It depends on the company and I would bet my life’s savings that if a discrepancy exists at Google, it is not intentional. I have many American friends, friends on TN visas, and friends on H1Bs and we are transparent about our pay (to protect each other from poor business practices). Being involved in the process there are so many legal barriers and red tape and people take it all seriously.

H1B holders will get paid less over time due to not being able to leave companies at the drop of a hat. A similar but less significant effect holds for TN visas. I have not once seen any significant pay discrepancy for two comparable software engineers at the same company based on visa status.

I'll take that bet.

Why? OP mentioned a number of reasons why they don’t believe it to be true

I worked at FAANG and knew more than one Indian on H1B. They weren't getting paid "the same but slightly less". They were getting like 50k TC on a team where the rest of the team was making 200+.

> They were getting like 50k TC on a team where the rest of the team was making 200+.

I don't believe this for a second.

Were they outsourced?

To my knowledge that is unambiguously illegal and I hope they band together to get justice. Were they aware of others in shared circumstances?

Market rate is based on the national median. So yeah... they do get paid more than the median, but far less than a developer where they work. It's why H1 workers tend to get hired in high paying areas. That's when it's worth it. If they can swing remote, it might be worth it. I've had a California company "lowball" me and I cackled at my amazing raise internally.

That is not true. Prevailing wage also depends on the where you work. https://flag.dol.gov/programs/prevailingwages

It is true.

You posting that link over and over doesn’t obviate the fact that we look around collectively and see H1Bs getting paid at the bottom of the band.

A PERM (permanent labor certificate) actually requires prevailing wage for a specific job position at a specific area. Just go check this website: https://flag.dol.gov/programs/prevailingwages

I wonder if it's different in the public sector? I'm at a university and (pay transparency) earn pretty much equivalent to equivalently experienced colleagues. (Edit: in the Midwest)

It is not.

Visa holder wages are publicly available. People in this thread are making stuff up to support their views.