Lots of other companies without hype just want lower wage workers. I figure these are the majority.
The numbers are public on this and look fine. People keep telling you "I'm on an H-1B and I'm paid reasonably".
Please, offer actual proof or quit spreading this around.
But lots of established SW companies use contracting companies that abuse the visa process. I should have been more clear, it's these contracting companies (usually based out of India) that are abusing the process. US companies that use them are pretty much complicit:
http://www.vocativ.com/money/business/theyll-sponsor-america...
http://www.infoworld.com/article/3004501/h1b/proof-that-h-1b...
http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Chasing-dreams-a...
http://www.epi.org/blog/new-data-infosys-tata-abuse-h-1b-pro...
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2915904/it-outsourcing/...
No, in lower-level positions also they are paid the same as their colleagues who are citizens. During the hiring process, the immigration status is not get considered as a positive or negative qualifier.
> Lots of other companies without hype just want lower wage workers.
I agree.
> I figure these are the majority.
This is possible, but I am not sure. It is true that many companies who get the most visas don't pay well. But the well-paying firms do not apply for lots of visas, and there are lots of them, leading to a long thin-tailed distribution. Also, many of these H-1B immigrants, once they get their green cards, go on to found successful startups increasing the size of the economic pie for everyone. One such person, Jyoti Bansal, sold his startup for $3.7B last week.
Not if they are hired through a contracting company:
I can only speak to my experience. At my current employer we have about 60-70% H1Bs in my department (development). Even more in QA. And they aren't particularly talented. After reviewing the public information though, they are getting paid 50% of what I am.
So they are living with multiple other visa workers in one apartment, can barely afford repairs to their old cars, etc.
It'd be great if the wages were more equalized. It's really not about talent at anywhere but the big 4. It's about money.