USCIS Policies Harming Labor Mobility Of H-1B Professionals

[refugee 169]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2018/12/17/uscis-policies-harming-labor-mobility-of-h-1b-professionals/amp/

 

Restrictive administrative decisions by the Trump administration are making it more difficult for H-1B visa holders to change jobs. This is an unintended consequence of administration policies. The irony is that since critics of H-1B visas argue less labor mobility can lead to foreign nationals being exploited by bad employers and thereby undermine U.S. workers, it means Trump immigration restrictions have hurt U.S. workers, not helped them.

Edited December 17, 2018 by refugee

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

11 minutes ago, refugee said:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2018/12/17/uscis-policies-harming-labor-mobility-of-h-1b-professionals/amp/

 

Restrictive administrative decisions by the Trump administration are making it more difficult for H-1B visa holders to change jobs. This is an unintended consequence of administration policies. The irony is that since critics of H-1B visas argue less labor mobility can lead to foreign nationals being exploited by bad employers and thereby undermine U.S. workers, it means Trump immigration restrictions have hurt U.S. workers, not helped them.

So how does policies harm USC workers????? They don't in fact harm US workers but actively help US workers by ensuring that the companies hire USCs over H1B workers 

[geowrian 22,337]

To point out the 2 actual policy changes referenced in the document, with less portability being a claimed side effect:

1. Increase in denial of I-129 petitions is scaring people from trying.
2. Longer processing times (which is the case among everything at USCIS right now).
   1. Although I'm unsure why longer processing timelines would discourage people...since they are permitted to change employers while the petition is pending. If anything, I would think more people would try to transfer as this could potentially be exploited to work for companies where there was no realistic chance of approval in the first place...since it gives them basically the better part of a year of working there anyway.

[refugee 169]

1 hour ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

So how does policies harm USC workers????? They don't in fact harm US workers but actively help US workers by ensuring that the companies hire USCs over H1B workers 

I believe the author would articulate it this way: 

Because the possibility of H-1b abuse or underpayment will increase because they are less free to move to another job, all workers are penalized with depressed wages and conditions. The intention was that USC would be hired over h-1b, the reality is that the labor market is less competitive for the employer.

[RLA 324]

14 hours ago, geowrian said:

Although I'm unsure why longer processing timelines would discourage people...since they are permitted to change employers while the petition is pending. If anything, I would think more people would try to transfer as this could potentially be exploited to work for companies where there was no realistic chance of approval in the first place...since it gives them basically the better part of a year of working there anyway.

For people who just want to remain in the U.S. as long as possible and extract as much money as possible, for those people it might indeed be an advantage.  For people who approach their career in a more deliberate and forward-looking way, long periods of uncertainty are discouraging, as they are for employers.  So, I guess the mercenary types might benefit while the high-grade professionals will be put off.