[thumbsup-_-]

There has always been this argument that allowing H1bs to switch jobs easily and clearing the green card backlog for India will increase labor liquidity in the market which may in turn result in higher wages for local and foreign population.

Employers don't want this. Policymakers also don't want this because higher wages (for everyone) may put inflation pressure. Instead, the middle ground is to have employers have their way by having hostage labor, while at the same time, keep spreading hate for H1bs so that local population doesn't feels alienated by policymakers.

[QGQBGdeZREunxLe]

It's already relatively simple for a H-1B holder to transfer jobs under AC21.

The reason backlogged Green Card applicants stay in their sponsoring positions is because they don't want to restart the PERM process which is not transferable to another employer.

When a H-1B transfers to a new employer the approved I140 should be transferred too, assuming it's older than 180 days and the job meets the other requirements set out by AC21.

That would unlock a wave of job portability.

Also, it's not only Indians backlogged now. Almost all EB categories are backlogged across all nationalities although nowhere near as severe as India's.

[garbawarb]

Part of this is that employers stubbornly refuse to start PERM until you've started on the job. There's no legal reason to do this and it means adding even more months to an already long and uncertain process, compared to doing it when you've accepted the job offer.

[codebyaditya]

The mobility → wages connection is clear in the data. Interesting point about green card backlogs adding another mobility restriction layer.

I focused on what's measurable: the wage gap and its correlation with job-switching constraints. Policy intentions are beyond my scope - I'm just showing what the numbers reveal.