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My journey through the American immigration system as a computer engineer

software.rajivprab.com

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Re: My journey through the American immigration system as a computer engineer

#181

Post by ROTMetro »

jka wrote: post #174
notch656a wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Why wouldn't you just consent to an intimate unwarranted and unjustified search of your body that is completely medically unnecessary, with the expectation that the hospital will probably send you the bill afterwards?" Every single 'search' along the way was used to fabricate evidence against me. Remember these people are professional psychopathic liers so every inch you give them, they just use it to justify someth…

I believe it, and that's a heinous series of events. Perhaps someone got confused, or there was an identity mismatch, or something. They're no excuse, but clearly something happened. It's understandable (and not necessarily wrong) to vent here, and I'm not going to ask whether you have done this already, because it's not useful to draw out an answer, but: if you can, find the relevant anti-corruption agency and repor…

Maybe 20 years ago the system worked, but it does not work currently. While I was incarcerated all of the decent COs quit or descended into drug/alcohol abuse if they had to keep the job. One was like 2 years from retirement and he just couldn't work in such a messed up system anymore. We had one counselor who actually helped people. They demoted here to a horrible work situation because she was helping people with COVID release paperwork because we had no access to the law library due to COVIDE. It was actually part of her job description to provide that help with copies (and optionally charge us per copy depending on if we were indigent), but that didn't matter. She was too helpful so she had to go.

Re: My journey through the American immigration system as a computer engineer

#182

Post by Longlius »

The complaints about national quotas are strange. The prevailing assumption that everyone outside of the US should ideally have an equal opportunity to receive permanent residency. But that's not a goal of US immigration policy.

US immigration policy is built around maintaining a diverse pool of immigrants and focusing on family reunification. Skilled labor is obviously a plus but it's of secondary concern.

Re: My journey through the American immigration system as a computer engineer

#183

Post by car_analogy »

random314 wrote: post #149
twofornone wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are foreign peoples entitled to US citizenship? Where is the obligation to make the process easy and open to everyone coming from?

Were Europeans entitled to American land 500 years ago? What did Columbus' visa application look like?

So present-day immigration is a punishment for the founding sin of the USA?

Re: My journey through the American immigration system as a computer engineer

#184

Post by BeetleB »

programmertote wrote: post #64

It took me also ~18 years to get my green card. I went through a very similar (almost identical) route as the blogger and I'm glad he documented this grueling experience. I went to college in the US; graduated in 4 years; worked with OPT for 2.5 years; went back to a PhD program because my then employer wouldn't sponsor me an H1B (according to them, they are a start-up and cannot put up with the legal burden and cost…

I don't mean to annoy you, but it sounds like it took you 6 years once you actually got a permanent job (although even 6 years is too much!). The years as a student don't really count.

Re: My journey through the American immigration system as a computer engineer

#185

Post by 22SAS »

renewiltord wrote: post #121
illplaythatgame wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure who you hang out with, but black, hispanic, and latino US citizens have a very hard time getting jobs despite having software engineering degrees. They end up in GS-5 equivalent military tech "careers" or crappy geek squad jobs.

If you have friends in each of these categories who are skilled, I’ll interview them. Job is onsite in San Francisco. Interview is leetcode style plus software design. Since it isn’t based primarily on past experience, it won’t matter that they haven’t had opportunity if they do have the skills. I’m in HFT. Only hire people I’d consider capable and I’m comfortable with our interview process. If they knock the intervi…

I am in HFT too. Your firm, Cutler Group by any chance?

Re: My journey through the American immigration system as a computer engineer

#186

Post by BeetleB »

codegeek wrote: post #61
quantumwannabe wrote: post #38

Note that India requires prospective citizens to live in the country for 12 years before applying for naturalization, and China doesn't allow non-ethnic Chinese immigration at all (only ~1500 naturalized citizens/10,000 permanent residents in the whole country of over a billion people). Something to keep in mind when people from those countries complain about the American immigration system (doesn't apply to the Sing…

I never understand this argument. If someone leaves their country to migrate, aren't they looking for a better life ? Just because India requires you to live for 12 years, Indian citizens should just shut up/put up with 18+ years of waiting because their country of origin has it worse/same ? This sounds a lot like "We gave you US citizenship. So shut up and stop criticizing the Govt because you came from a 3rd world…

I think it's simply fair to provide context and compare with other countries. While the US immigration process sucks compared to many countries, it very likely is in the top half of the world - most countries are simply worse.

I've lived in places where you have a zero chance of getting permanent residency, let alone citizenship. Even if you marry a citizen.

A friend of mine lives in a similar country. On paper there is a route to permanent residency, but no one gets it unless they're well connected to a senior government official. Lots of people living there for 30+ years who have to renew their status every few years.

In parts of Switzerland, your neighbors will vote on whether to grant you citizenship.

Of course - it is fair to criticize the US immigration process - particularly in regards to Chinese and Indians. It's also perfectly fair to be grateful that their is a path.

Re: My journey through the American immigration system as a computer engineer

#187

Post by ROTMetro »

vgatherps wrote: post #45
quantumwannabe wrote: post #38

Note that India requires prospective citizens to live in the country for 12 years before applying for naturalization, and China doesn't allow non-ethnic Chinese immigration at all (only ~1500 naturalized citizens/10,000 permanent residents in the whole country of over a billion people). Something to keep in mind when people from those countries complain about the American immigration system (doesn't apply to the Sing…

If I was born in a country with an extremely bad immigration system, I lose the right to complain about the bad-but-maybe-not-as-bad immigration system in another country that I'm trying to immigrate to?

Can you imagine anything more un-American and yet ironically American than "welcome to the USA, now shut up. Also, draconian Kafkaesk rules now govern your life for the entirety of the immigration process"

Re: My journey through the American immigration system as a computer engineer

#188

Post by valarauko »

Longlius wrote: post #171
Bhilai wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless you are a native Indian I am going to assume if your grand parents immigrated to this country and become citizens here, yes?

Not necessarily. My forebears came to this continent before there was a country, roughly 400 years ago.

For what it's worth, 400 years is about 14 generations, and would constitute several thousand direct ancestors (~ 16K). Even accounting for pedigree collapse over the generations, for the vast majority of (non-Native Americans) Americans only a tiny sliver of those ancestors would have been on the continent at the time, if any.

Re: My journey through the American immigration system as a computer engineer

#189

Post by thawaya3113 »

asdf_snar wrote: post #31

I can only say this sounds extremely accurate based on my own experience of F-1, OPT, H1B. The anxiety resonates as well. I remember getting my work authorization card and noticing that my first name and last name were switched. I remember sitting down at a train station and nearly breaking down into tears, because I was certain this mistake wouldn't be tolerated, that I'd lose my job, and have to leave the country.

USCIS famously sent a whole bunch of RFCs to people renewing their work authorizations in 2021 because a bag of application fee checks was untouched in a corner of a basement. And the RFC meant delays that compounded existing delays, which meant people with completely legal status, with no other issues had to quit their jobs and sit around doing nothing for 12-18 months, for the simple reason that USCIS was too incompetent to renew a work authorization that they had already renewed several times and couldn’t keep track of the paper checks they insist you send in.

In 2021 (I believe they are changing this now…I don’t know when it will be implemented) USCIS only accepted payment via paper checks.

Re: My journey through the American immigration system as a computer engineer

#190

Post by notch656a »

ROTMetro wrote: post #181
jka wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe it, and that's a heinous series of events. Perhaps someone got confused, or there was an identity mismatch, or something. They're no excuse, but clearly something happened. It's understandable (and not necessarily wrong) to vent here, and I'm not going to ask whether you have done this already, because it's not useful to draw out an answer, but: if you can, find the relevant anti-corruption agency and repor…

Maybe 20 years ago the system worked, but it does not work currently. While I was incarcerated all of the decent COs quit or descended into drug/alcohol abuse if they had to keep the job. One was like 2 years from retirement and he just couldn't work in such a messed up system anymore. We had one counselor who actually helped people. They demoted here to a horrible work situation because she was helping people with C…

It's also worth noting that the COs you refer to are part of a jobs pipeline that feeds into immigration related officers. Immigrants will be treated by the same COs you met while incarcerated, and this time there is not even the pretense there has been a 'justified' conviction.

Criminal 'justice' in US is in dire need of overhaul, and an actual plan on how to get our imprisonment rate down to other first world nations.

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