How to compete against H1Bs

As a once H1B worker, here is my advice, be good at what you're doing, show enthusiasm and aptitude to learn new things. As a local worker you have a great advantage over H1Bs. I've evaluated a lot of job candidates. Those who require H1B are considered a big con. We show no affinity to them. Why? The visa process take months and months and months and it introduces a whole lot of uncertainty and no one know if it is going to go through at the end. We'd much prefer a local worker who can start right away. If a local candidate meets the requirement, he will almost be certainly hired over a H1B candidate.

That said the H1B program open up the job market to the entire world. And you should know that there are a lot of excellent people out there in the rest of the world. This makes the job market lot more competitive. But the ability to attract worldwide talents is also a big reason that US companies have a commanding lead in the tech industry.

Congress not curbing the 'flood' has been one of the reasons we are the best tech country in the world. If you want to compete with the H1bs, you should make sure that you are the best and you never stop learning and growing. In the open market you have the right to compete for a job based on your abilities, if you feel threatened it is because you are falling behind the tech and others are not, be they H1Bs or not.

That having been said, as the owner of a web development company we only hire locally and the hassle of H1B (my wife was one) is not worth it in most cases. But when it comes to hiring rock stars, we could care less where they are if they are the best!