"Merit" is not a singular monolithic quality. Highly skilled immigrants have many meritorious qualities, like education and professional skills, which are not h

"Merit" is not a singular monolithic quality. Highly skilled immigrants have many meritorious qualities, like education and professional skills, which are not heritable and which cost money to acquire. Between an affluent child of average intellect and a clever child of modest means, both living in the developing world, the rich kid is much more likely to end up in America than the poor kid is. Gifted programs seek to screen for childhood intelligence, which is distinct both from being an immigrant and from having a good career. And, as I pointed out, being a smart kid is (in my experience) less of a factor in terms of being admitted to a gifted program than having attentive parents with free time and money.