Why is it easier to get a H1B visa outside of the Bay Area?
The process to get an H1B visa is the same no matter where you are located.
As you know, the best developers in the world head to the Bay area every year. Comparatively, it's fairly expensive with many companies looking to make as much impact as possible within a short amount of time.
If you're a company taking a chance with the cost of sponsoring and agreeing to a yearly contract for an H1B..where would you want to be?
We'll compare Atlanta and Silicon Valley just for fun. In Silicon Valley you would pay twice as much for salary and be ten times more likely to have your candidate approached (recruited) by competitors. Because of the higher cost of living, you had better be very sure that they have the skills set that you need now and ideally two years later after your company has grown significantly.
If you are in Atlanta, it's half the initial investment. It's less likely that they will be stolen. You can afford to train them (the cost of the senior developer is even less than half of the cost of Bay Area senior developers).
That's more what I meant. Does that make sense?
Uh no. Probably some go working for Google and Facebook, but that should be pretty much it.
In fact - I would argue that you have an easier shot with Bay Area companies sponsoring you due to capital availability and legal knowledge in the area of H1Bs.
For clarity, you think it would be easier to get a H1B sponsor in the Bay area than the rest of the country combined?
If so, I'm interested to know what you think as far as experience. Would you think someone with 1-5 years experience (or 5-10 years experience) would have an easier time getting a H1B visa in the Bay area than other places -- say Austin or Boulder?
Thanks for the feedback
If you're a company in, say, Atlanta or Boulder, and you need an engineer - there isn't as much competition as there is in the Bay Area. Therefore, it's more likely that you'll find an American engineer at the same price point (which is cheaper [due to legal costs] and less risky than an H1B), so there is little reason to go the extra mile and file an H1B - unless you really need that specific engineer/talent.
Whereas, if you go to the Bay Area, if the demand for engineers outweighs the supply (which I imagine it does), then it's more likely a company will file for an H1B for someone since it's a way of increasing the supply of engineers. The additional capital and legal knowledge (for smaller companies like startups) further spurs the willingness to try for an H1B.
From your response to the other poster - the one thing I would add is that the switching costs for someone on an H1B are higher than those that are not on H1Bs since you always have to have a company sponsor you (this isn't a difficult process, but if you are switching jobs I believe you have to have a company file a petition to sponsor you prior to you leaving your old company). That switching cost is sort of a way of retaining talent (obviously if someone wants to leave, they'll leave - but for those on the fence, they may not bother).