r/AmericanTechWorkers

Unfortunately, for a North Indian gay man, there is no place where I can relate to. I am too western/LGBTQ for my Asian colleagues and too Indian for my white colleagues.

I have worked in industry a few years and have plenty of Indian Telugu “friends in FAANG”* so I can speak on this. You are totally correct in that there is blatant nepotism among the various groups of Indians in tech. They have created a nepotist monopoly among every large and small tech company they become a part of.

They will only train, promote, and hire those belonging to their group (Tamil/Telugu/Chinese) and see those not a part of it as strangers that cannot be trusted. These groups of people are very tight knit populations and see other people in it as brothers and sisters. If they were to choose a candidate to hire and they chose a person not in their group over someone who is, they will be shamed by their family and community.

It is a terrible system for US natives to have to deal with. I am Indian too, North Indian though. We don't have anyone who favors us as usually its South Indians or other Indians from a specific caste/ language group.

Many of us do bring specialized skillsets to US and work hard, paying a lot of taxes and following law religiously. I think what is needed is a stricter HR and tech labor regulation to curb nepotism, favoritism and bias

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Population in the US

Indiiiiiian immigrants: ~2.9 million total foreign-born, with 74 percent of these

immigrants ages 16 and older in the civilian labor force as of 2024, compared to 63 percent of the U.S. born

Chiinnneesee at 2.3+ million immigrants: the third largest foreign-born group in the U.S. probably because they have been here longer.

H-1B (skilled specialty workers): In FY2024, 283,397

Indiiian nationals received H-1B visas — about 71% of all approvals — while Chineeeese nationals received 46,680, or 11.7%

F-1/OPT (students → work authorization): Indiiian was the leading source of international students in 2024-25, mostly in STEM.Chiiiina was the next largest with 265,900 students

L-1 (intracompany transfer), O-1 (extraordinary ability), green cards (employment-based) round out the rest, though H-1B dominates for both groups

Most on technology - Indiiian

Most in science - Chiiiinese

More interesting Data

How long they've been here "I"

H1Bs run three years, renewable up to six — but many stay far longer stuck in green-card backlogs (I" employment-based backlog stretches over a decade due to per-country caps.

How they legally stay past the 6-year H-1B limit

Two provisions in AC--21(American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act, 2000) allow this:

365-day extensions: If a green card petition (labor cert or I-140) has been filed at least 365 days before the 6-year mark, the worker can renew their H-1B in 1-year increments indefinitely until the green card is decided.

3-year extensions: If the I-140 (immigrant petition) is approved but the visa number isn't yet available (which is the case for almost every" I" applicant), they get 3-year extensions instead.

So functionally

An Im"I"H1B worker with an approved I-140 can legally remain on H-1B status for 10, 15, even 20+ years, renewing every 1-3 years, while waiting in the green card queue.

Their spouse (H-4) generally can't work unless they qualify for a separate EAD, and their kids "age out" of dependent status at 21 if the green card hasn't come through — a recurring source of family hardship stories.

C" nationals face a similar but shorter backlog, since C" volume of applicants is lower than I"

This is the single biggest driver of proposed reforms like eliminating per-country caps (the bipartisan "Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act" has been introduced repeatedly but hasn't passed the Senate).

If our goal is to advocate for fewer H-1B visas and stronger preference for U.S. workers, the most effective actions are still political rather than corporate.

These are somethings we can do..

Some I have seen posted others not...

Bills and Proposals You Could Support

1. H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2025

Sponsored by Senator Chuck Grassley and supported by (Senator) Durbin, this bill would tighten wage requirements, increase recruitment requirements for U.S. workers, and address what sponsors describe as abuse of the H-1B system. It has been introduced and referred to committee but has not advanced further.

2. American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act of 2026

Introduced by Chip Roy, this proposal would:

Require employers to show they tried to hire Americans first.

Restrict H-1B hiring after layoffs.

Replace lottery selection with wage-based selection.

Eliminate the OPT program used by many foreign graduates.

3. End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026

Introduced by Eli Crane, this is one of the most restrictive proposals currently discussed. It would:

Pause new H-1B issuance for three years.

Reduce the annual cap from 65,000 to 25,000.

Require employers to certify they cannot find qualified American workers.

Establish a very high minimum salary threshold.

4. Visa Cap Enforcement Act

Introduced by Tom Cotton, this bill would remove certain exemptions from H-1B numerical limits, effectively reducing the number of workers who could enter outside the normal cap.

5. H.R.7451

Introduced by Greg Steube, this bill would end the H-1B program entirely. However, it currently has little momentum and remains at the introduction stage.

What Citizens Can Actually Do

The most practical ways to influence Congress are:

Call the Washington and district offices of your Representative and Senators.

Attend local town halls.

Submit written comments to congressional offices.

Join advocacy groups that focus on labor-market issues and employment-based immigration.

Vote in primary elections as well as general elections.

Encourage professional organizations, labor groups, and local chambers of commerce to take positions on the issue.

What Is Most Likely to Happen?

The proposals with the greatest chance of attracting broader support are generally those that:

Raise H-1B wage requirements.

Require stronger recruitment of Americans first.

Restrict companies that conduct layoffs from immediately hiring H-1B workers. ####THIS ###

Continue the new wage-based selection system that favors higher-paid workers over entry-level applicants.

Historically, Congress has been much more willing to reform the H-1B program than to eliminate it entirely. Bills that completely end the program or suspend it for years face a much steeper political path because many industries—including technology, healthcare, universities, and research institutions—strongly support retaining access to foreign talent.