Comment by School-Cotton | Hacker News Reader

Comment by School-Cotton | Hacker News Reader

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The reason top companies (FB, Google, major SV startups, etc.) exist primarily in the US is because the US is able to attract talent from all over the world.

If these companies had never been able to hire the best people, there wouldn't now be the same companies hiring more Americans. They would simply exist in other countries, instead of the United States.

By the way, I work at one of these companies and have had frank discussions about compensation with many of my coworkers and I can guarantee you that H1-B holders are NOT being paid less than Americans.

Obviously none of this applies to body shops like Infosys and Tata.

> On immigrating here... I'm not opposed to immigration if it's done the old fashioned way like my dad did it. Come here, apply, wait your tenure for green card, and eventual citizenship.

This suggests to me that you don't actually know what an H1-B visa is. Getting an H1-B is the first step to coming here, waiting for green card, etc. How else do you propose people do it? Out of curiosity, what papers did your dad have that allowed him to come?

I understand the nuances of immigration and why people seek the worker visas...

My dad moved here from Europe in the early 60s, went through INS, got a green card, a job, and 6 months later was drafted into the Army and went to Vietnam. Unlike Americans at the time, my dad was given the choice to accept the draft or go back to Europe. He accepted the draft, fought in Vietnam, was injured, and EARNED his citizenship the hard way. My dad was a stellar man in many ways. He exemplified the best work ethic I have ever seen and likely will ever see. He went from being a civilian handyman and cook to E9 in the military (only 1% make this grade by law) to earning almost $200k a year before his death.

You clearly don't understand the inner workings of the immigration system and what's happening with the educational system as well.

It's a shame especially considering the hardships your immigrant dad had to go through to give you an opportunity to live in this country.

What does "went through INS" mean? What papers or visa did your dad have that gave him the right to live here, and how was it meaningly different from an H1-B ?

From what I read, I don't think OP knows. My dad came here on a J-1 visa as a student which meant my mum, my sisters and me came here on a J-2 visa since we were dependent on his visa status.

It took us 10 years of constant applying, thousands of dollars spent before we got our green cards. I still remember my interview because I got my green card in 2015 and it was the most invasive thing I've ever gone through. I still even remember all the interviews we had to do before we got our visas to come to America.

In my opinion, I don't think OP really knows how difficult it is to get to America in the first place as an immigrant. It's not as simple as the media makes it out to be.

I believe that a green card and eventual citizenship is still available through a similar path today. You just have to want it bad enough to sign up for the American military and followup with proper paperwork.

Not many immigrants want to sign up for that duty though.

Source?

https://www.uscis.gov/news/fact-sheets/naturalization-throug...

And FB, Google, and major SV startups are also paying more than 150k+ to their H1b employees. Especially for jobs in which they cannot find enough american's to fill.

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