Computer World published an article titled “U.S. Law Allows Low H-1 B Wages; just Look at Apple,” on May 15, 2017. The article reveals a common practice of many U.S. based Fortune 500 tech companies – paying H-1 B workers less than paying the average Americans.
“Apple would not exist without immigration,” says Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. What Cook meant was “Apple would not exist without H-1 B workers.” The same is true with Google, Amazon, and many other Silicon Valley tech companies.
Most international students may wonder “How many H-1 B petitions are filed per year?” and “How many of them are approved?” Let’s take a look at the following figures from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The number of H-1 B petitions increased while the approved rate significantly dropped in 2015. The approval rate was only 78.96%, compared with 95.76% and 99% in 2013 and 2014.
According to ComputerWorld.com,
This Labor Condition Applications (LCA) data lists the occupation, total number of workers per job title, the Apple average salary for visa workers, the area wage average and the difference. The LCAs don’t represent Apple’s actual hiring goals or wages. Apple may submit an LCA indicating plans to hire 150 people at a specific wage, only hire one person and pay a wage well above the government-allowed minimum. The data illustrates that the government allows a firm to pay an H-1B holder below the area occupation average.
More Blog Posts on H-1 B Workers:
- Tougher H-1 B Visas for International Students
- H-1 B: What is Good for Foreigners May Not be Good for Americans and Trump Wants to Change that
It is understandable why H-1 B workers get paid less and why they are so popular to U.S. high-tech industries. I believe under Trump’s “Use American, Hire American” policy, H-1 B workers will not ask for high salaries in order to stay in the U.S. to work.