Basically, that it's a lottery, and that it's not a clear path to a green card, and all the uncertainty surrounding your situation if you are out of a job. You

Basically, that it's a lottery, and that it's not a clear path to a green card, and all the uncertainty surrounding your situation if you are out of a job. You go through all the work to land a job, and then you don't get lucky it's a year in limbo for you and your family (maybe the company sends you to another country and you get transferred with an L-1). After that, it's a decade working as an employee (with travel and work abroad restrictions) to even qualify for a Green Card. And the EMPLOYER has to do the Green Card application (with all the hoops). That restricts your movements significantly, and god forbid your employer goes through a rough patch. http://www.h1bwiki.com/green_card_application_process_workflow/ http://www.h1bwiki.com/green_card_application_process_workfl... It's very ridiculous. If you plan to build a family or grow roots in the U.S., it's extremely stressful. Sadly, the U.S. is the mecca of IT workers (no other place I know pays such high wages for IT professionals, maybe the UAE or something). As long as I can get a living wage in my country, I'll stay here (and try to sell my services to the U.S.).