Comment by iqster | Hacker News Reader

Comment by iqster | Hacker News Reader

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I don't think the article misleads on the point you are contending with. I'm not from India but do know quite a few very talented Indians in the US who are stuck with their present employment because of visa BS. The process for permanent residency is surprisingly painful and rigid (e.g. restricts job mobility). There are multi-year roadblocks such as getting labor certifications, etc. Additionally, many employers require you work with them for a number of years (get to year 4 or 5 of your H1 before they will apply for permanent residency). I don't see too many viable alternatives here.

Let me put it differently ... to a young foreign student who just earned a degree from a top US/Canadian school, this is what say: "If you want to stay in the US, you can't change your job." Would this be a fair assessment of the situation faced by thousands of Indians (and people from many other foreign countries) in the US?

P.S. I hope I don't sound harsh in response to your comment. That's not my intent. I'm just a bit sad at how these folks are being treated. I don't want to start a flame war over this.

This is true, I have known few engineers who were really good but being treated differently by their employers once they know they are close to their 6 year limit on H1, meaning they cannot move anywhere, people who were single took their chances and people who had family and other commitments couldn't. Its really hard to be in their shoes. Not many are willing speak outside but this is the reality.

I agree that the visa requires reforms and definitely people are affected in terms of job mobility and permanent residency status.

I absolutely agree with you that thousands are affected (especially students who studied on a equal footing with their peers while completing the course) but having disadvantage to get employment just because of the lottery system and their status.

But claiming that half a million are stuck unable to start a company / change jobs due to a visa is BS just to push the author's opinion down the reader's throat and this is where I differ.

Doesn't surprise, considering it is the Times group. Their reporting, while good in several cases, is highly opinionated and unsubstantiated/lacking research in others. Their gaming and tech coverage is usually cringe inducing. Whats tragic is that they are the most read newspaper in the country.

According to Wikipedia, the WSJ and USA Today beat the NYT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspapers_in_the_Unite...

Though if that excludes online views, the NYT may indeed be #1 (quite possibly their paywall will nuke this, however).

I'm referring to the Times of India group, and I was referring to India. Sorry about the mix up that caused. :)

The Times of India is the largest circulated English-language daily newspaper in the world, across all formats (Broadsheet, Compact, Berliner and Online)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper_circulation

I always assumed that WSJ appealed only to business and finance types who needed it for work. I'm surprised that the WSJ is that well circulated, does this mean that it has broad appeal? Or is it that the WSJ can be expensed to the a firm, driving up its circulation?

My bad. I read the article with readability and by the time I was done, I forgot where it came from.

I suspect the popularity of the WSJ is due mainly to the fact that WSJ demographics are more likely to buy a subscription than NYT demographics.

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