This works out well for Japan. Why wouldn't it for the US?
The way I see it, only those highly qualified shall apply. If an american can do the job, then an american should do it.
The way I see it, only those highly qualified shall apply. If an american can do the job, then an american should do it.
Merit based systems are usually based on advanced college degrees. Who are the kinds of people that get advanced college degrees? Well first you have to have had access to good primary education, and then good secondary education, and then a good undergraduate education. People from poor countries tend not to have those things, even the smart people from poor countries.
"Give me your cold, your tired, your huddled masses yearning to be free". Being an American isn't just about capitalism.
We have a responsibility towards fellow Americans. If the Chinese have a bias against people from their countryside, it’s not up to us to fix their mess. We want people who can come here and contribute, not be welfare for them because their own country isn’t doing the right thing. We would not be doing “the right thing” by Americans if we subsidized this either.
That poem was written one year after the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed. We really need to stop using it as justification for anything.
The questions are more like: 1. is this fair? and 2. would the reduction in number of immigrants be harmful to economic growth?
What if there is something deep down, something idealistic like "Equality" and "Freedom" that should actually be a right for every person on earth? That you shouldn't have to have a Harvard education to claim? Isn't the USA the place that promises that opportunity? That you can strive and work hard, and make a better life for yourself and your family?
I'm not saying kick out the doctors and ceos, but being a doctor or ceo should not be the bar for entering the US.
I don’t see why it’s our responsibility to do “equal opportunity” to a foreign population we have no responsibility for. We have this responsibility for our own population, yes, but others are out of scope completely.
Hint: Not a first world country, it is India.
This isn't accurate at all. Sure wealth might help with merit but it's not always the case. I would argue it can sometimes be harmful too (I know people who came from rich background but were later deported back because they failed their program, DUI, did drugs etc). I myself immigrated to Canada from a South Asian country with poor family background. Just because we are poor doesn't always mean we aren't or can't get educated. A lot of people (I am not saying all but I am saying a lot) in the poor parts of my country are the ones which go to public school and take as much advantage of the education opportunities available. Our country's previous President came from an extremely poor background, used to sell newspaper and tea on subway stations when he was a kid but grew up into one of the most recognized rocket scientists, developed 5 missiles and became the president. So poor doesn't always mean we can't work hard to achieve merit.
With my hard work, I was able to secure a decent scholarship in Canada. Canada has a merit based system and it works well. I also appreciate merit based system vs a lottery draw system US has as I would rather have people understand I came here because of my own hard work and merit instead of just because I got lucky or came from a rich background. That was one of the reasons I choose Canada instead of US many years ago for immigration because I would rather be chosen by merit instead of wait in a lottery as the current system in US. A lot of qualified people have been hesitant to try for US because they don't want to play the current lottery game. If US does change to merit going forward, we might continue higher education there.
Not that immigration to Japan even if you're rich and well positioned is such a good deal.
Japan is probably the closest the world has to an ethnostate and could well be described as ethno-supremacists. They don't cop any flack for this because they're not westerners and only white people can be guilty of racism and xenophobia because colonialism (which ignores the fact that japan was a brutal colonial overlord to korea and taiwan).
I don't think Japan is really a model you want to copy. The decades of a stagnant economy despite low interest rates shows that something is wrong.
Also, highly-qualified people aren't the only ones who make things better for everyone. Some sort of citizenship path for entrepreneurs would help, given that our number of new businesses have been in decline for years.
Was it Canada or USA citizenship?
> he proposed moving away from the current system that favours applicants with family ties to the US
If a citizen is in the country and they want to bring their family over, that should be their right.
I do not agree. What constitutes family is arbitrary, but there are generally allowances (in most countries) for spouses and children who are still minors (eg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_nationality_law). The allowances for spouses and children are not ubiquitous around the world.
The Clinton administration had a bit of trouble figuring out custom rules to what constituted "family". How many generations? What about anyone married to them and then from there on. It's legally logical to assume there's no connection between my French citizenship (received as an adult) and my brother (who is an adult).
The main sponsorship that's currently easier in the US than other countries is parents of citizens, who are considered immediate relatives and are not subject to quota.
Honestly, Trump could propose single payer healthcare or universal pre-K and the anti-Trump crowd would oppose it.
A helpful exercise for people of both parties is to ask if you would agree with a given policy if “your guy” had said it.
Sure, "Talented Doctor Immigrant" migrates to the US and sponsors "Illiterate Cousin", but IC finds a less skilled role, and still has the familial support of TDI. In fact, oftentimes, this takes the form of small business loans. It's basically how every ethnic community in the US flourished, from German migrants settling the midwest to recent immigrant-fueled boons like the Indian population in Edison, NJ.
The system may be a little outdated in the globalized world, but it's a source of labor that mitigates the risk of antisocial consequences (IC turns to crime, is exploited at work, becomes a burden on the government, etc). I don't entirely agree that it's the "right" of a new immigrant, but eliminating it could have far greater consequences on the future of American than it may seem.