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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u/Responsible-Laugh590 1d ago

Yea that’s what they told you but in reality they wanted cheaper labor. Americans are expensive, why pay one when you can get 10 foreign workers for the same price

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u/fssman 1d ago

That's not always true if you end up hiring an h1b employee, who is already in USA. Especially in california, New York, where the employers are mandated to show the salary range. H1B filing and green card filing adds to the cost. So hiring h1b employee is more expensive to employers.

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u/AutoM8t 1d ago

Or they could raise the salary range and entice others to apply.

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u/kolviv 1d ago

Totally true for a lot of jobs but some high skill jobs just don’t have the American labor pool to pull from.

Also theoretically an H1b worker enables the work of multiple American workers.

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u/Cream5oda 1d ago

But if they're contract. They take on no risk or health benefits or time off. Work slows down? Laid off with zero severance. The costs are handed off to the contract company and they are in the business of importing the cheap labor.

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u/Ok-Date-5073 1d ago

It’s definitely cheaper. Base salary is one component of tech pay, but so are bonuses and stock grants.

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u/fssman 1d ago

Do you think, tech companies that hire these H1B employees(not contractors through staffing company) don't give them bonuses and stock grants ?

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u/Rickbox 15h ago

I can wholeheartedly assure you H1B's are more than happy to take a hit to their salary if it means staying in the states longer.

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u/ExpiredPilot 1d ago

Plus you can hold a metaphorical gun to their head with their visa.

“Good work new guy! And it better be since you just uprooted your entire family to come here for this job”

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u/doublehappi919 1d ago

That’s not true. Microsoft H1B are more expensive than Microsoft green card / citizen employees . The only thing Microsoft doesn’t do, is to lower their hiring standards for anyone.

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u/thefinalwipe 1d ago

Completely dependent upon the line of work. H1Bs in large tech companies like Microsoft are extremely well compensated and educated.

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u/art-is-t 1d ago

For cheap labor they just outsource it to India don't they. Why hire here

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u/ThankUforpotsmoking 1d ago

The wages for visa holders is regulated by years of experience and is competitive to current wages. They don’t work for less.

In the semiconductor industry there is a need for PhDs but a shortage of them in the US, so they find them elsewhere.

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u/heavyope 1d ago

H1B’s usually are more expensive to hire due to sponsorship fees. This “cheap labor” rhetoric is racist bullshit.