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I got rejected from the lottery once! It was a while ago, at that time I had about 40% chance to "win" it. I suppose folks from India and China make up the bul

by kubb 1y ago

I got rejected from the lottery once! It was a while ago, at that time I had about 40% chance to "win" it. I suppose folks from India and China make up the bulk of the applicants, and a high percentage of the people who end up getting the visas. My life could have been completely different if I did get an H-1B. Oh for the path not taken. I hope there is someone who received it in my stead, who now is wonderfully happy and successful in the US.

sleepytimetea 1y ago
I know someone who didn't get the lottery for 3 consecutive years.
- kubb 1y ago
  Life is a series of lotteries. Where you're born, how wealthy your parents are, what genetic endowment you receive, what environment you grow up in. You have to win enough times and then you get a shot at a happy life. Is it fair? Not really. Most people lose. I also lost. But, such is the reality we live in.
  - airstrike 1y ago
    That's a bit defeatist. When discussing policy, we strive to create optimal, not random outcomes.
    - kubb 1y ago
      Realistically, policy is the outcome of the political process. There is no single optimal policy because what's considered 'optimal' depends on what you want to achieve, and these goals will vary across individuals or groups. Some people don't want anybody to come in, others want just the brain drain but nobody else, others want cheap unskilled workers, others want open borders. And this is just a small sample.
      - airstrike 1y ago
        There are still less and more optimal choices for any given goal. I can't think of any view on immigration that is favored by a lottery.
        kubb 1y ago
        I think it's a compromise between: 1. We want to do brain drain to remain a leader in science and technology. 2. We don't want immigration and we don't like immigrants. 3. We can't discriminate based on where you come from, that's racist. So let's have H1B (satisfies 1), but put a cap on it (satisfies 2), and have a lottery if the cap is exceeded (satisfies 3). There could be a better solution for reaching these goals, you could switch priorities, cancel H1B altogether, or lift the cap, or have stricter requirements, or separate caps per country of origin, or per sector, there are a lot of options. From my point of view, it's all still a lottery.

by kubb 1y ago

sleepytimetea 1y ago

I know someone who didn't get the lottery for 3 consecutive years.

kubb 1y ago
Life is a series of lotteries. Where you're born, how wealthy your parents are, what genetic endowment you receive, what environment you grow up in. You have to win enough times and then you get a shot at a happy life. Is it fair? Not really. Most people lose. I also lost. But, such is the reality we live in.
- airstrike 1y ago
  That's a bit defeatist. When discussing policy, we strive to create optimal, not random outcomes.
  - kubb 1y ago
    Realistically, policy is the outcome of the political process. There is no single optimal policy because what's considered 'optimal' depends on what you want to achieve, and these goals will vary across individuals or groups. Some people don't want anybody to come in, others want just the brain drain but nobody else, others want cheap unskilled workers, others want open borders. And this is just a small sample.
    - airstrike 1y ago
      There are still less and more optimal choices for any given goal. I can't think of any view on immigration that is favored by a lottery.
      - kubb 1y ago
        I think it's a compromise between: 1. We want to do brain drain to remain a leader in science and technology. 2. We don't want immigration and we don't like immigrants. 3. We can't discriminate based on where you come from, that's racist. So let's have H1B (satisfies 1), but put a cap on it (satisfies 2), and have a lottery if the cap is exceeded (satisfies 3). There could be a better solution for reaching these goals, you could switch priorities, cancel H1B altogether, or lift the cap, or have stricter requirements, or separate caps per country of origin, or per sector, there are a lot of options. From my point of view, it's all still a lottery.