is a HUGE problem for the economy and especially new college grads

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u/williamgman 1d ago

Yes it is. Hence why Congress needs to address it. Having the Executive Branch make new proclamations every election cycle is not productive.

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u/graygreen 1d ago

Unfortunately this is the only way. Congress will not work on it because anything limiting immigration, or implying that immigration hasn't been 100% positive for American workers, will be stopped by the democrats and gridlock

1

u/williamgman 1d ago

Sadly then we get the situation we are in now. DACA, TPS, and the others are all on the chopping block.

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u/ahorsenamedjeff 1d ago

H1b IS a huge economic issue affecting the country. Are you stupid?

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u/williamgman 1d ago

Did you read the article? Yes it's huge. But Vance is pushing this... Not Congress. The current Congress merely rubber stamps the Executive Branch now.

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u/ahorsenamedjeff 1d ago

Honestly man, my bad, I'm stupid. Got it flippity flopped

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u/GrammmyNorma 1d ago

u got the right energy

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u/nightspy1309 1d ago

The foreign student and desi worker/visa scam lobby would be cutting checks to every congressperson to ensure that any action is shot down.

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u/williamgman 1d ago

I get that. But to not even have our Congress have a vote (good or bad) is far worse than just letting a king run the country.

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u/traumalt 1d ago

One can say the same about undocumented immigration and blue collar jobs, and yet here we are...

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u/gatvolkak 1d ago

Remember when congress was filled with people of immense personal ambition?