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Reading these lines I can't help but feel how distorted & out-of-touch the author is with the facts. "Over half-a-million highly-educated and skilled immigrant

Reading these lines I can't help but feel how distorted & out-of-touch the author is with the facts. "Over half-a-million highly-educated and skilled immigrants are stuck with temporary, non-immigrant work visas like the H-1B, which don't allow them to start a company or even change jobs. Pushed to a corner, they come back to India, where the entrepreneurial climate is far from ideal." Being an Indian who chose to come back from US after couple of years, I know this is not true, but this statement is being made as if its authentic. There will always be a genuine few who are trying to start a company and stuck due to these issues. But saying that half a million can't change jobs due to this is ridiculous. They choose not to change jobs, because they want to get their permanent residency status in US. But they know it is their choice. And if ALL these are people who want to start companies & do well, I can't see why they cannot come back & do it. It is not necessary that you need to have the "perfect" environment before you start something. If you can't see a change happening, be the change yourself. If you want to do something so much, just do it anywhere.

iqster 16y ago
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.
- happyfeet 16y ago
  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.
  - intended 16y ago
    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.
    - yummyfajitas 16y ago
      According to Wikipedia, the WSJ and USA Today beat the NYT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspapers_in_the_United_States_by_circulation 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).
      - intended 16y ago
        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 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?

iqster 16y ago

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.

happyfeet 16y ago
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.
- intended 16y ago
  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.
  - yummyfajitas 16y ago
    According to Wikipedia, the WSJ and USA Today beat the NYT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspapers_in_the_United_States_by_circulation 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).
    - intended 16y ago
      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 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?