4 ms·

it's crazy that US puts the best and brightest immigrants through lots of hell, when other immigrants can just walk through the southern border of America, or f

it's crazy that US puts the best and brightest immigrants through lots of hell, when other immigrants can just walk through the southern border of America, or fly into US and just stay and setup a decent and quiet life and, don't have to deal with the hoops of proper immigration And for that matter, that applies to immigrants to Italy, Canada, England, etc etc

yellow_postit 3y ago
We really need a points based and much simpler system in the US
etchalon 3y ago
It turns out doing things the "correct" way is harder than just not doing that.
howlingfantods 3y ago
I think you’re underestimating the agony of a overland trek through Central America…
sunshowers 3y ago
I was on an H-1B for 10 years. Please don't minimize the ordeals unauthorized immigrants have to go through. https://www.cfr.org/article/crossing-darien-gap-migrants-risk-death-journey-us https://www.cfr.org/article/crossing-darien-gap-migrants-ris...
bdcravens 3y ago
The H1B system isn't about getting bright minds into the US, it's about filling gaps in US worker skills. It's not meant to benefit immigrants, but US companies.
- colechristensen 3y ago
  What it is actually about is cheaper labor. Without H1-B companies would have to compete more for talent and invest in more education and promote their in demand careers to young Americans. I would much rather see FAANG invest in opportunities for inner city and poor rural high schools… programs to support bringing up people already in this country. Rather than siphoning off the best and most ambitious people from poor countries who need those people’s talents. I can’t blame anyone for chasing the best opportunities for themselves and their families though. I do not like how H1-B alters the game and who loses as a result.
rdtsc 3y ago
You can walk through as well, or rather drive. Just have to plan ahead and have a plausible asylum story. After the war with Ukraine started there was a wave of Russians coming in through the South border. They fly to Mexico or other nearby country, buy a used car with California plates and pretend to be Americans while in line. As soon as they get a over the border to the checkpoint they say “we request political asylum”. Them they get detained for some time and released into the US. There is a whole network of “helpers” who get paid to organize all of it.
psychlops 3y ago
The article is mostly about the lottery, which is really anybody who submits an application. Not necessarily the best and brightest.
cool_dude85 3y ago
Are H-1Bs the "best and brightest"? Or just for companies willing to game the system to get qualified candidates they can treat like garbage? As far as I know, the system usually relies on essentially phony job postings made specifically not to get filled (despite, in general, plenty of perfectly qualified applicants who'd otherwise apply). Then, the employees are sort of tied to the employer and can be made to work long hours for substandard pay. Nowhere in the process seems to select for "the best and brightest" as far as I understand.
- belltaco 3y ago
  > As far as I know, the system usually relies on essentially phony job postings made specifically not to get filled (despite, in general, plenty of perfectly qualified applicants who'd otherwise apply) You're confusing green card applications and H1B, as has been tradition on tech forums since decades.
- screye 3y ago
  Other than premier pure researchers and university professors, every immigrant programmer I know came here on an H1b. This includes the brightest and best programmers I know.
  - cool_dude85 3y ago
    I grew up in Miami and met a great many nice people who came to the US on a boat from Cuba. But the process of coming on a boat does not in any way select for nice people. The H1b program does have some method of selecting for qualification (i.e., you must have a bachelor's degree) but no method of selecting for the "best and brightest." The fact that some of the best and brightest may come in that way is true but irrelevant if the process itself doesn't select for it at all.
    - screye 3y ago
      Oh for sure. The H1B process is completely broken and in dire need of revision. I was talking about how the O-1 is not a sufficient or even ideal visa for extraordinary STEM practitioners. It only selects for a sliver of the overall extraordinary talent pool.

yellow_postit 3y ago

We really need a points based and much simpler system in the US

etchalon 3y ago

It turns out doing things the "correct" way is harder than just not doing that.

howlingfantods 3y ago

I think you’re underestimating the agony of a overland trek through Central America…

sunshowers 3y ago

I was on an H-1B for 10 years. Please don't minimize the ordeals unauthorized immigrants have to go through. https://www.cfr.org/article/crossing-darien-gap-migrants-risk-death-journey-us https://www.cfr.org/article/crossing-darien-gap-migrants-ris...

bdcravens 3y ago

The H1B system isn't about getting bright minds into the US, it's about filling gaps in US worker skills. It's not meant to benefit immigrants, but US companies.

colechristensen 3y ago
What it is actually about is cheaper labor. Without H1-B companies would have to compete more for talent and invest in more education and promote their in demand careers to young Americans. I would much rather see FAANG invest in opportunities for inner city and poor rural high schools… programs to support bringing up people already in this country. Rather than siphoning off the best and most ambitious people from poor countries who need those people’s talents. I can’t blame anyone for chasing the best opportunities for themselves and their families though. I do not like how H1-B alters the game and who loses as a result.

rdtsc 3y ago

You can walk through as well, or rather drive. Just have to plan ahead and have a plausible asylum story. After the war with Ukraine started there was a wave of Russians coming in through the South border. They fly to Mexico or other nearby country, buy a used car with California plates and pretend to be Americans while in line. As soon as they get a over the border to the checkpoint they say “we request political asylum”. Them they get detained for some time and released into the US. There is a whole network of “helpers” who get paid to organize all of it.

psychlops 3y ago

The article is mostly about the lottery, which is really anybody who submits an application. Not necessarily the best and brightest.

cool_dude85 3y ago

Are H-1Bs the "best and brightest"? Or just for companies willing to game the system to get qualified candidates they can treat like garbage? As far as I know, the system usually relies on essentially phony job postings made specifically not to get filled (despite, in general, plenty of perfectly qualified applicants who'd otherwise apply). Then, the employees are sort of tied to the employer and can be made to work long hours for substandard pay. Nowhere in the process seems to select for "the best and brightest" as far as I understand.

belltaco 3y ago
> As far as I know, the system usually relies on essentially phony job postings made specifically not to get filled (despite, in general, plenty of perfectly qualified applicants who'd otherwise apply) You're confusing green card applications and H1B, as has been tradition on tech forums since decades.
screye 3y ago
Other than premier pure researchers and university professors, every immigrant programmer I know came here on an H1b. This includes the brightest and best programmers I know.
- cool_dude85 3y ago
  I grew up in Miami and met a great many nice people who came to the US on a boat from Cuba. But the process of coming on a boat does not in any way select for nice people. The H1b program does have some method of selecting for qualification (i.e., you must have a bachelor's degree) but no method of selecting for the "best and brightest." The fact that some of the best and brightest may come in that way is true but irrelevant if the process itself doesn't select for it at all.
  - screye 3y ago
    Oh for sure. The H1B process is completely broken and in dire need of revision. I was talking about how the O-1 is not a sufficient or even ideal visa for extraordinary STEM practitioners. It only selects for a sliver of the overall extraordinary talent pool.