patrick.net

• The proclamation DOES NOT apply to individuals already in the U.S. on H-1B status, or to student visa holders on OPT seeking to change their status to H-1B.

• It applies only to individuals outside the United States who are being sponsored for H-1B visas and seeking entry. This is specifically aimed at the Indian IT outsourcing companies whose business model is to sponsor large numbers of foreign workers abroad and bring them into the U.S. on H-1B visas. They may shift to sourcing workers who arrived on student visas or to heavily utilizing L-1 visas.

• H-1B workers could also be affected if they ever travel abroad and require visa stamping in order to return to the United States, even if they are otherwise in valid status.

The proclamation isn’t terrible, but it falls short of truly helping American workers and STEM graduates. Companies like Google and Microsoft won’t be affected, because they source their foreign workers through L-1 visas or from those who arrived on student visas. So when @howardlutnick said tech companies support it, now we know why.

If the Trump administration truly wants to help American tech workers and STEM graduates, it needs to end the OPT program, which was created entirely through regulation. Otherwise, it isn’t serious about fixing this issue.

https://x.com/USTechWorkers/status/1969209380395499985

Damn!

Hahaha. The spin is on!

Lot of shit flying around the internet. Here's what WH officially sez:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/restriction-on-entry-of-certain-nonimmigrant-workers/

Not as glamorous as I thought but I think this would still apply for anyone up for renewal this year, unless I didn't read that correctly.

I sort of skimmed over the section c.B-a(j) barf.

Not so fast, offshore folks. Here’s what’s coming for offshore and OPT.

• A $100,000 annual fee on H-1B entries is now in effect by presidential proclamation for an initial 12 months. That changes the math on body-shopping and staffing arbitrage overnight.

• The HIRE Act has been introduced to add a 25% excise tax on “outsourcing payments” and to deny tax deductions for those payments. If it passes, offshore vendor work aimed at U.S. consumers gets hit twice.

• Courts and cities are laying groundwork against caste bias in hiring, making the referral networks that exclude Americans a legal liability. Seattle’s caste ban has survived court challenges, and similar actions are gaining traction.

• Litigation risk is rising. A Ninth Circuit panel revived a class action alleging preference for foreign workers over U.S. citizens, signaling more lawsuits and discovery into hiring pipelines.

Bottom line. The offshoring arbitrage that locked out American grads is getting expensive, risky, and visible. Expect more scrutiny on OPT-to-H-1B pipelines and on any job reqs written to exclude citizens. The era of quiet gatekeeping is ending.

https://x.com/ChiefNiftyswell/status/1969448696375816566

HIRE Act probably won't pass. But if it did I think it would be the first tariff levied on services instead of goods. Awesome.

Hahaha! Microsoft is feeding the panic! So the 4chan folks gumming up the flights didn't waste their time after all.

FYI: Fyi: https://patrick.net/comment?comment_id=2209110

The Visa Trap: When Foreign Workers Realize the Ground Beneath Them Is Cracking

One week, you’re promised “easy applications” and a million more H-1Bs.
The next week, it’s a $100,000 fee, mandatory in-person interviews, and restrictions on where those interviews can even take place.

This is not stability. It’s whiplash.

• India’s Ministry of External Affairs called the $100,000 H-1B fee “deeply concerning” and warned of “serious humanitarian consequences for families already settled in the United States” (Al Jazeera, 2025).

• Nasscom, the largest IT industry body in India, said the new fee would “seriously disrupt Indian IT operations in the United States and threaten business continuity for major firms” (Reuters, 2025).

• The Hindustan Times editorial board wrote that the fee “effectively kills the programme” because “median salaries of H-1B holders make such a cost punitive and unsustainable” (Hindustan Times, 2025).

• Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant declared bluntly: “This is India’s gain. The more Washington tightens, the more talent will stay here and build India’s future” (Times of India, 2025).

• The Washington Post reported that major employers had met with the White House days before the announcement, leaving workers convinced “their companies knew what was coming but chose not to warn them” (Washington Post, 2025).

• NDTV quoted corporate sources advising employees “to stay put inside the United States until the dust settles,” adding that “Microsoft, Amazon, and JPMorgan privately told foreign staff not to travel abroad” (NDTV, 2025).

• On Reddit’s r/Economics forum, one user wrote: “I sold my car in India, uprooted my kids, and moved here. Now I’m being told I might owe $100K every year just to keep my visa alive. How do you plan a life around that?” (Reddit, 2025).

• In r/ABCDesis, a viral thread described an Emirates flight at San Francisco International Airport: “Indians literally pleaded to get off the plane after hearing about the new rule. They didn’t want to risk being locked out if they left the country” (Reddit, 2025).

And it doesn’t stop there:

• In-person interviews are back, and third-country workarounds are ending. Applicants must interview in their own country of residence.

• Student visas are capped at four years. Language programs even shorter.

• Optional Practical Training (OPT) is openly discussed as being eliminated.

If you are here on a visa, you cannot trust what you hear on Monday to still be true on Friday. You cannot trust your employer to tell you what’s coming. And you cannot assume that yesterday’s path to residency will exist tomorrow.

The Trump administration has made more incremental restrictions on H-1B, OPT, and student visas in a few months than any administration in decades. The pattern is clear.

Foreign workers thought they were buying stability. What they got was a trap door.

https://x.com/ChiefNiftyswell/status/1969534935389127118

Are big tech execs on suicide watch?

Fortwaye says

Are big tech execs on suicide watch?

Big Techs hire students from our colleges via the OPT visas. They don't even have to pay FICA on them.

The OPTs get converted into H1Bs and other visas.

Sheee-it! It's a total flood now. I can't keep up with it all. I NEED ASSISTANCE. :)

I think Trump had four political reasons for imposing these H1B fees:

1. It raises American wages and lowers competition for housing. Real MAGA stuff.
2. It retaliates against India for buying Russian oil.
3. It hurts Amazon, Google, Facebook, and other such tech monsters with severe TDS.
4. It lowers house prices in California in particular, and California has severe TDS.

So it's perfectly rational all around.

But what about the other visa programs which are used to fuck American workers?

L-1 (Intracompany Transferee) For executives, managers, or specialized knowledge workers transferring from a foreign affiliate. No cap.
J-1 (Exchange Visitor) For trainees/interns in professional programs (e.g., au pairs, researchers). Unlimited.
H-1B1 (Chile/Singapore) Like H-1B but for citizens of Chile/Singapore in specialty occupations. 6,800/year total
E-3 (Australia) Specialty occupations for Australian citizens. 10,500/year (rarely fills).
TN (NAFTA/USMCA) Professionals from Canada/Mexico in listed occupations (e.g., engineers). Unlimited.
H-2B (Temporary Non-Agricultural) Seasonal/temporary non-farm workers (e.g., hospitality). 66,000/year
O-1 (Extraordinary Ability) For individuals with exceptional talent in sciences, arts, etc.

Patrick says

4. It lowers house prices in California in particular, and California has severe TDS

FREMONT, CA <-- Ground Fucking Zero

I think he did it because they are having fight with India (brics related). India buys Russian gas, we big mad at them.

They already backtracked most of it.

MolotovCocktail says

Banks get fucked? What's not to like about this. When do we ever see banks get fucked as opposed to the little guys?

stereotomy says

MolotovCocktail says

Banks get fucked? What's not to like about this. When do we ever see banks get fucked as opposed to the little guys?

Flee with unpaid debt is whole different than flee with unpaid asset.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u9-0Nl2a32w

Interesting rant from Indian media. Turn on captions.

Maga_Chaos_Monkey says

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u9-0Nl2a32w

Interesting rant from Indian media. Turn on captions.

What a load of shit, mostly. Notice the entitlement they have?

REpro says

Banks get fucked? What's not to like about this. When do we ever see banks get fucked as opposed to the little guys?

Flee with unpaid debt is whole different than flee with unpaid asset.

Eh, it's a business transaction the bank made with a customer that likely won't live in the country forever. Happens with natural US citizens as well. That's the risk of lending. If I could find a lease deal in the Caribbean at retirement age, I'd max refi the house and max out the credit cards with cash advances. I'd have probably $1,200,000 that's not included already in the retirement picture. Have to forgo SS, but I'd make more on the $1.2M in interest and dividends then just tap our 401k's.

Places in the USVI look rough, that's because they have to ship their garbage away. Actually extremely religious and conservative. Only catch 22 is daily goods are expensive at stores. Like 20-30% higher. I'd probably meet friends down there and just order an annual shipping container with TP, paper towels, dishwasher pods, laundry detergent, hygiene products, shelf stable food products, if legal beer (way expensive down there), etc. It's the type of crap that "oh we're fine with that for now" but it just cost way more down there. Just have to have storage space. Oh and hurricanes are problematic.

This is why I don't get it's some humanitarian crisis. They're bringing back more money to your country. If that government thinks it's that shitty, that's saying something. That could be billions invested in India's economy. If anything it's a win win for the US and India. Yes there will be a flood of capital out, but US citizens are capable of filling the void. Fact is the capital was already flowing back to India anyway.

REpro says

stereotomy says

MolotovCocktail says

Banks get fucked? What's not to like about this. When do we ever see banks get fucked as opposed to the little guys?

Flee with unpaid debt is whole different than flee with unpaid asset.

Student loan debt. CC debt. Business loans.

MIGA!

stereotomy says

Banks get fucked? What's not to like about this. When do we ever see banks get fucked as opposed to the little guys?

As long as the Fed exists, they will print to prevent any pain to the biggest banks.

Some small banks might get hurt though.

MolotovCocktail says

What a load of shit, mostly. Notice the entitlement they have?

That was exactly what I considered writing but I suspected someone else would so I held off for confirmation haha..

Patrick says

stereotomy says

Banks get fucked? What's not to like about this. When do we ever see banks get fucked as opposed to the little guys?

As long as the Fed exists, they will print to prevent any pain to the biggest banks.

Some small banks might get hurt though.

Yeah, big banks don't make Silicon Valley Bank mistakes.

.

AD says

Patrick says

stereotomy says

Banks get fucked? What's not to like about this. When do we ever see banks get fucked as opposed to the little guys?

As long as the Fed exists, they will print to prevent any pain to the biggest banks.

Some small banks might get hurt though.

Yeah, big banks don't make Silicon Valley Bank mistakes.

.

No, they make even bigger mistakes, but they are "too big to fail," so they keep getting bailed out.

Remember that definition of insanity - "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."

This must logically lead one to conclude that the Fed collectively is fucking insane.

End the Fed.