In the US with a bodyshop: go or not go?
You will not find a clear answer to this question in this article. I offer you the ground for reflection on the topic of carrier companies in the United States.
Bodishop is a company that transports programmers to IT hubs and “sells” their work to another company. The programmer is officially listed in the bodyshop company, but works on the project of another company. “This is good old outsourcing,” you think. But no, besides the fact that the programmer is working on a project of another company, he is also physically located in their office. And this is called outstaffing.
Then I will tell you more about the pros and cons of bodyshop for moving on an H1B visa and how to make minuses a plus.
Adjustment of the visa process. These companies have tons of work visas for programmers every year and know how to do it. Despite the fact that H1b is a lottery with quite clear and understandable rules, there are some tricks to submit to it. Over the years of practice, these tricks have been worked out by bodyshops, so getting a work visa with them is more likely than, for example, with a start-up or a company that does not transport employees on a regular basis. Moreover, many companies are simply not ready to wait for programmers from six months to a year (this is exactly the average term for the H1b-visa process), because they need to close a specific vacancy. Outstaffers have a lot of projects and a lot of vacancies, so they are gaining in reserve and not for a specific vacancy.
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Low entry threshold. Technical interviews are fairly simple, the requirements for the English are also low - intermidiate is fine.
Relocation compensation . Bodishoper pays all costs associated with a petition and a visa, as well as airfare, airport transfers, accommodation for a month and car rental for the same period. But in fairness it must be said that almost all companies have such a program for relocation, except that small startups do not compensate for the costs of moving an employee.
Low wages. Bodishop make money on the difference between what they pay you and what the customer company pays for you. From the experience of my friends, the salary in the bodyshoper is on average 2 times less than the market.
Boring projects. Usually, clients of bodyshopers are fairly large companies like Google, and in such companies, contractors (these are those who work for bodyshops) plug holes that local programmers don’t want to work on.
Delay with getting a green card. Most of the specialists who arrived on work visas have the opportunity to obtain a residence card (Green card) at the initiative of the employer. And 99% of companies provide this opportunity. Someone starts this process for their employees from the first days, someone - in six months, and body decorators - in one and a half. Why? It's simple. The more you stay in the company, the more the company will earn on you. The process itself, they also delay, so that with a small salary you have to sit for a year 4.
Bullying fines. In a contract with a bodyshop, you will often be able to see items like: “In case of dismissal earlier than 1 year, the employee undertakes to pay all expenses related to the transportation of the employee, including petition costs”. And this, as a rule, from 15 to 30 thousand dollars. And the programmer decides by simple calculations that it is not profitable for him to leave, and then the green card is already running.
Firstly , the holder of the H1b visa, unlike L1, has the right to change the employer. And the majority of companies, even those that do not practice the transportation of programmers from abroad, will be happy to transfer your visa, because you are already in the US and you do not need to wait half a year. However, after leaving the company, you are given a limited time to leave the country or transfer a visa to a new employer (Grace Period). Until recently, it was only 10 days. Finding a job during this time is a task on the verge of science fiction. Since 2017, this period increased to 60 days. You can find a new job, not quitting the old one, or even in the period before entering the US: the result of the lottery becomes known in May, and the visa starts in October. Difficult, but possible.
Secondly , there are likely to be a lot of clauses in your contract that are against the law. Absolutely in any state all expenses related to the petition are paid by the employer and only him! The company has no right to charge this money from the employee either before the move or in the event of dismissal - never. Usually the cost of a petition at a bodishop in the area of ​​6-8 thousand dollars.
The remaining clauses of the contract (including charging for relocation expenses) are best checked with a lawyer, because they may also be illegal for your state.
I have it all.
What it is?
Bodishop is a company that transports programmers to IT hubs and “sells” their work to another company. The programmer is officially listed in the bodyshop company, but works on the project of another company. “This is good old outsourcing,” you think. But no, besides the fact that the programmer is working on a project of another company, he is also physically located in their office. And this is called outstaffing.
Then I will tell you more about the pros and cons of bodyshop for moving on an H1B visa and how to make minuses a plus.
Pros:
Adjustment of the visa process. These companies have tons of work visas for programmers every year and know how to do it. Despite the fact that H1b is a lottery with quite clear and understandable rules, there are some tricks to submit to it. Over the years of practice, these tricks have been worked out by bodyshops, so getting a work visa with them is more likely than, for example, with a start-up or a company that does not transport employees on a regular basis. Moreover, many companies are simply not ready to wait for programmers from six months to a year (this is exactly the average term for the H1b-visa process), because they need to close a specific vacancy. Outstaffers have a lot of projects and a lot of vacancies, so they are gaining in reserve and not for a specific vacancy.
')
Low entry threshold. Technical interviews are fairly simple, the requirements for the English are also low - intermidiate is fine.
Relocation compensation . Bodishoper pays all costs associated with a petition and a visa, as well as airfare, airport transfers, accommodation for a month and car rental for the same period. But in fairness it must be said that almost all companies have such a program for relocation, except that small startups do not compensate for the costs of moving an employee.
Minuses:
Low wages. Bodishop make money on the difference between what they pay you and what the customer company pays for you. From the experience of my friends, the salary in the bodyshoper is on average 2 times less than the market.
Boring projects. Usually, clients of bodyshopers are fairly large companies like Google, and in such companies, contractors (these are those who work for bodyshops) plug holes that local programmers don’t want to work on.
Delay with getting a green card. Most of the specialists who arrived on work visas have the opportunity to obtain a residence card (Green card) at the initiative of the employer. And 99% of companies provide this opportunity. Someone starts this process for their employees from the first days, someone - in six months, and body decorators - in one and a half. Why? It's simple. The more you stay in the company, the more the company will earn on you. The process itself, they also delay, so that with a small salary you have to sit for a year 4.
Bullying fines. In a contract with a bodyshop, you will often be able to see items like: “In case of dismissal earlier than 1 year, the employee undertakes to pay all expenses related to the transportation of the employee, including petition costs”. And this, as a rule, from 15 to 30 thousand dollars. And the programmer decides by simple calculations that it is not profitable for him to leave, and then the green card is already running.
Turning cons into pluses
Firstly , the holder of the H1b visa, unlike L1, has the right to change the employer. And the majority of companies, even those that do not practice the transportation of programmers from abroad, will be happy to transfer your visa, because you are already in the US and you do not need to wait half a year. However, after leaving the company, you are given a limited time to leave the country or transfer a visa to a new employer (Grace Period). Until recently, it was only 10 days. Finding a job during this time is a task on the verge of science fiction. Since 2017, this period increased to 60 days. You can find a new job, not quitting the old one, or even in the period before entering the US: the result of the lottery becomes known in May, and the visa starts in October. Difficult, but possible.
Secondly , there are likely to be a lot of clauses in your contract that are against the law. Absolutely in any state all expenses related to the petition are paid by the employer and only him! The company has no right to charge this money from the employee either before the move or in the event of dismissal - never. Usually the cost of a petition at a bodishop in the area of ​​6-8 thousand dollars.
The remaining clauses of the contract (including charging for relocation expenses) are best checked with a lawyer, because they may also be illegal for your state.
I have it all.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/347202/
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