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Comment by Townley | Hacker News Reader

In your opinion, are there other countries that have a significantly better process for handling skilled immigration applications. And, if so, what lessons from them would you like to see brought over to the US?

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Canada. Transparent, point-based system and a conditional PR for a limited period which can be extended and eventually lead to citizenship.

Harper got rid of the points based system around 2013.

Not true. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/se...

It appears that Trudeau has moved to a hybrid of the Express Entry system when it was introduced and the old points based system. This describes how it worked a few years ago: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/immigration-changes-to-watc...

I really don't know the systems and procedures in other countries although I've heard anecdotally that Canada is welcoming talented founders and professionals with open arms.

Pretty much every other country. In the UK for example, if you want to work, you just need to get a job offer. To keep numbers under control, they simply put a wage minimum that's high enough. Not fair for positions like nurses and teachers that are valuable to society, but generally ensure skilled migration. If you want to start a startup, a UK university can endorse your startup idea for a 2 year visa, and then raising a small amount of funding gets you 3 more years.

After 5 years of residence in the UK (except time as a student), you get PR, and citizenship soon after.

> Not fair for positions like nurses and teachers

In Australia and even in Canada teachers earn as much as IT professionals

> In Australia and even in Canada teachers earn as much as IT professionals

That is not true in Australia, IT wages are higher.

Not true of average wage in British Columbia, Canada. IT pays much better than teaching.

Australia has points based immigration which looks at your age, education, work ex etc. If you have the points you get the resident visa even if you are outside Australia, you dont even need a job offer.

Not exactly, having enough points means you may get invited to apply for a visa. Points don't guarantee receiving an invitation or being granted a visa.

You missed the bigger point of countries having a significantly better process for handling skilled immigration applications.

No, I didn't. I just didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression that everyone with enough points gets in.

There will always be exceptions but more or less everyone with enough points gets in unless you have some official data which says otherwise.

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