I agree. I live in a small suburban town which has many,many apartment units *and* which has a very large high tech firm as well. A huge percentage of these apartment units are occupied by Indians (the Asian kind) who work at this high tech firm.
Although I can't prove it I'd wager that these Indians make half...or less than half...what an American worker would expect.
It's a scam. Under an H1B visa you gain rights to permanent residency after 3 years, and as such need to remain employed for 3 years.
Companies that hire H1B's know they are unlikely to quit and will hire them salaried and work them for 70-80 hours a week, and can fire at will. They have no problem firing H1B's as they are unlikely to claim unemployment and if they are not able to satisfy their 'contract' they must return to their home country and may not be eligible to return for 5 years.
So, they're unlikely to job hunt, unlikely to claim unemployment (due to starting removal clock), and unlikely to complain as it may result in unemployment. All the while working 70-80 hour weeks. All of these are things most Americans would be unwilling to do or put up with.
“...make half...or less than half...what an American worker would expect.”
One of the main requirements for an H1B visa is that the employer guarantees to pay the H1B holder the “prevailing wage” for their position.
The prevailing wage is defined as the average salary paid to similarly qualified workers in the same geographical area. Ensuring that H1B workers are paid at or above the prevailing wage provides that they are not used as cheap labor and undercuts the wages of U.S. workers.
wy69