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proberts | on: I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA
I just don't see how the value - from a benefit to the U.S. economy perspective - is tied to salary so that doesn't make sense to me as a line to draw. If the H-1B program were to be limited in any way (which is not something I necessarily agree with), one option is to list occupations that are in short supply each year and to prioritize those. Many countries do this.
jefftk | parent | next
> one option is to list occupations that are in short supply each year and to prioritize those

That's a lot of what prioritizing slots by pay does: pay is higher for jobs with low supply relative to demand.

gangstead | root | parent | next
I suspect that the real problem with prioritizing by pay is that it shows that a lot of employers are using H1-B workers to put downward pressure on wages.

Also there are a lot of parties involved in gaming the complex system whose services wouldn't be needed if the solution was that simple. I think Upton Sinclair's quote applies here. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/21810-it-is-difficult-to-ge...

bubblethink | root | parent
Not necessarily. You need farmers and scientists. Can't do a descending sort by salary.
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casenmgreen | parent | next
I had two H1-Bs.

The process is completely divorced from reality.

The questions and requirements are meaningless.

To my eye, there is zero rationality in the process.

As far as I can see, the and the only effect of the visa programme is that there is a limited number of visas, and so this acts to prevent businesses from hiring the people they want to hire, and that's not freedom; and in the process of doing so, causing untold disruption to lives and businesses and direct and indirect costs to businesses, individuals and economy as a whole.

gangstead | parent
Doesn't salary at least set a floor on what a company thinks that employee is going to add in value? They wouldn't spend dollars on salary to get dimes of extra revenue.

I would also argue that prioritizing the highest paid jobs makes displacement of US workers less likely. It would raise the bar for everyone.