Companies are even incentivized to hire over Americans due to OPT and no payroll tax.
What industries are next?
Is this for real? Companies don't have to pay payroll tax on H1Bs?
For an OPT worker in F-1 status, the employer saves approximately 7.65% on payroll taxes compared to hiring a regular U.S. worker.
An OPT worker after graduating can remain in F1 status for 3 years while employed with these exemptions.
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/fore...
https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/students-...
STEM OPT Extension If you have earned a degree in certain Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, you may apply for a 24-month extension of your post-completion OPT employment authorization if you:
Are an F-1 student who received a STEM degree included on the STEM Designated Degree Program List (PDF); Are employed by an employer who is enrolled in and is using E-Verify; and Received an initial grant of post-completion OPT employment authorization based on your STEM degree.
The OPT extension merely allows graduates to gain additional work training in field. The eligible degrees are limited to those in which work training is considered important/necessary for employment.
IOW, they're still students.
2. F-1 in STEM graduates, gets 3 year OPT STEM work permit. Employer and visa holder pays so social security tax, and there is no need to justify it, and you can pay them as little as you can get away with. During this period, work like mad to find an H-1B job.
If not?
3. Go to grad school - work while there, then get another OPT STEM for 3 years with no need, no SS tas, any pay level
4. The visa holder has been in the U.S. for 10-12 years, working feverishly to line up the H-1B gig and when they get it, it's for 3 years, with an automatic 3 year extension just by asking. Get married to a gal from back home, he/she gets and H-4 and with any luck gets a work permit for as long as the spouse has wone.
5. The end point in this process is to have a company sponsor your for a Green Card. You can get a 1 year extension on your 6 year H-1B if 18 years wasn't enough time.
toomuchtodo•6mo ago
Computer science has one of the highest unemployment rates - https://www.newsweek.com/computer-science-popular-college-ma... - May 23rd, 2025
Modification of Registration Requirement for Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions - https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/08/2021-00... - January 8th, 2025
dixie_land•6mo ago
If you are exceptionally qualified you should just become a citizen (with the responsibilities and pledge of loyalty as a citizen). And we should fast track that for those who qualify (again, on a significantly higher bar)
mullen•6mo ago
UncleEntity•6mo ago
Exceptionally qualified at what, doing some job nobody else wants to do?
I suspect a big part of "US exceptionalism" is that people who were shitty at math were allowed to immigrate and they either saw a niche in the market or their kids were able to 'learn all the math' and contribute to the Silicon Valley Cesspool.