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Comment by entropea | Hacker News Reader

This is exactly why I'm trying to move out of the USA.

Why trying?

If it is so bad in the US, what is keeping you there? Many developed countries have relatively few immigration hurdles for US Americans to pass. UK in particular, European countries are lax in general in these regards (I live in Germany).

"Relatively few" usually means a significant employment barrier - you usually have to be making a certain amount of money which is hard to come by at the lower rungs of STEM employment, especially if you're restricted to applying for companies you can interview with from overseas.

"Relatively few" for Germany means e.g.

- if you're looking for a job here, as an US citizen you get 3 months visa without questions asked

- there is no minimum amount of money needed in Germany for US citizens, neither as a deposit nor as pay

I believe that in all countries in Europe, there's a requirement that the pay be at market level to avoid the exploitation of immigrants (there's no distinction based on country of origin as you seem to imply), and that the job be advertised first with the EU's job agency (whatever that is called, I forgot now) and EU citizens are able to apply before an immigrant may be allowed to apply and take the job.

" the pay be at market level "

I believe that is called minimum wage? So that would be already a given.

there's no distinction based on country of origin as you seem to imply

there is a distinction: There is a German by-law as well as a EU-decree that classifies US Americans as citizens of a "priviliged country" (§ 26 BeschV (Verordnung über die Beschäftigung von Ausländern)).

https://www.bdae.com/journalbeitraege/dezember-2016-leben-un...

You then also need to make more, as you continue to be taxed in the USA, until you've lived abroad long enough to qualify for citizenship in your new host country, and can give up your USA citizenship.

Because the US has an incredibly restrictive immigration policy towards most of the world, most countries retaliate by having an incredibly restrictive immigration policy against americans.

I see the USA as more chaotic than authoritarian.

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