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Comment by wheretolive | Hacker News Reader

Not making it super difficult for high skilled, shouldn't mean restricting immigration to them. Your first line seems like an useless argument. I am not sure how you arrived at it.

I want to prioritize being in the place, where I can be most effective as a human being and contribute back to the humanity.

As a side effect of this I contribute back to the places, I care about. I donated to a school in my hometown (which as my as I love I can't move back to because it has power cuts for 22 hours a day in 120F summers). Send decent amount of USD to India and advise startup in Indian ecosystem.

If at some point I feel that I can be most effective being in India, I would definitely go back!

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Ok so Canada makes it easy for high-skilled while US makes it easy for low skilled. What’s the problem? Should we deport and restrict immigration unless you’re high skilled?

The point is that the US is very forgiving and easy going with respect to immigration and everybody acts like we’re a bunch of Nazis. Newsflash, we have the most liberal immigration policy in the world. Try getting permanent residency in Japan, or Switzerland, or China and let me know how that goes. It’s only difficult because we have too many people that want to move here.

And while I trust that you think you’re “giving back” to India, it’s easy to say you are while enjoying a nice cushy life in Canada.

I don’t mean this to be personal but I’m really sick and tired of hearing people complain that the US is shitty wrt to immigration when we are not. Does any other country have Dreamers? Will Canada allow 11 million undocumented kids to become permanent citizens? Hell no. Would India? Japan? China? Korea? Germany? Brasil? Nope nope nope - you would be deported in a heartbeat. Why does Canada even make you fill out paperwork or have a point-based system if they are so liberal?

I agree US is great with immigration (if you are not from India).

Most people can get a Green Card within a year (even with moderate skills) and citizenship at 5 years without language test.

This is great! But doesn't work for Indians. Which is what Indians in this thread are complaining about!

Many times things have a lagging indicator. West Europeans don't have strong reasons to move to US. Neither do Chinese to a large extent - because of vibrant local opportunities in China now.

Till 2010, best from India wanted to move to US. Not anymore! The problem is self solving. If Hackernews would be around in 10 years, and US immigration stays the same - there wouldn't be Indians complaining here about this - because they wouldn't be in US

You don't need to restrict immigration for low skilled to remove crazy restrictions for high skilled immigrants. I don't know how and where you are making this connection!

You’re implying we should just welcome every Indian to the country. Sorry I’m more concerned with making sure Africans and Hispanics can make it here.

Maybe Canada should do the same? Instead of increasing brain-drain on the rest of the world by providing an easy avenue for immigration to highly skilled people (and increasing their interest in loving) Canada should allow millions of people from Latin America, Africa, and elsewhere without much education to immigrate to Canada? Why not?

> I’m more concerned with making sure Africans and Hispanics can make it here

Indians are an ethnicity. Africans are geographically-defined and Hispanics culturally. Did you mean to say “low income”?

No. I mean people who are African from Africa and Hispanics as colloquially defined. Should Indian engineers get precedence over them?

Ceteris paribus, no. From a utilitarian perspective, engineers are on average more valuable than non-engineers. Doesn’t matter what ethnicity or continent or culture they come from. Biasing that measure with an arbitrary ethno-socio-geographic filter feels like backing into a rationale over thinking from first principles.

So you’re advocating for the US to restrict immigration to only highly-skilled migrants? Would you be ok deporting non-engineer Dreamers?

Seriously, I don't know how do you draw such conclusions.

The main point was: It is really difficult for highly skilled people from India to immigrate from India. And because of this many highly skilled Indians want to leave.

First, you insinuated that letting highly skilled Indians in means not letting in low-skilled immigrations. No it doesn't!

Second, you insinuated that this means allowing every Indian. No it doesn't.

Seriously, which part of Highly skilled do you not understand!

The amount of flagging your post has seen, indicates that others agree with me.

Troll, Please go away and do not pollute HN!

Ok so stay in India and build businesses in India. What’s so difficult about this for you? You’re not entitled to move to another country nor am I. If we have too many people from one place how can we build a multicultural society? If you’re truly high-skilled then you should be advocating for the US to restrict immigration like Canada and others do to a points-based system. Do you advocate for this or do you prefer a liberal immigration system like the US now has? You can’t have both.

And if you spent any time in the West you would know that just because a few people (even many) hold a wrong opinion (I.e. downvoting) doesn’t make them right.

And next time instead of making a throwaway and calling people trolls I think you should post under your real username and spend more time discussing the merits of their arguments.

Yes. You can have both! You can have some Green Cards allocated to the points based and some allocated to the current system.

The current system was designed for situations which existed in the past. It wasn't perfect but served the job then. Times have changed and ground realities have changed - so time to tweak it!

As far as where I have to go - it's my prerogative! If US doesn't work, will find what works best for me!

Don't need your suggestions! Apart from not getting the birthplace lottery - am ahead on everything else!

> Most people can get a Green Card within a year (even with moderate skills) and citizenship at 5 years without language test.

You are hilariously misinformed. I am 3.5 years and waiting on an EB2 and I am British, I know Caltech professors who took 3 years to get on EB1.

Part of the issue isn't entirely the government but also the cottage industry of legal firms. These firms (at least in my experience) can take _longer_ than some of the government steps.

The system is designed to give a Green Card in around an year. You can file for an EB1-3 as soon as you move to US.

Process is:

PERM - 3-4 months (EB1 and EB2-NIW don't need it)

I-140 - premium - 14 days

I-485 - can be filed concurrently with I-140 - Takes around 5-6 months

Green Card - 1-2 months within approval of I-485.

Of course this is the best case scenario, which doesn't involve company delaying, bad law firm and RFEs from USCIS. But the system is designed to be done within an year!

I know colleagues who have gotten their Green Cards within an year.

And unfortunately, I know more about the immigration system that I should be knowing :(

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