During the Donald Trump era, H-1B workers, a majority of whom are Indians, had a hard time. The visa approval rate sharply dropped to 72% from over 95% during Barack Obama’s presidency. The share of Chinese nationals consistently rose among H-1B workers as the share of Indians declined. While the share of H-1B workers in American companies kept increasing, Indian companies struggled to get H-1B permits. However, since Joe Biden took over as President, the situation has changed. H-1B visa approval rates have surpassed those seen in the Obama period and peaked at 98%. The share of Indian companies in H-1B workers has improved and the share of Indians in H-1B permits has started to climb again. The median wage of H-1B workers matches the top 10% of U.S. earners.
Fat paychecks
The chart sourced from Cato Institute shows the median wage of all U.S. workers and H-1B visa workers and the wages at the 90th percentile for U.S. workers. In 2021, the median wage of H-1B workers moved past the 90th percentile wages, a first since 2003. Also, the gap between the median wages of H-1B workers and all U.S. workers has widenend over time.
