That's an idea. But the problem is once the petition is accepted the employer could reduce the non-immigrant's salary. I'm not a lawyer but I don't think it's illegal.

The main issue is that H1B workers have very little rights. If they get let go, they technically have to leave the country in the next 24 hours - the 30 day grace period is a myth. They are very easy to bully and put up with a lot of shit from their employer simply to be able to stay in the country.

One solution would be to grant an H1B that would be valid even after termination/resignation - maybe for a certain amount of time like a month or two. This would allow a worker to leave an unreasonable employer and give him a chance to find a new gig.

However, I also believe that there is no talent shortage in tech and the H1B program is used to try to drag wages down.