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U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

wsj.com

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Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#261

Post by 999900000999 »

doug_durham wrote: post #214
jimbo808 wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hire Americans? Hundreds of thousands of tech workers have been laid off in the last two years. There are many skilled Americans on the job market. Foreign workers are here for the benefit of the United States, not as charity to the rest of the world, or as a source of cheaper labor for global employers seeking to undercut American wages.

It's clear you are not a hiring manager. There aren't thousands of highly qualified engineers looking for work. I can't tell if this a troll post or not.

I’m very pro immigration, but “Americans are lazy and stupid , thus unfit for hiring” isn’t a winning argument.

Tons of Americans are out of work. I’ve personally seen my wages drop by at least 20$ an hour as well as the work being less stable.

Gasp, you might need to train someone a bit or have employees that will say no if you ask them to work on Christmas.

If I ran the H1B program it would be an unrestricted work permit with an automatic pathway to a GC after 5 years. Don’t get *convicted* of a felony and here you go.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#263

Post by dasyatidprime »

dgellow wrote: post #171
unselect5917 wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who cares when I can sell BTC to USD in seconds?

So, it really doesn’t matter that your job is paid in BTC, given that you could just convert your USD income to BTC whenever you want

That doesn't follow. I'm pretty sure they're talking about the effect of nominal wage stickiness: you're not constantly renegotiating your rate, so when there's fluctuations in relative value, it matters what unit the original number is denominated in. Compare with the case of a US expat being paid a steady salary in USD and converting to the local currency to make purchases, if you want an example with a similar mechanic but very different intuitive feel and practicalities.

(I'm not sure they're right about the overall effect though.)

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#264

Post by sjtgraham »

HeavenFox wrote: post #220
OptionOfT wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

H1-B and L1 can actually be done in-country, but for some reading going abroad and get consular processing has a lower chance of RFE.

You are talking about change (or extension) of status, not visa. US is unique in that the visa sticker and your right to remain in the country (status) are two different things. The only purpose of the visa sticker is to allow you to travel to a U.S. port of entry, where you apply for admission, and therefore legal status. You can have legal status in the U.S. while the visa sticker has expired, and your status can b…

There actually is a pilot to renew h1-b visa foils while in the US without a consular appointment.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#265

Post by OutOfHere »

orthecreedence wrote: post #160
DataDive wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or as the saying goes: nothing is more permanent than a temporary solution.

Also, lol @ "the courts will fix it!" Fat fucking chance. I'm looking into my crystal ball: I see a 6-3 supreme court ruling supporting the administration's executive order to liquidate congressional power and fold it into the executive branch (as the founding fathers intended...)

If you believe such nonsense, go bet on it on Polymarket. Put your money where your mouth is. Don't post such ridiculous assertions here.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#266

Post by a_bonobo »

maxgashkov wrote: post #255
HeavenFox wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are talking about change (or extension) of status, not visa. US is unique in that the visa sticker and your right to remain in the country (status) are two different things. The only purpose of the visa sticker is to allow you to travel to a U.S. port of entry, where you apply for admission, and therefore legal status. You can have legal status in the U.S. while the visa sticker has expired, and your status can b…

It's not unique: Japanese system is exactly as you described.

Australia too - however, to get a renewal all you need is an online connection and a credit card, the renewal (at least for me!) goes through automatically. (Notwithstanding that Australia just increased the PR-renewal cost from ~400-500 to ~1400-1500 AUD)

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#267

Post by 10000truths »

doug_durham wrote: post #217
sinecure wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was never about talent. It's about companies hiring foreigners on h1b visas at below market wages where their life in the USA is contingent on their job performance forcing them to work harder and longer than their peers to remain in the country. It's a situation that only benefits companies, while harming US citizens who have to compete with the lower wages of foreigners.

I was a hiring manager. H1B candidates got exactly the same wage as native born. There were no differences.

Being paid the same as the other guy doesn't necessarily mean the wages themselves stayed the same. Adding H1B candidates to the talent pool exerts downward pressure on salary due to the law of supply and demand. I can't say for sure whether the allure of a green card or threat of deportation play a material factor in lowering the average salary that H1B immigrants are willing to accept. But in an environment where talent is treated as fungible (even if it isn't always so), any such downward pressure affects everyone.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#268

Post by JauntTrooper »

freediddy wrote: post #203
JauntTrooper wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're right, I fixed the wording. I don't know all the details, but I do think it's a recent change. They've been married for almost ten years. His wife and child are US born. Trump ended in-country processing and now requires almost all greencard applicants to go to a consulate abroad. My friend and his wife were surprised and nervous when they were told he'd have to leave due to this new requirement (rightfully so…

You said he hasn't seen his daughter in over a year which means he was disallowed from coming into the country since August 2025, before that in-country processing was ended. It ended in May 2026.

Almost a year. The May 2026 rule ended it for a lot of people, but they ended in-country processing for his situation/country earlier. The new rules are complicated and constantly shifting nowadays.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#269

Post by aloknnikhil »

hvb2 wrote: post #15

So for those that don't know, it's quite common for a visa renewal to be required to leave the country. Depending on the visa, you might have to do this every year. So just imagine, having a normal job in the US and you're asked to leave to renew your visa and this stuff happens. That's no more appointment, not even a new date and you're now very likely unable to work and possibly can't even enter the country to get…

Isn't this specifically for immigrant Visas? The work and student Visas (H1B / F1) are non-immigrant Visas.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#270

Post by hn_acc1 »

assemblyman wrote: post #120
JauntTrooper wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

I don't want to minimize your friend's situation. But, a spousal visa is very different from being a permanent resident (maybe I am misunderstanding). If he got it through marrying a US citizen, there's a 3-year wait for naturalization and otherwise it's a 5-year wait. Naturalization never required leaving the country, at least in my experience but things might have changed.

Confused as well - spousal visa gives them a green card, does it not? What is there to wait for? Are they postponing green card renewal as well?
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