US signals intention to rethink job H-1B lottery

Perceived Oversupply & Impact on US Workers

• Several commenters argue there are “too many” foreign tech workers relative to today’s weak job market, calling H‑1B a tool for cheap, long‑hours labor and wage suppression.
• Others respond that many roles, especially high-end tech and finance, remain hard to fill with US workers, and that H‑1Bs often are not displacing anyone in those niches.

Top Talent vs. Body Shops

• One camp stresses that H‑1B has been critical for bringing “cream of the crop” researchers (especially in AI and science) and that this is strategically vital for US prosperity.
• Critics counter that for every elite researcher there are many H‑1Bs in generic or low-skill IT roles, often through outsourcing/consulting firms, and that this is not what the program should be for.
• Some propose banning H‑1Bs at consulting/staffing firms entirely and focusing the program on genuinely scarce, high-skill roles.

Indenture, Exploitation & Local Culture Shifts

• Multiple posts describe H‑1B workers as de facto indentured, afraid to quit toxic jobs because their visa and family’s status depend on that employer.
• There is debate over how easy it really is to transfer H‑1Bs between employers.
• Anecdotes highlight rapid demographic shifts (e.g., near Microsoft) and resentment that local candidates are overlooked, sometimes expressed in explicitly anti-Indian terms.

Lottery vs. Wage-Based & Quota Designs

• Many favor replacing the random lottery with a wage-based system or auction, using compensation or tax paid as a proxy for skill and scarcity.
• Counterpoints: this could exclude non-tech roles (teachers, language instructors, nonprofit researchers) and junior grads whose salaries are lower.
• Proposals include: high minimum salaries; new visa classes for non-tech needs; strict country quotas (sometimes equal per country, sometimes none); and explicitly tying caps to US unemployment in relevant fields.

Broader Politics: DEI, Hierarchy, and “Fairness”

• The thread veers into DEI and culture-war territory: some see anti-immigration and anti-DEI politics as attempts to restore racial and gender hierarchies; others claim DEI forces underqualified hires or discriminatory practices.
• Underneath, there’s disagreement over whether jobs and immigration are zero-sum, and whether policy should prioritize maximizing US prosperity, protecting incumbent workers, or pursuing social equity.