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Tech companies are telling immigrant employees on visas not to leave the U.S.

178 points by prtaylor 2y ago

xqcgrek2 2y ago
[flagged]
- throwaway5752 2y ago
  Regardless of your opinions of guest worker visas, they are here voluntarily on legal visas. The immigration lawyers at these companies are advising them they may not be allowed to reenter, for no cause. It is a disgrace to the honor of America.
  - hello_computer 2y ago
    [flagged]
  - betaby 2y ago
    > legal visas US government often disagrees. https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/indian-corporation-pays-record-34-million-fine-settle-allegations-systemic-visa-fraud https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/indian-corporation-pays-re... https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/indian-management-consulting-firm-agrees-25-million-global-settlement-north-texas https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/indian-management-consulti... https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/houston-consulting-company-admits-h-1b-visa-fraud-conspiracy https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/houston-consulting-comp...
    - compiler-guy 2y ago
      No one is claiming that everyone is on a legal visa or that companies don’t break the law. The argument is that reentry, even if you are legal right now, might be denied for reasons which wouldn’t have gotten you even a sideways look six months ago. Which surely you don’t disagree?
      - orochimaaru 2y ago
        I'm not sure. The media is pointing out specific cases but the question is what % of travelers on visa made it in/out without trouble. There is heightened focus on enforcement. They may have trained their software to have a lower threshold of social media posts for entry. So, I do believe that you're at risk if you've made controversial statements not in line with what US considers as friendly behavior.
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
        lazyasciiart 2y ago
        Or if you have a criminal conviction of any kind that is many years old and was known on the application that got you the visa, like the German and Filipina residents. So the rules have changed - they are now saying that visas valid at the time of approval should never have been approved based on the circumstances at the time.
        jimmydoe 2y ago
        Rules change every other day to keep deporting immigrants in the news, so American public believe trump is delivering his campaign promises which is against immigration. Whats funny here is deporting a legal German is much easier and 100x louder in the news than deporting “illegals”, that’s why in the end he’s deporting less in total than late stage Biden admin https://www.axios.com/2025/04/01/immigrant-removals-deportations-trump https://www.axios.com/2025/04/01/immigrant-removals-deportat...
  - SanjayMehta 2y ago
    At two different US companies I had to attend training led by a lawyer on how to file H1b and L1 applications, how to write recruitment ads and coaching visa applicants for their interviews. Both training programmes were surprisingly similar, even two years apart. No notes were allowed. No slides. Even the call for attendance was verbal and in person. This is a US corporation problem, not the US government’s.
    - lazyasciiart 2y ago
      The government wrote the rules those classes are teaching you to meet.
      - toomuchtodo 2y ago
        Perhaps the last government, but not this one.
        throwaway5752 2y ago
        That should not be the case, and your saying this is an indication of how far America has fallen. You can just look at the Afghanistan withdrawal. That was executed by the 2020-2024 administration to complete an agreement signed by the 2016-2020 administration. It was unpopular and a bad outcome, but the 2020-2024 administration realized a country had to keep its word, even with the Taliban. If the word of America is not honored that is exactly the disgrace I'm talking about. A nation's word - the treaties they sign, the contracts or agreements they make with people of other countries - has to be honored. Like the conditions of visas. An administration can change future agreements or renegotiate within the frameworks it agreed to, but it should honor existing agreements. That is one of the many ways a government is not like a corporation.
        toomuchtodo 2y ago
        I agree there is merit to this reasoning around trust and promises between nations, but I don’t believe it applies in this case, which was a wink and a nudge around using “legal” immigration and visa policy to suppress wages and disempower domestic workers, to the benefit of imported labor and capital. Bad faith agreements warrant no continuity or protection, but people should still always be treated humanely when the rules change.
  - zombiwoof 2y ago
    [flagged]
- viraptor 2y ago
  It's not "don't leave", but "don't put yourself in a situation there you have to reenter". It's in neither party's interest to be in that situation.
  - toomuchtodo 2y ago
    What happens if and when ICE starts rounding visa holders up to deport? No snark intended, this is a genuine question based on all available evidence. I don’t endorse such action at all, but we are existing in exceptional times and the discussion is important. “If you stay, what are you getting yourself into?” is a serious question to ask and to manage the risk around.
    - zombiwoof 2y ago
      All somebody needs to do in this climate is call ICE, say their coworker sympathizes with Hamas. They overheard them at work. Watch how fast the law doesn’t protect them Unless they work for Elon
    - Taniwha 2y ago
      At the moment it looks like they are snatching people off the street, they're already rounding up people to deport, no "your visa has been cancelled, you have 30 days to leave" more people in masks snatching you off the street
    - ok_dad 2y ago
      > What happens if and when ICE starts rounding visa holders up to deport? Read the news, it's already happening. One video I saw showed a woman (a PhD student in a legal visa) being surrounded by plainclothes officers with neck gaiters over their faces and they took her away in an unmarked car. Her family hired a lawyer who still hasn't contacted her though they claim she's in a specific facility in Mississippi. Her crime? Speaking out against Israel. If the first amendment is dead, hopefully the second can save us. https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/29/us/rumeysa-ozturk-tufts-university-arrest-saturday/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/29/us/rumeysa-ozturk-tufts-unive...
viraptor 2y ago
https://archive.is/IVNIR https://archive.is/IVNIR
BuckRogers 2y ago
[flagged]
- mach5 2y ago
  [flagged]
- 01HNNWZ0MV43FF 2y ago
  [flagged]
- Calavar 2y ago
  > Brighter days ahead once again for the descendants of those that settled, built, and fought for this country. A very 1920s vibe in the 2020s, which makes me sad that we've slid this far back, that so many Americans no longer believe that the melting pot is a good idea even in theory.
  - john_texas 2y ago
    [flagged]
  - neverbehind 2y ago
    The melting pot idea clearly benefits some groups more than others. It should come as no surprise when the groups that it does not benefit start questioning the origin of that idea and who is pushing it in the first place.
  - BuckRogers 2y ago
    [flagged]
- occz 2y ago
  Fear not, once Trump is done, the U.S will have lost its position as a superpower and along with it all of its wealth and influence.
  - b59831 2y ago
    [dead]
Teever 2y ago
I'm super interested to see what the next HN thread with that proberts lawyer dude is like. I found the commentary in the last post from him to be pretty meagre, whether it was because people were afraid to talk about this kind of stuff or they just didn't know, I'm not sure, but it seems like reality is quickly setting in for a lot of people in the US. Things are changing and they're changing fast. You won't be able to ignore this forever.
- MPSFounder 2y ago
  The most interesting thing I see is people overestimate how resilient the system is. Unfortunately, this is at the whim of a president, who with a majority in the court, dictates the law. With a ban or at his whim, even legal residents can find themselves out. We tend to think the system is resilient to this, but ultimately it really isn't. Scholars cannot even agree on whether these tech workers are entitled to the amendments (since they are not citizens, despite living in the US). Much of this was eye opening for me, and is used by Rubio as a basis to deport the Korean girl and the Columbia guy (also a Harvard student as of yesterday). The law is unfortunately very vague and thus open to interpretation (which is ultimately subject to the commander in chief, the current clown)
  - tomohelix 2y ago
    Wait until they declare nonresidents are not entitled to properties in the US and seize all bank accounts and 401k, USSR style. The scariest thing, and most absurd to me, is that even though I made that joke just 1 minute ago, now that I think about it, it is not completely impossible in this current political climate... I dread to think about what the US will be 10 years from now. Trump is not the problem. He is a solution, or claimed to be, to the ailments that plague the US. The people here want change, they know something is rotten but they don't even know what is the problem with so many lies and misdirection and days to days burdens they have to bear. So Trump become their cry for help. It is just sad and tragic. Truly something for the history book, if we ever get there.
    - smallmancontrov 2y ago
Yeul 2y ago
Funny thing is that getting a visa for China is now more seemless than it has ever been and they love my euros.
- Taniwha 2y ago
  Yup, visa condition for me to China are the same as to the US and they aren't likely to search my phone (I've crossed that border dozens of times with barely a hiccup, just a smile)
- lurk2 2y ago
  China detained two Canadians for almost three years in retaliation for Canada cooperating on a US warrant for Meng Wanzhou. They can make you disappear in the way that people in this thread are pretending the Americans can. It is not safe to travel there.
  - ok_dad 2y ago
    You mean like how the CIA flew around doing “extraordinary rendition” during the turn of the millennium? Yea, that’s a shitty thing to do, hopefully all the people of the world can get better governments.
  - ffsm8 2y ago
    > pretending the Americans can Pretending? Dude, there are super public and well covered cases were the US did not only that but even worse, i.e. MEGAs illegal CEO abduction from their home soil in the 2010s for a particularly egregious example
    - lurk2 2y ago
      > MEGAs illegal CEO abduction from their home soil in the 2010s for a particularly egregious example I’m assuming you’re referring to Kim Dotcom since I can’t find any other reference to what you are describing. Kim was not abducted; he was arrested in by New Zealand police in 2012, and has since been fighting in court to avoid extradition to the United States. There was nothing illegal about this; it all went through the court system.
brcmthrowaway 2y ago
If you are on H1b, buy a burner phone before you leave and enter the country. Should he fine.
- tacticalturtle 2y ago
  If they’re checking phones, having a burner phone with no or few contacts seems like a great way to arouse suspicion at the border.
  - mixmastamyk 2y ago
    A newly purchased phone is not a problem.
    - downrightmike 2y ago
      And just smash it
  - tzs 2y ago
    Anyone returning to the US necessarily had to earlier leave the US for some other country or countries. If you are asked upon returning the US why you have a burner phone with few contacts say that it is because you didn't trust one or more of those other countries.
- OccamsMirror 2y ago
  Assuming they let you back in.
xfp 2y ago
Given all the remote work tech that the pandemic helped mature, the answer seems obvious.
- salawat 2y ago
  Seems but isn't due to the way taxation/jurisdiction/licensure works. Where you are doing your work from and where the benefactor of that work are make a big difference. Example: Doctors can't telehealth over State lines. Lawyers likewise. Employers aren't supposed to allow migrant workers to work from across state lines from their address of record. A great deal of draconian control is actually implemented through employment and licensure law, and as with most things in real life, come bundled with a surprising amount of detail. Part of why I've become particularly dissatisfied with the U.S. as of late, as so much of it is predicated on actually keeping you locked into one geographical location.
  - mlinhares 2y ago
    Doctors can definitely telehealth through state lines, they only need to get license approval from the specific states.
    - chneu 2y ago
      I believe it depends on the state. I'm not positive but my therapist friends can only operate in certain states remotely.
  - lurk2 2y ago
    > so much of it is predicated on actually keeping you locked ino one geographical location. Most of the digital nomad hubs have the same laws with regards to worker protections and tax residency; they're just too poor to enforce them. The same is true of the workers themselves. In the 2010s I remember seeing a lot of guys bragging about having virtual assistants in the Philippines. This was probably illegal on both sides of the transaction the way that they had it set up, the issue is that the people working these jobs do not have the resources to pursue a case against a US-based employer; that's assuming they have the knowledge and motivation necessary to sue the employer in the first place. I'm not as libertarian as I once was, but these kinds of arrangements are a no-brainer; it's all of the upside of the free movement of labor with none of the downside of that labor being physically relocated.
zombiwoof 2y ago
[flagged]
- lazyasciiart 2y ago
  There is an enormous and visible difference between “not getting a visa” and “getting a visa, relying on it, moving to a new country, and being told that the legal system of the new country has turned to slime and your visa may or may not still be valid”. I’d be interested in hearing about when other countries have done that, if you know of any.
- occz 2y ago
  No countries readily jail people who have the legal right to enter that country as the U.S is currently doing, but if you wish, a reciprocal policy for U.S citizens traveling abroad can certainly be arranged.
  - HEmanZ 2y ago
    Sure they do. In places like, Russia. You know, places to look up to.
  - toast0 2y ago
    Having a visa doesn't give you the right to enter. I don't think permanent residency does either. It's always at the discretion of the immigration officer and there's no recourse if they don't let you in. Personally, I don't think it's generally reasonable to jail at entry when denying entry is an option. The case where the UK tourist was denied entry to Canada from the US and then was jailed in the US is a case where denying entry isn't really possible, because if neither side of a land border will allow entry, what do uou do... but then it shouldn't have taken more than a couple days to make arrangements for her to fly home on her own dime.
  - wetpaws 2y ago
    [dead]
- trchek 2y ago
  [dead]
sjtgraham 2y ago
[flagged]
- simonw 2y ago
  H1B is a dual-intent visa, which means holders are allowed to pursue permanent residency (upgrading them to an immigrant by the US legal definition) by applying for a green card. Most people use the term "immigrant" for people who have chosen to live in another country without considering the "non-immigrant" status of their visa.
  - parineum 2y ago
    Is there some rule that says other people aren't allowed to pursue a green card? That doesn't seem like a differentiator to me. That's a real question, I have no idea how any of it really works in the practical sense.
    - wahnfrieden 2y ago
      TN can’t
    - sashank_1509 2y ago
      Yes, there are visas Like L1 Visa where you can work in US but never apply for a Green Card, and this is considered a non immigrant visa while H1b is considered a dual intent visa. Which is why regularly people who come in on L1, separately participate in the H1b lottery!
      - zepton 2y ago
        L-1 is dual intent.
    - simonw 2y ago
      Yeah, see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_intent https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_intent > Persons with H-1B visas (for specialty workers and their spouses and minor children with H-4 visas), K visas (for fiancees or foreign spouses of US citizens and their minor children), L visas (for corporate transferees and their spouses and minor children), and V visas (spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents) are permitted to have dual intent under the Immigration and Nationality Act.[1] > Most other foreign visitors and workers, like those on H-2B worker, H-3 trainee/worker, B-1 business, B-2 tourist, Visa Waiver Program visitor, F-1 student, J-1 exchange visitor, M-1 student, journalism, and entertainer visas should not have immigrant intent. Such visa holders can be denied admission if the consular or port official reasonably believes that they have interest in permanently remaining in the United States (i.e., in pursuing a green card).
murphyslab 2y ago
It's what their lawyers are advising them. The Globe and Mail had a piece on March 25th on the advice that lawyers were giving to their clients, often Canadians working on TN visas down south: > York-based immigration law firm Dyer Harris LLP, which helps foreigners secure work visas in the U.S., sent an e-mail to their clients residing and working in the country to hold off on international travel altogether, unless in an emergency. Lawyers advise Canadians working in U.S. to avoid travel amid border crackdown, The Globe and Mail, 2025-03-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20250325223021/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-lawyers-advise-canadians-working-in-us-to-avoid-travel-amid-border/ https://web.archive.org/web/20250325223021/https://www.thegl...
- neom 2y ago
  Yeah I run a startup accelerator out of the back of a Canadian law firm, saw a note from the GC of the firm reminding the lawyers not to do non-essential work cross border and to take firm issued blank laptops and phones across. Clearly being taken seriously.
smt88 2y ago
It's ironic that Silicon Valley's CEOs are now getting exactly what their candidate promised them. Where is the pushback against this from Musk and Ellison?
- toomuchtodo 2y ago
  “For my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law.”
- jimmydoe 2y ago
  Tech right was in conflict with MAGA on H1B a few months ago, and they lost. Vance recently tried to put a truce between them https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future-daily/2025/03/18/vance-seeks-peace-between-maga-populists-and-techs-right-00236437 https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future-daily/20...
  - justin66 2y ago
    There is no diplomatic situation that cannot be made at least a little worse by the presence of JD Vance.
nice_byte 2y ago
at this point, what's even the point of immigrating here? if you're still young and haven't rooted yourself to this place (no family / house / significant other), I'd advise to leave and look to build a life in a different country. the best years of your life would be better lived elsewhere.
- pacomerh 2y ago
  Yes that's true, I really don't know what the endgame is for this new admin. Growing up south of the border we always knew the beauty of this country was richness in cultural diversity. It seems like we're going backwards now?.
  - jimmydoe 2y ago
    End game is to stay in power, to stay in power means to deliver your campaign promises to expel immigrants which is what trump is doing and, despite many here don’t like that, relatively well received by American public. https://www.axios.com/2025/03/31/trump-us-adults-approval-rating-immigration-economy https://www.axios.com/2025/03/31/trump-us-adults-approval-ra...
- 93po 2y ago
  There are still massive benefits to living and working in the US despite the fact that it's also uniquely problematic. Incomes for some/many areas of work are extremely high here compared to the rest of the world, and despite the narrative of corporate news that the world is literally on fire, the general day to day of most Americans is pretty unimpacted.
appleaday1 2y ago
https://stoph1b.com https://stoph1b.com
joshcsimmons 2y ago
Strange - an unusual amount of comments flagged. Hacker News is becoming more like Reddit by the day it seems.

178 points by prtaylor 2y ago

xqcgrek2 2y ago

[flagged]

throwaway5752 2y ago
Regardless of your opinions of guest worker visas, they are here voluntarily on legal visas. The immigration lawyers at these companies are advising them they may not be allowed to reenter, for no cause. It is a disgrace to the honor of America.
- hello_computer 2y ago
  [flagged]
- betaby 2y ago
  > legal visas US government often disagrees. https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/indian-corporation-pays-record-34-million-fine-settle-allegations-systemic-visa-fraud https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/indian-corporation-pays-re... https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/indian-management-consulting-firm-agrees-25-million-global-settlement-north-texas https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/indian-management-consulti... https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/houston-consulting-company-admits-h-1b-visa-fraud-conspiracy https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/houston-consulting-comp...
  - compiler-guy 2y ago
    No one is claiming that everyone is on a legal visa or that companies don’t break the law. The argument is that reentry, even if you are legal right now, might be denied for reasons which wouldn’t have gotten you even a sideways look six months ago. Which surely you don’t disagree?
    - orochimaaru 2y ago
      I'm not sure. The media is pointing out specific cases but the question is what % of travelers on visa made it in/out without trouble. There is heightened focus on enforcement. They may have trained their software to have a lower threshold of social media posts for entry. So, I do believe that you're at risk if you've made controversial statements not in line with what US considers as friendly behavior.
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
      - lazyasciiart 2y ago
        Or if you have a criminal conviction of any kind that is many years old and was known on the application that got you the visa, like the German and Filipina residents. So the rules have changed - they are now saying that visas valid at the time of approval should never have been approved based on the circumstances at the time.
        jimmydoe 2y ago
        Rules change every other day to keep deporting immigrants in the news, so American public believe trump is delivering his campaign promises which is against immigration. Whats funny here is deporting a legal German is much easier and 100x louder in the news than deporting “illegals”, that’s why in the end he’s deporting less in total than late stage Biden admin https://www.axios.com/2025/04/01/immigrant-removals-deportations-trump https://www.axios.com/2025/04/01/immigrant-removals-deportat...
- SanjayMehta 2y ago
  At two different US companies I had to attend training led by a lawyer on how to file H1b and L1 applications, how to write recruitment ads and coaching visa applicants for their interviews. Both training programmes were surprisingly similar, even two years apart. No notes were allowed. No slides. Even the call for attendance was verbal and in person. This is a US corporation problem, not the US government’s.
  - lazyasciiart 2y ago
    The government wrote the rules those classes are teaching you to meet.
    - toomuchtodo 2y ago
      Perhaps the last government, but not this one.
      - throwaway5752 2y ago
        That should not be the case, and your saying this is an indication of how far America has fallen. You can just look at the Afghanistan withdrawal. That was executed by the 2020-2024 administration to complete an agreement signed by the 2016-2020 administration. It was unpopular and a bad outcome, but the 2020-2024 administration realized a country had to keep its word, even with the Taliban. If the word of America is not honored that is exactly the disgrace I'm talking about. A nation's word - the treaties they sign, the contracts or agreements they make with people of other countries - has to be honored. Like the conditions of visas. An administration can change future agreements or renegotiate within the frameworks it agreed to, but it should honor existing agreements. That is one of the many ways a government is not like a corporation.
        toomuchtodo 2y ago
        I agree there is merit to this reasoning around trust and promises between nations, but I don’t believe it applies in this case, which was a wink and a nudge around using “legal” immigration and visa policy to suppress wages and disempower domestic workers, to the benefit of imported labor and capital. Bad faith agreements warrant no continuity or protection, but people should still always be treated humanely when the rules change.
- zombiwoof 2y ago
  [flagged]
viraptor 2y ago
It's not "don't leave", but "don't put yourself in a situation there you have to reenter". It's in neither party's interest to be in that situation.
- toomuchtodo 2y ago
  What happens if and when ICE starts rounding visa holders up to deport? No snark intended, this is a genuine question based on all available evidence. I don’t endorse such action at all, but we are existing in exceptional times and the discussion is important. “If you stay, what are you getting yourself into?” is a serious question to ask and to manage the risk around.
  - zombiwoof 2y ago
    All somebody needs to do in this climate is call ICE, say their coworker sympathizes with Hamas. They overheard them at work. Watch how fast the law doesn’t protect them Unless they work for Elon
  - Taniwha 2y ago
    At the moment it looks like they are snatching people off the street, they're already rounding up people to deport, no "your visa has been cancelled, you have 30 days to leave" more people in masks snatching you off the street
  - ok_dad 2y ago
    > What happens if and when ICE starts rounding visa holders up to deport? Read the news, it's already happening. One video I saw showed a woman (a PhD student in a legal visa) being surrounded by plainclothes officers with neck gaiters over their faces and they took her away in an unmarked car. Her family hired a lawyer who still hasn't contacted her though they claim she's in a specific facility in Mississippi. Her crime? Speaking out against Israel. If the first amendment is dead, hopefully the second can save us. https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/29/us/rumeysa-ozturk-tufts-university-arrest-saturday/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/29/us/rumeysa-ozturk-tufts-unive...

viraptor 2y ago

https://archive.is/IVNIR https://archive.is/IVNIR

BuckRogers 2y ago

[flagged]

mach5 2y ago
[flagged]
01HNNWZ0MV43FF 2y ago
[flagged]
Calavar 2y ago
> Brighter days ahead once again for the descendants of those that settled, built, and fought for this country. A very 1920s vibe in the 2020s, which makes me sad that we've slid this far back, that so many Americans no longer believe that the melting pot is a good idea even in theory.
- john_texas 2y ago
  [flagged]
- neverbehind 2y ago
  The melting pot idea clearly benefits some groups more than others. It should come as no surprise when the groups that it does not benefit start questioning the origin of that idea and who is pushing it in the first place.
- BuckRogers 2y ago
  [flagged]
occz 2y ago
Fear not, once Trump is done, the U.S will have lost its position as a superpower and along with it all of its wealth and influence.
- b59831 2y ago
  [dead]

Teever 2y ago

I'm super interested to see what the next HN thread with that proberts lawyer dude is like. I found the commentary in the last post from him to be pretty meagre, whether it was because people were afraid to talk about this kind of stuff or they just didn't know, I'm not sure, but it seems like reality is quickly setting in for a lot of people in the US. Things are changing and they're changing fast. You won't be able to ignore this forever.

MPSFounder 2y ago
The most interesting thing I see is people overestimate how resilient the system is. Unfortunately, this is at the whim of a president, who with a majority in the court, dictates the law. With a ban or at his whim, even legal residents can find themselves out. We tend to think the system is resilient to this, but ultimately it really isn't. Scholars cannot even agree on whether these tech workers are entitled to the amendments (since they are not citizens, despite living in the US). Much of this was eye opening for me, and is used by Rubio as a basis to deport the Korean girl and the Columbia guy (also a Harvard student as of yesterday). The law is unfortunately very vague and thus open to interpretation (which is ultimately subject to the commander in chief, the current clown)
- tomohelix 2y ago
  Wait until they declare nonresidents are not entitled to properties in the US and seize all bank accounts and 401k, USSR style. The scariest thing, and most absurd to me, is that even though I made that joke just 1 minute ago, now that I think about it, it is not completely impossible in this current political climate... I dread to think about what the US will be 10 years from now. Trump is not the problem. He is a solution, or claimed to be, to the ailments that plague the US. The people here want change, they know something is rotten but they don't even know what is the problem with so many lies and misdirection and days to days burdens they have to bear. So Trump become their cry for help. It is just sad and tragic. Truly something for the history book, if we ever get there.
  - smallmancontrov 2y ago

Yeul 2y ago

Funny thing is that getting a visa for China is now more seemless than it has ever been and they love my euros.

Taniwha 2y ago
Yup, visa condition for me to China are the same as to the US and they aren't likely to search my phone (I've crossed that border dozens of times with barely a hiccup, just a smile)
lurk2 2y ago
China detained two Canadians for almost three years in retaliation for Canada cooperating on a US warrant for Meng Wanzhou. They can make you disappear in the way that people in this thread are pretending the Americans can. It is not safe to travel there.
- ok_dad 2y ago
  You mean like how the CIA flew around doing “extraordinary rendition” during the turn of the millennium? Yea, that’s a shitty thing to do, hopefully all the people of the world can get better governments.
- ffsm8 2y ago
  > pretending the Americans can Pretending? Dude, there are super public and well covered cases were the US did not only that but even worse, i.e. MEGAs illegal CEO abduction from their home soil in the 2010s for a particularly egregious example
  - lurk2 2y ago
    > MEGAs illegal CEO abduction from their home soil in the 2010s for a particularly egregious example I’m assuming you’re referring to Kim Dotcom since I can’t find any other reference to what you are describing. Kim was not abducted; he was arrested in by New Zealand police in 2012, and has since been fighting in court to avoid extradition to the United States. There was nothing illegal about this; it all went through the court system.

brcmthrowaway 2y ago

If you are on H1b, buy a burner phone before you leave and enter the country. Should he fine.

tacticalturtle 2y ago
If they’re checking phones, having a burner phone with no or few contacts seems like a great way to arouse suspicion at the border.
- mixmastamyk 2y ago
  A newly purchased phone is not a problem.
  - downrightmike 2y ago
    And just smash it
- tzs 2y ago
  Anyone returning to the US necessarily had to earlier leave the US for some other country or countries. If you are asked upon returning the US why you have a burner phone with few contacts say that it is because you didn't trust one or more of those other countries.
OccamsMirror 2y ago
Assuming they let you back in.

xfp 2y ago

Given all the remote work tech that the pandemic helped mature, the answer seems obvious.

salawat 2y ago
Seems but isn't due to the way taxation/jurisdiction/licensure works. Where you are doing your work from and where the benefactor of that work are make a big difference. Example: Doctors can't telehealth over State lines. Lawyers likewise. Employers aren't supposed to allow migrant workers to work from across state lines from their address of record. A great deal of draconian control is actually implemented through employment and licensure law, and as with most things in real life, come bundled with a surprising amount of detail. Part of why I've become particularly dissatisfied with the U.S. as of late, as so much of it is predicated on actually keeping you locked into one geographical location.
- mlinhares 2y ago
  Doctors can definitely telehealth through state lines, they only need to get license approval from the specific states.
  - chneu 2y ago
    I believe it depends on the state. I'm not positive but my therapist friends can only operate in certain states remotely.
- lurk2 2y ago
  > so much of it is predicated on actually keeping you locked ino one geographical location. Most of the digital nomad hubs have the same laws with regards to worker protections and tax residency; they're just too poor to enforce them. The same is true of the workers themselves. In the 2010s I remember seeing a lot of guys bragging about having virtual assistants in the Philippines. This was probably illegal on both sides of the transaction the way that they had it set up, the issue is that the people working these jobs do not have the resources to pursue a case against a US-based employer; that's assuming they have the knowledge and motivation necessary to sue the employer in the first place. I'm not as libertarian as I once was, but these kinds of arrangements are a no-brainer; it's all of the upside of the free movement of labor with none of the downside of that labor being physically relocated.

zombiwoof 2y ago

[flagged]

lazyasciiart 2y ago
There is an enormous and visible difference between “not getting a visa” and “getting a visa, relying on it, moving to a new country, and being told that the legal system of the new country has turned to slime and your visa may or may not still be valid”. I’d be interested in hearing about when other countries have done that, if you know of any.
occz 2y ago
No countries readily jail people who have the legal right to enter that country as the U.S is currently doing, but if you wish, a reciprocal policy for U.S citizens traveling abroad can certainly be arranged.
- HEmanZ 2y ago
  Sure they do. In places like, Russia. You know, places to look up to.
- toast0 2y ago
  Having a visa doesn't give you the right to enter. I don't think permanent residency does either. It's always at the discretion of the immigration officer and there's no recourse if they don't let you in. Personally, I don't think it's generally reasonable to jail at entry when denying entry is an option. The case where the UK tourist was denied entry to Canada from the US and then was jailed in the US is a case where denying entry isn't really possible, because if neither side of a land border will allow entry, what do uou do... but then it shouldn't have taken more than a couple days to make arrangements for her to fly home on her own dime.
- wetpaws 2y ago
  [dead]
trchek 2y ago
[dead]

sjtgraham 2y ago

[flagged]

simonw 2y ago
H1B is a dual-intent visa, which means holders are allowed to pursue permanent residency (upgrading them to an immigrant by the US legal definition) by applying for a green card. Most people use the term "immigrant" for people who have chosen to live in another country without considering the "non-immigrant" status of their visa.
- parineum 2y ago
  Is there some rule that says other people aren't allowed to pursue a green card? That doesn't seem like a differentiator to me. That's a real question, I have no idea how any of it really works in the practical sense.
  - wahnfrieden 2y ago
    TN can’t
  - sashank_1509 2y ago
    Yes, there are visas Like L1 Visa where you can work in US but never apply for a Green Card, and this is considered a non immigrant visa while H1b is considered a dual intent visa. Which is why regularly people who come in on L1, separately participate in the H1b lottery!
    - zepton 2y ago
      L-1 is dual intent.
  - simonw 2y ago
    Yeah, see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_intent https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_intent > Persons with H-1B visas (for specialty workers and their spouses and minor children with H-4 visas), K visas (for fiancees or foreign spouses of US citizens and their minor children), L visas (for corporate transferees and their spouses and minor children), and V visas (spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents) are permitted to have dual intent under the Immigration and Nationality Act.[1] > Most other foreign visitors and workers, like those on H-2B worker, H-3 trainee/worker, B-1 business, B-2 tourist, Visa Waiver Program visitor, F-1 student, J-1 exchange visitor, M-1 student, journalism, and entertainer visas should not have immigrant intent. Such visa holders can be denied admission if the consular or port official reasonably believes that they have interest in permanently remaining in the United States (i.e., in pursuing a green card).

murphyslab 2y ago

It's what their lawyers are advising them. The Globe and Mail had a piece on March 25th on the advice that lawyers were giving to their clients, often Canadians working on TN visas down south: > York-based immigration law firm Dyer Harris LLP, which helps foreigners secure work visas in the U.S., sent an e-mail to their clients residing and working in the country to hold off on international travel altogether, unless in an emergency. Lawyers advise Canadians working in U.S. to avoid travel amid border crackdown, The Globe and Mail, 2025-03-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20250325223021/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-lawyers-advise-canadians-working-in-us-to-avoid-travel-amid-border/ https://web.archive.org/web/20250325223021/https://www.thegl...

neom 2y ago
Yeah I run a startup accelerator out of the back of a Canadian law firm, saw a note from the GC of the firm reminding the lawyers not to do non-essential work cross border and to take firm issued blank laptops and phones across. Clearly being taken seriously.

smt88 2y ago

It's ironic that Silicon Valley's CEOs are now getting exactly what their candidate promised them. Where is the pushback against this from Musk and Ellison?

toomuchtodo 2y ago
“For my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law.”
jimmydoe 2y ago
Tech right was in conflict with MAGA on H1B a few months ago, and they lost. Vance recently tried to put a truce between them https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future-daily/2025/03/18/vance-seeks-peace-between-maga-populists-and-techs-right-00236437 https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future-daily/20...
- justin66 2y ago
  There is no diplomatic situation that cannot be made at least a little worse by the presence of JD Vance.

nice_byte 2y ago

at this point, what's even the point of immigrating here? if you're still young and haven't rooted yourself to this place (no family / house / significant other), I'd advise to leave and look to build a life in a different country. the best years of your life would be better lived elsewhere.

pacomerh 2y ago
Yes that's true, I really don't know what the endgame is for this new admin. Growing up south of the border we always knew the beauty of this country was richness in cultural diversity. It seems like we're going backwards now?.
- jimmydoe 2y ago
  End game is to stay in power, to stay in power means to deliver your campaign promises to expel immigrants which is what trump is doing and, despite many here don’t like that, relatively well received by American public. https://www.axios.com/2025/03/31/trump-us-adults-approval-rating-immigration-economy https://www.axios.com/2025/03/31/trump-us-adults-approval-ra...
93po 2y ago
There are still massive benefits to living and working in the US despite the fact that it's also uniquely problematic. Incomes for some/many areas of work are extremely high here compared to the rest of the world, and despite the narrative of corporate news that the world is literally on fire, the general day to day of most Americans is pretty unimpacted.

appleaday1 2y ago

https://stoph1b.com https://stoph1b.com

joshcsimmons 2y ago

Strange - an unusual amount of comments flagged. Hacker News is becoming more like Reddit by the day it seems.