Jenny Ho

Alert: New grads may soon face much lower H‑1B visa chances. Trump has proposed changing the H-1B lottery to be salary-based instead of random. Right now, every applicant has ~30% odds in a blind draw. But under this plan? Your salary could decide your future. Here’s what law firms are predicting for selection odds: Level I: ~10% Level II: 15~30% Level III: 55~70% Level IV: 90%~ How to estimate your own chances ⬇️ 1. Go to: onetonline.org to find your job’s code 2. Go to DOL official (https://lnkd.in/gUvMuMZ9 ) Enter the code + location to see your wage level This policy benefits: → High-paying roles like MLE, AI, Quant → Big tech companies (they tend to offer higher salaries) → Experienced workers who didn’t get selected in the past, their odds now go up. Who might get hurt: → Entry-level / new grads → Startups/non-profit that can’t afford to pay high wages But this is still just a proposal! It has to go through multiple reviews and final rulemaking.  Instead of stressing, what you can do right now is: 1️⃣ 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐮𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐲 Build in‑demand, high‑value skills like AI/ML engineering, large‑scale data systems, cloud architecture, LLM fine‑tuning. Stronger skills = higher offers = better H‑1B odds 2️⃣ 𝐏𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫-𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 SWE → AI/ML Engineer Generalist PM → Technical PM / Growth PM Designer → UX Researcher or Product Designer These roles often offer salaries that fall into Level III–IV. 3️⃣ 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 Big Tech and top startups pay well, but also consider cap‑exempt employers, universities, research institutes, and hospitals where H‑1B slots aren’t limited. 4️⃣ 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 $85K in the Bay Area might be Level I That same $85K in Austin or North Carolina could be Level III. 5️⃣ 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 Use Jobright to filter H-1B jobs with high pay https://lnkd.in/gGNZp5Rj #H1B #JobSearch #InternationalStudents #CareerTips #EntryLevelJobs

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Massive implications for companies hiring: Trump plans to add a $100,000 fee for each H-1B visa. If enacted, this would be the most dramatic cost increase the H-1B program has ever seen. For context, the current government filing fees for an H-1B petition run a few thousand dollars. An additional $100K per employee fundamentally changes the math for any company relying on international talent. Tech firms would feel it first. More than 70% of H-1B visas historically go to computer and engineering roles. The same roles already commanding record salaries in the U.S. The result: • Higher total cost per hire, which pressures salary budgets or headcount plans. • More competition for U.S.-based talent, pushing domestic salaries even higher. • Greater leverage for top candidates as companies scramble to retain and grow critical teams without that international pipeline. We’ve already seen total compensation climb steadily for in-demand engineering roles. If access to global talent tightens, expect that curve to steepen. Companies may respond with bigger cash offers, richer equity refreshers, or both. We’ll be tracking how this plays out in real time on Levels.fyi. Our data already shows how talent shortages drive salary spikes, and this policy could accelerate that trend. Read more on this news here: https://lnkd.in/gqyN4wJi

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In an ironic twist of events - the new $100K H1-B fee might be extremely beneficial for both students and universities. Here’s why: ▪️ The $100K fee applies ONLY to new H-1B visa petitions filed for workers outside the U.S. seeking to enter the country. This means international students already studying in the U.S. on F-1 visas who apply for a change of status to H-1B internally are exempt from this fee. ▪️ This exemption makes staying in the U.S. and applying for H-1B sponsorship through a change of status far more accessible and affordable given every student will have less competition with other H1-B visa applicants in which companies will have to pay $100K/application. ▪️ For universities, this could mean a boost in international master’s enrollments because students see a clearer, less costly path to work authorization after graduation. ▪️ For students, it reduces uncertainty and financial barriers during one of their most important career transitions—from student visa to work visa. It's a silver lining with changes rapidly occurring every day or so.

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Suggestions for H1B friends who are already their in US and not immediately affected by this 100K H1B fee: You are not safe just because you don't immediately need a renewal or travel outside of US. Companies will eventually make policies that impact all H1Bs. . You are lucky as you have some time to execute the below suggestions to come out ahead, while you still can: - Dispose all your assets in the US while there is still time. Do NOT delay this. - Start with hard assets like houses. Dont wait to maximise the profit. US housing market can collapse any time and H1B sell off can trigger it. The first movers will get out fine. Accept the first good offer you get and move to a small rental. Sell off useless furniture. - If your family members are dependents, send them back to India asap. Schooling can be worked out. - Buy an apartment or plot of land in India if you don't have one already. - Sell off expensive cars and get a used cheap car. - Move money from US stock market and invest in Gold ETFs in India. Unlike US ETFs, Indian ETFs have equivalent physical gold. This will protect your investment from US-INR conversion volatility. - Get out of crypto. Holding crypto while in India is going to be a regulatory hassle. - Avoid paying for expensive tuition in the US if your kids are not US citizens or expected to be GC holders by the time they graduate. There are good private colleges in India they can go to. - Apply for a role in GCC in India if your company has an Indian GCC or apply for roles in Dubai or Singapore or other GCCs in India. Being stuck in the US with no path to GC and unable to change jobs or visit your family is mental torture. Don't prolong the suffering. Wisdom is knowing when to cut the losses. .

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Trump Orders 100x H-1B Fee Hike This morning, Trump signed an executive order raising the cost of an H-1B visa from $1,000 to $100,000. The scale of impact is massive - in FY2024, ~400k H-1B petitions were approved, and 71% were for India-born professionals. The largest impact will be felt in tech, where ~66% of workers are foreign-born. If this order survives its legal tests, foreign nationals entering the job market - and many due for renewals - will be forced to consider a shift back to India. This could create one of the most acute talent shortages in recent U.S. tech history and for many companies, an India office would become the logical next step.

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Initially, the H-1B proclamation came as a shocker. Now it’s an advantage for existing H-1B holders, particularly for product managers and director-level candidates. The U.S. will now charge $100k per new H-1B visa, and the supply of international talent is expected to drop. But the demand for experienced product managers will not. Companies still need leaders who can drive strategy, scale products, and align teams. And when they look around, the most “ready-to-hire” candidates are the ones already here on valid H-1Bs. (That's you) That scarcity is shifting the market. I’ve seen my product manager-level clients: - Command 30–40% higher compensation packages - Land interviews at companies that previously passed on them - Get promoted or hired directly into leadership tracks (even skipping levels) But none of this happens automatically. Just because the market is tilted in your favor doesn’t mean a company will hand you the role or the raise. You have to show them you’re worth the premium. And that requires a shift in how you operate. You need to: - Position yourself as the person who sets strategy, not just executes it - Step out of your immediate team and make your impact visible across the org - Walk into interviews already acting like the leader they want to hire For many of my clients, these shifts have been the difference between plateauing at “senior Product Manager” and landing $300K–$900K+ leadership roles, even in a so-called bad market. If you’re a product manager on an H-1B, this is your window to land your next-level role with a raise. -> Share this with someone who's an H-1B and feeling stuck. -> Follow me for actionable advice and take your career to the next level with $300k-$900k+ leadership roles.

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