3 ms·

" people who come and earn a degree in the US should have an easy option to stay and work and become citizens if they would like." No, this would immediately p

" people who come and earn a degree in the US should have an easy option to stay and work and become citizens if they would like." No, this would immediately put Universities in the business of selling citizenship. Of course they'd probably love that. Though foreign student exports have doubled in the last few years, it'd grow even faster as a source of revenue for them. The criteria for admissions in many undergrad/graduate programs is really not that high, and some schools are not very expensive at all. "we’re investing a ton in the people who come here" When foreign students pay tuition that's an export for the US, it's not so much 'the US investing in them' (though I understand many are on scholarships, and the institutions get indirect funding). There are 1.1 Million foreign students in the US, and it's a $42 Billion dollar export [1]. That's quite a lot of money (and quite a lot of people). Surely, under a 'merit based system' foreign students should get a bunch of 'points' towards the system, but a broad points-based system is by far better than a 'buy your undergrad/citizenship' program. [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/magazine/one-of-americas-most-vital-exports-education-never-goes-abroad-but-it-still-faces-threats.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/magazine/one-of-americas-...

klipt 7y ago
You can already buy US citizenship for newborns. All it costs is an air ticket and a hospital stay.
mac01021 7y ago
> The criteria for admissions in many undergrad/graduate programs is really not that high, and some schools are not very expensive at all. We could, at the same time, make standards a lot higher to obtain a student visa in the first place. I for one have no problem making it extremely hard to get a student visa or an H1. But it seems to me rather unfair to allow someone to build a life here for 6 or 8 years and then deport them. In general, a system where only the most promising individuals are awarded immigrant visas, and where it is extremely difficult and unpleasant to reside here as an illegal immigrant, but where anyone who has resided here for a given number if years (legally or otherwise) is automatically a permanent resident, might be a marked improvement over the current system. Almost all new immigrants would be economic assets, would not drive down wages for working class citizens. And at the same time the problem of the "dreamers" already here will be solved.

klipt 7y ago

You can already buy US citizenship for newborns. All it costs is an air ticket and a hospital stay.

mac01021 7y ago

> The criteria for admissions in many undergrad/graduate programs is really not that high, and some schools are not very expensive at all. We could, at the same time, make standards a lot higher to obtain a student visa in the first place. I for one have no problem making it extremely hard to get a student visa or an H1. But it seems to me rather unfair to allow someone to build a life here for 6 or 8 years and then deport them. In general, a system where only the most promising individuals are awarded immigrant visas, and where it is extremely difficult and unpleasant to reside here as an illegal immigrant, but where anyone who has resided here for a given number if years (legally or otherwise) is automatically a permanent resident, might be a marked improvement over the current system. Almost all new immigrants would be economic assets, would not drive down wages for working class citizens. And at the same time the problem of the "dreamers" already here will be solved.