Forgot to mention: to qualify for an H1B, the applicant effectively needs to have a Masters Degree in their field. That is merely a paper requirement under US immigration law.

Having the MS degree does not always mean the person knows more (or can do more) than a candidate with only a BS degree.

Not an immigrant.

Our experience at previous employer was that someone working in Chennai in software development/testing had the same output / performance as an immigrant from Chennai. English language skills also were similar. Chennai salaries/costs were visibly lower, so the company just opened an office there.

Employee churn was much lower inside US than in Chennai, because changing one's employer while on an H1 is harder than just walking across the street to a different company.

Question
for immigrants:

So you have estimates on how the immigrant talent level compares to the non-immigrant/visitor talent level back home, for jobs in the same career role and even same company?

Have you worked on both sides (offshorimg for American companies and working in America)?

Is there a filter on talent for immigrants/visitors that doesn't exist for the same job back home? Academic credentials, or the hiring pipeline?