[cykho]

I wonder what the all up cost of getting someone an H1B visa is currently? Is this an annoying bureaucratic hurtle or a real barrier to talent entering the US?

My perception is that the cost is around $20k (lawyers/filing fees) + some uncertainty due to the lottery. Is that a barrier to a person that's worth paying $100k+?

[OmarIsmail]

The problem isn't the cost. Most tech companies (in SF/the Valley) at least will gladly pay the 10K in legal costs (amortized over 2-4 years, that's a small percentage of fully loaded cost). The problem is the cap. If you try to bring in a talented person then you're rolling the dice. 50% chance they get H1-B - oh and you can't apply until April 1st, and you don't find out for 2 weeks (if you expedite) or 3 months (if you don't). And if you DO get the visa then they're not allowed to start working until October 1st.

So you have to take them through the entire process before April 1st - so realistically Jan/Feb/March, and then you won't actually be able to have them in house until October. Large companies can weather that kind of delay just fine, but a 5 person startup?