5 ms·

In a country where even citizen couples can need two jobs, each, just to survive, it is frustrating that immigrants are still expected to just somehow pull it t

In a country where even citizen couples can need two jobs, each, just to survive, it is frustrating that immigrants are still expected to just somehow pull it together. Oh, and all the immigrant-heavy jobs seem to be in very expensive areas, at least for tech. Here’s a good yardstick for citizens: for any given immigrant policy X (or heck, any policy X on any subject), would you want to live that way? If “no”, the policy is Wrong. Period. These policies also keep trying to restrict immigrants without paying any attention to the benefits that companies receive, and indeed that citizens receive, when there are immigrants. First, the basic one: more people = more customers to buy stuff in your local economy, broader tax base, etc. Second, sometimes the entire presence of a site is based on filling a certain minimum number of jobs. A site with 1000 people that has 300 immigrants is not “300 stolen American jobs”, it’s +700 jobs that wouldn’t have otherwise existed for citizens; or, it’s a site that wouldn’t be able to do as much otherwise, possibly causing the entire company to fail in some way that ends up costing U.S. jobs all over the place, even at other sites. Policies should never be “death by 1000 cuts”, either. Politicians keep finding ways to make things that they don’t like unnecessarily hard, just because they haven’t found a way to kill them off entirely. Well, frankly, that kind of thing is crap.

acchow 8y ago
> Here’s a good yardstick for citizens: for any given immigrant policy X (or heck, any policy X on any subject), would you want to live that way? If “no”, the policy is Wrong. Period. We're a long way from thinking like this. First, let's get most of the country to stop treating immigrants as the enemy.
- Eridrus 8y ago
  A good chunk of the country has had a backlash to Trump's rhetoric and is actually now more pro-immigrant than before the election.
crowdpleaser 8y ago
>it is frustrating that immigrants are still expected to just somehow pull it together But understandable, companies that use H1Bs tell us that the H1B holders are highly compensated and doing work that no available Americans can do. I live in the bay area and I hear (rightfully and often) about the ways that xenophobes make life harder for immigrants (H1b / illegal / otherwise), but I never hear people commit to making the changes they can make here or prioritize the election of officials who will do things like approve enough housing to make it possible to get a 1 bedroom apartment for less than two thousand dollars in SF / Palo Alto / San Jose.
- yyyymmddhhmmss 8y ago
  >But understandable, companies that use H1Bs tell us that the H1B holders are highly compensated and doing work that no available Americans can do. And the incentives don’t line up. The employee has no responsibility to show this is the case, H1B employees are repeatedly found to be paid significantly less for equivalent work and responsibility, and the employer lock-in goes beyond the legal limits any US citizens. Misrepresenting consciousness of this problem as racism or xenophobia is a disingenuousness that people are rightfully losing patience for.
maratd 8y ago
The title on the article is wrong. H1B workers aren't immigrants and using that word in this context is wrong. H1B is a visa. They are visitors. That being said, visitors should be able to work and so should their relations if they are allowed to visit as well. One shouldn't need the blessings of the federal government to earn a living.
- KorematsuFred 8y ago
  H1B is dual intent and EAD is given only to those who have approved GC application. The need for EAD arises because of racist per country caps which apply only to India and China.
- rmk 8y ago
  H1B is classified as a dual-intent visa; as such it explicitly acknowledges that people who obtain this visa may have be allowed to immigrate into the country subject to certain conditions. http://www.americanlaw.com/dintent.html http://www.americanlaw.com/dintent.html
  - maratd 8y ago
    I am aware, but dual intent means just that. Until they file for a green card, their intent isn't known and calling them immigrants is wrong. They are not immigrating. Although they may, if they choose to.
    - pandaman 8y ago
      Many people seem to be confused and think the "intent" applies to the visa itself, not the applicant. I.e. it's issued with a dual intent for both non-immigrant status and immigrant status or something like that.
    - belltaco 8y ago
      The rule that the article talks about is only valid for folks that have already filed for green cards(thus expressing intent to immigrate) and been on work visa for 6 years+. They would be immigrants if not for the extremely long wait list.
refurb 8y ago
Policies should never be “death by 1000 cuts”, either. Politicians keep finding ways to make things that they don’t like unnecessarily hard, just because they haven’t found a way to kill them off entirely. Well, frankly, that kind of thing is crap. Not a great test. I would want to live in a place I couldn’t vote, but prohibiting immigrants from voting is good policy.
ap3 8y ago
>These policies also keep trying to restrict immigrants With H1B visa cap this is literally true When did H1B turn into a family work visa ?
- grad_ml 8y ago
  Not everyone gets h4 EAD. Someone who have approved I-140 but couldn't get Green card due to country backlog, may get EAD. So essentially these are families who have been stuck in green card limbo for years in some cases for 10+ years, because they are from India.

acchow 8y ago

> Here’s a good yardstick for citizens: for any given immigrant policy X (or heck, any policy X on any subject), would you want to live that way? If “no”, the policy is Wrong. Period. We're a long way from thinking like this. First, let's get most of the country to stop treating immigrants as the enemy.

Eridrus 8y ago
A good chunk of the country has had a backlash to Trump's rhetoric and is actually now more pro-immigrant than before the election.

crowdpleaser 8y ago

>it is frustrating that immigrants are still expected to just somehow pull it together But understandable, companies that use H1Bs tell us that the H1B holders are highly compensated and doing work that no available Americans can do. I live in the bay area and I hear (rightfully and often) about the ways that xenophobes make life harder for immigrants (H1b / illegal / otherwise), but I never hear people commit to making the changes they can make here or prioritize the election of officials who will do things like approve enough housing to make it possible to get a 1 bedroom apartment for less than two thousand dollars in SF / Palo Alto / San Jose.

yyyymmddhhmmss 8y ago
>But understandable, companies that use H1Bs tell us that the H1B holders are highly compensated and doing work that no available Americans can do. And the incentives don’t line up. The employee has no responsibility to show this is the case, H1B employees are repeatedly found to be paid significantly less for equivalent work and responsibility, and the employer lock-in goes beyond the legal limits any US citizens. Misrepresenting consciousness of this problem as racism or xenophobia is a disingenuousness that people are rightfully losing patience for.

maratd 8y ago

The title on the article is wrong. H1B workers aren't immigrants and using that word in this context is wrong. H1B is a visa. They are visitors. That being said, visitors should be able to work and so should their relations if they are allowed to visit as well. One shouldn't need the blessings of the federal government to earn a living.

KorematsuFred 8y ago
H1B is dual intent and EAD is given only to those who have approved GC application. The need for EAD arises because of racist per country caps which apply only to India and China.
rmk 8y ago
H1B is classified as a dual-intent visa; as such it explicitly acknowledges that people who obtain this visa may have be allowed to immigrate into the country subject to certain conditions. http://www.americanlaw.com/dintent.html http://www.americanlaw.com/dintent.html
- maratd 8y ago
  I am aware, but dual intent means just that. Until they file for a green card, their intent isn't known and calling them immigrants is wrong. They are not immigrating. Although they may, if they choose to.
  - pandaman 8y ago
    Many people seem to be confused and think the "intent" applies to the visa itself, not the applicant. I.e. it's issued with a dual intent for both non-immigrant status and immigrant status or something like that.
  - belltaco 8y ago
    The rule that the article talks about is only valid for folks that have already filed for green cards(thus expressing intent to immigrate) and been on work visa for 6 years+. They would be immigrants if not for the extremely long wait list.

refurb 8y ago

Policies should never be “death by 1000 cuts”, either. Politicians keep finding ways to make things that they don’t like unnecessarily hard, just because they haven’t found a way to kill them off entirely. Well, frankly, that kind of thing is crap. Not a great test. I would want to live in a place I couldn’t vote, but prohibiting immigrants from voting is good policy.

ap3 8y ago

>These policies also keep trying to restrict immigrants With H1B visa cap this is literally true When did H1B turn into a family work visa ?

grad_ml 8y ago
Not everyone gets h4 EAD. Someone who have approved I-140 but couldn't get Green card due to country backlog, may get EAD. So essentially these are families who have been stuck in green card limbo for years in some cases for 10+ years, because they are from India.