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U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

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

#531

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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 work in a global company. As an interviewer, I don't even know if the person I interview is a US citizen. I don't even know if they live in the US or another country, and I'm probably not allowed to ask. I just rate their performance. And everybody is paid the same. I think the situation is quite simple. Companies want the best candidates they can get, and the larger the recruitment pool, the better. If tomorrow yo…

If the h1bs are given access to the jobs (training and experience), then is it the American's fault that they are no longer considered "best"?

Google (and friends) famously have teams composed of a single national origin (or caste...). What does that say about their hiring bar?

Google (and friends) are already expanding the Shanghai and Zurich offices.

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

#532

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The cruelty is the point.

It’s not “cruelty” to have and enforce rules. The words “temporary” and “nonimmigrant” is plastered all over the laws that govern these visas. People shouldn’t have treated them as permanent immigration visas. And employers shouldn’t have mislead employees into thinking these were permanent immigration visas. It’s like saying that it’s “cruelty” to remove someone who uses a 2 hour parking spot as their permanent car…

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

#533

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speak for yourself, I voted for exactly these policies.

But will remain anonymous and are okay with the collateral damage. My suspicion is that competition makes you feel insecure. I was born and raised in SF, and I see this not only with immigrants but also from people who feel violated by migrants. There is a spectrum. It’s ugly, short sighted and unhelpful. It’s what it takes to make the valley, but people love pulling up ladders. At least, behind an alias, you’re will…

> But will remain anonymous and are okay with the collateral damage.

Have you worked at a tech company in 2026?

Plenty of engineers, born in India/China and working in Silicon Valley, are openly anti-immigration. And I also support them since I agree with them.

Pull up the ladder once you’ve made it.

Nothing new.

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

#534
post #145

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> to enforce artificial borders and deny everyone this basic freedom. a very postnational view, humanist in a way, lipsius or erasmus would recognize it. that sort of individuated cosmopolitanism only works for educated men and women with means, who have or have the capacity to self-actualize. not for the masses. the nation is still a cradle to protect and nurture the commonwealth, and given that they took hundreds t…

> and given that they took hundreds to sometimes thousands of years to form, i don't think borders are artificial in the least. "Borders" as they are treated today began barely 200 years ago, and only started being enforced so strictly since WW1 and then even worse after WW2. For the vast >95% of human history, if you could walk to somewhere and survive there, you could live there. The real ironic shit is that most o…

> For the vast >95% of human history, if you could walk to somewhere and survive there, you could live there

For 95% of human history we were hunter gatherers living in extremely sparsely populated areas.

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

#535

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Not until all Americans who can work have jobs

And what do you do about the people who only want to work in jobs that they're not qualified for, and who have unrealistic expectations about pay, benefits, work demands, etc.? Is every natural-born American entitled to a job that pays what they want, for the hours they want, in the location they want, regardless of their qualifications for the job?

But isn't that how market supposed to work? Company offers to pay x for the job, can't find anyone for x, so it raises salary to x+y.

I would understand logic of bringing people from other countries when there is a shortage of workers but with current market it doesn't seem to be the case.

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

#536

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It’s like saying that it’s “cruelty” to remove someone who uses a 2 hour parking spot as their permanent car parking. That's a very weak analogy for the moral issue here. The consequences are radically different; losing a parking space is a minor inconvenience; losing immigration status can/does involve relocation and upends employment, family, property, and years of life planning / general stability.

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

#537
post #101

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I think many (if not most) countries in the developed world should reduce immigration, and usa in particular should abolish birthright citizenship. The first because a lower supply of labor is going to create breathing space for an entire working population who will see tremendous job upheaval due to AI automation. A lower aggregate demand on houses, services will also be welcome to take the fuel out of inflation, an…

Birthright citizenship is a constitutional right in the US same as freedom of speech, religion, the press, and the right to sue the government. The change would require 2/3 of all states to approve a constitutional amendment. It won't ever pass. Most of us are only citizens because someone up the chain was born under this rule. My family came here in the early 1700s and fought in the revolution. It would be a disgrac…

> Birthright citizenship is a constitutional right in the US same as freedom of speech, religion, the press, and the right to sue the government.

And we can amend constitutional rights. It most definitely will happen in our lifetimes.

> Most of us are only citizens because someone up the chain was born under this rule.

And?

You think the world in 2026 is exactly the same as in 1776?

What about slavery? Good idea in 1776 therefore good idea in 2026?

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

#538

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lots of countries have temporary worker status. The requirement to leave the country to re-up it appears to be a distinctively American thing.

Is extremely common in europe and asia

In which European countries?

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

#539
post #240
post #19

the current admin are working hard to destroy the U.S as if they're foreign agents. not only are they making it hard & unbearable for families of US citizens & PR holders to be together. while at the same time - discouraging talent to come to the US at a crucial time when talent is at a premium due to A.I development. last the backwards energy policy of banning renewable energy.

These visa policies have already encouraged large tech companies etc to expand their Indian offices. It erodes the US tax base and means talent stay in their home country, which means more innovation happens outside the US. More start-ups are been founded in these countries because more talent is now there. Trump first term was make Mexico and Vietnam Great Again as companies moved their manufacturing there. This ter…

I've never worked at a company that gave offshore teams the same responsibilities as onshore employees. When shit gets real, and someone's head needs to be on the chopping block, it's always a same-shore employee. But reduced responsibility also means reduced impact. Let's see if that changes, and I'd love to see it happen, but I'm not holding my breath.

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

#540

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We'll be fine. It didn't take Germany & Japan that long after they started WWII

Who's going to conquer the United States and restore rule of law and representative government by force?

By default we'll have a change of president in 2-3 years. Like Karl Popper said, the primary strength of democracy is the ability to remove bad leaders with minimal violence.
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