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Comment by richard___ | Hacker News Reader

How does this work, exactly? What is the law that allows relatives of H1B to become citizens?

On paper, H1B is a temporary worker program that requires non-immigrant intent. In practice, there is a legal fiction called “dual intent” that allows H1Bs to apply for a green card without violating the requirement of non-immigrant intent. Once a permanent resident, they can sponsor spouses and adult children for permanent residency. Once a citizen, they can sponsor parents and siblings.

The U.S. gave my dad an H1 visa, which resulted in 8 other Bangladeshis moving to the U.S. If my mom wasn’t antisocial, she could’ve sponsored her dozen siblings, who could’ve then sponsored their children. That’s how you end up with ethnic enclaves like Little Bangladesh.

Let's be a bit clear on the timelines though. Right now if you get an H1B to the US (good luck), it's 10+ years before you could get citizenship, and that's assuming your employer sponsors you and you get an EB- green card. You could then bring your parents within a few years, but it would be like another 15+ year wait to get your siblings in on an F-4 visa.

So it's not like folks are getting an H1B and then shipping over their entire families on the next boat, it's decades depending on their relationship to you.

For a family going without relatives, a couple decades may be an eternity. For a nation-state, a couple decades is the blink of an eye.

10-15 years isn’t a long time on a social timescale. It’s actually very quick. That means a small number of H1B immigrants can give rise to a large immigrant community within a few decades, as has happened with Bangladeshi enclaves around the country.

In the case of the H1-B visa holder's children, the Birthright Citizenship Clause of the 14th amendment.

Basic US immigration law: once a permanent resident or a citizen, a former H1B holder can bring his relatives, like any US citizen

And that's where the trouble is.

Worked well for the postwar periods and the 60s, but not so much today when US economic output (outside tech and white collar services) has been middling at best.

It always add astonishes me how bots live their lives. Only ever seeing things in terms of fictional economies.

We needn't worry about soulless AIs, we've got heartless Humans running amock.

It becomes a problem when the population of the developing nations outnumber the developed 100 to one. And im not talking about those inside the USA, im talking about worldwide. Id love to let them all in. Ive been to third world countries and I can't fault any individual for doing what they can to leave. But the current system can't support a borderless world.

> when the population of the developing nations outnumber the developed 100 to one

Well it's only 7:1 right now. It's never going to be 100:1. Don't worry about it.

So you want talented individuals to come in to prop up the economy for decades with their output, but forbid them trying to establish a normal family life in the country?

There are talented individuals here that can't establish a normal family life IN THE COUNTRY THEY WERE BORN IN because the government keeps driving down wages by importing third world desperation.

Yes. The 'heartless' people in this equation are the corporate ghouls, like usual!

Just see the language they use, "third world" countries. .. As if the lead pipe laden cities of USA, the Fentanyl Zombie camps, the disfunctional and predatory healthcare system, the incessant and consistent child deaths to guns in schools isn't somehow "third world".

Notice that your comment doesn't deal at all with the topic at hand or anything I said. Like, what's your point? The USA isn't any better to live in than a country like Nepal? Cause that is just...so ignorant and insulting to people that can't get out of those countries...its really hard to describe how insensitive you are being by saying something like that.

Im fully aware of the 3rd world conditions in the USA. Its why I choose to remain in Canada (which has its own 3rd world conditions if you look for them), and have voted for the far left party each election ive been able to vote in!

Lol no. How do you get that from my comment. There's a huge difference between 0 immigration and uncontrolled immigration and you guys aren't helping anyone by jumping to these ridiculous conclusions.

Heartless because we control immigration?

Guess that makes the Japanese, the Koreans, the Chinese, the Indians, the Eastern Europeans and most of the stable Middle East heartless humans.

'Heartless" cause CNN told them it was.

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