4 ms·

I left the US because I finally got fed up of the treatment of anyone foreign - I was working at a top US university on an international project, but every time

I left the US because I finally got fed up of the treatment of anyone foreign - I was working at a top US university on an international project, but every time I returned from a conference or field work I had to convince some not finished high school rent-a-cop at immigration that I was allowed back in. I wasn't allowed on field work in the US because the research plane flying the experiment and equipment I designed had the door to the cockpit open - and as a foreigner I couldn't get airport security clearance to be on such a flight. The bioscience people left the US long ago for countries where 4000year old mythology didn't dictate what you could work on, the physical scientists are going now. Still if you get rid of all the immigrants the US will be a world leader in beaded blankets and feather headresses.

me-too 17y ago
Similar story - back in the 90s it was next to impossible to work on an international scientific project with the USA because scientist working in US universities had to apply for the same green card quota as MS/Intel/Google etc. This year apparently it's much easier to get a green card but the feeling in academia is that it just isn't worth the hassle. In my field (nuclear physics), except for some weapons projects, it's becoming a bit of a scientific backwater.
- frossie 17y ago
  because scientist working in US universities had to apply for the same green card quota as MS/Intel/Google This doesn't mesh with my experience. They had to work within the same H1-B quota as the commercial sector. I agree that this is a serious problem in research institutions that are not affiliated with a university (universities can issue J visas for their visiting scientists and thus bypass the H1-B quota). Green cards are different in that there is a fast track for people with world-class scientific expertise. It is possible to get a green card in under a year in that category. That said, that doesn't help people in the commercial sector who are just as equally valuable to the brain trust, which was the point of the article. I think the US would benefit from a points-based immigration system like Canada and Australia have. That way you can qualify for residency independently from your employer's whim, and the government can manipulate the point value of different skills to fill holes in expertise.
potatolicious 17y ago
My brother is a Canadian evolutionary biologist and he personally has no interest in going to the US to study for the same reasons - funding and insular attitudes. He also happens to know many peers who have fled from the US to countries like Canada and Australia, where funding is actually attainable, and you don't get harassed by the pious brigade. The impression I get talking to him is that the US is fast becoming a scientific backwater, especially when it comes to basic research. Sadly, I think the "they're takin 'er jerbs!" crowd is finally having an effect.
- mrshoe 17y ago
  Finally having an effect?? Tell that to the immigrants of 200 years ago. I'm sure they'll attest that the effect was much stronger back then. The US has a ton of room for improvement on how it treats immigrants, but I think it's safe to say that the trend is actually in the right direction, not the other way around.

me-too 17y ago

Similar story - back in the 90s it was next to impossible to work on an international scientific project with the USA because scientist working in US universities had to apply for the same green card quota as MS/Intel/Google etc. This year apparently it's much easier to get a green card but the feeling in academia is that it just isn't worth the hassle. In my field (nuclear physics), except for some weapons projects, it's becoming a bit of a scientific backwater.

frossie 17y ago
because scientist working in US universities had to apply for the same green card quota as MS/Intel/Google This doesn't mesh with my experience. They had to work within the same H1-B quota as the commercial sector. I agree that this is a serious problem in research institutions that are not affiliated with a university (universities can issue J visas for their visiting scientists and thus bypass the H1-B quota). Green cards are different in that there is a fast track for people with world-class scientific expertise. It is possible to get a green card in under a year in that category. That said, that doesn't help people in the commercial sector who are just as equally valuable to the brain trust, which was the point of the article. I think the US would benefit from a points-based immigration system like Canada and Australia have. That way you can qualify for residency independently from your employer's whim, and the government can manipulate the point value of different skills to fill holes in expertise.

potatolicious 17y ago

My brother is a Canadian evolutionary biologist and he personally has no interest in going to the US to study for the same reasons - funding and insular attitudes. He also happens to know many peers who have fled from the US to countries like Canada and Australia, where funding is actually attainable, and you don't get harassed by the pious brigade. The impression I get talking to him is that the US is fast becoming a scientific backwater, especially when it comes to basic research. Sadly, I think the "they're takin 'er jerbs!" crowd is finally having an effect.

mrshoe 17y ago
Finally having an effect?? Tell that to the immigrants of 200 years ago. I'm sure they'll attest that the effect was much stronger back then. The US has a ton of room for improvement on how it treats immigrants, but I think it's safe to say that the trend is actually in the right direction, not the other way around.