271–280 of 355 posts
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That's weird. I met an unusually high number of US people in Kuala Lumpur.
Mileage may vary I suppose, but I am in KL right now to see my doctor and have been staying at a friend's hostel for the past week in a very touristic area. I have been socializing quite a bit and have not met a single American the entire week.
As any US Visa applicant can attest to, the DS-160 is already some of the most annoying form you have to fill - in fact for most people it's less pleasurable than doing 1040. In addition to asking for details of every school you went to, every job you had, every country you've been to, they ask you questions like this: >> Have you ever violated, or engaged in a conspiracy to violate, any law relating to controlled su…
This social media requirement is as ridiculous and I won’t be surprised if other first world countries follow suit.
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And don't get me started on the stupid fact that you cannot renew your US visa within the US, and in the end people on student/work visas have to take the pointless trip to Canada/Mexico just to get a new visa. That’s a feature, not a bug. You don’t have to kick people out if they can’t renew, you just don’t let them back in.
This is a big fear for many h1bs (atleast those who I know). What if they travel to India, and then the visa officer decides just like that to deny. What will happen to their stuff in US, their apartment, car etc? These people have done nothing wrong and have all the paperwork, still have that (irrational) fear.
This seems isolationist. Why would we want to isolate ourselves? For a country that was founded upon immigrants, that extremely benefited (and continues to) from diversity of thought and ideas, why would we want to stop that? I'm just under 30 and I still remember growing up how I was told that a major part of what made America great was the melting pot. In academia and at labs I've seen this be a huge benefit. But I…
The US grants permanent residency to roughly a million people a year already. In the past we accepted anyone who would come because so few people were willing to come. Now too many people want to come, so the selection process has to become more rigorous. I don't want to sound nativist, but there are hard limits on how many people a country can accept at once, especially one with an increasingly small pool of jobs to…
because so few people were willing to come
As any US Visa applicant can attest to, the DS-160 is already some of the most annoying form you have to fill - in fact for most people it's less pleasurable than doing 1040. In addition to asking for details of every school you went to, every job you had, every country you've been to, they ask you questions like this: >> Have you ever violated, or engaged in a conspiracy to violate, any law relating to controlled su…
And don't get me started on the stupid fact that you cannot renew your US visa within the US, and in the end people on student/work visas have to take the pointless trip to Canada/Mexico just to get a new visa. That’s a feature, not a bug. You don’t have to kick people out if they can’t renew, you just don’t let them back in.
When I was living in the US, I was on an E-3 visa and my wife was on an F-1. My visa lasted for 2 years, however my I-94 (which permits me to remain in the US) lasted for 3. My wife's visa was for a single year but her I-94 was for the entire duration of her study.
What this means in practice is that if you travel internationally during the period in which you have a valid I-94 but no valid visa, you have to renew. However if you _don't_ travel and just stay in the US, you don't have to bother.
I can't imagine how this is anything but a bug. The US wants my wife to demonstrate intent to return home (e.g. by frequently visiting) but actively discourages her from doing so (by forcing a burdensome visa renewal each time).
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Thinking about it in network security terms, why shouldn't prospective new immigrants and/or visitors face higher scrutiny? It seems to me that they represent a higher threat to US citizens living in the US than random foreigners outside US borders, because of their "insider" status. Also, once they are present inside the US, they can potentially avail themselves of rights given to US persons. Therefore, such privile…
These aren't questions for prospective new immigrants. These are for visa holders. There are a good number of folks that must get a visa for a vacation, for example. These are questions for random foreigners! In general, immigrants are less of a threat than a citizen, by the way. This isn't even actual scrutiny either. These are stupid questions. If someone answers yes to being a terrorist, for example, congrats. You…
Weeeeeell. No, not entirely. If you think "terrorist" you probably think ISIS and Al-Queda. But someone could have been a member of the IRA 30 years ago, and should still technically answer "yes" to this question. In theory, that shouldn't bar them from entry(given that everything else is ok). But lying on this form and saying they have never been a member of a terrorist organisation would ban them for life from visiting US if they were ever found out. So this question is not as stupid as it seems.
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So many H1bs don't even think about buying a lot of furniture, a car or a house for this reason.
So many? As someone who went through the H1-B process and had my status threaten a number of times (downsizing), it was just a reality - if I lose my visa I go back home and maybe try again. It never stopped me from major live decisions like buying a house. Immigrating to a new country is taking the risk that you can’t stay. I accepted that when I immigrated.
But it doesn't need to be so tenuous.
Emigrating to the Netherlands seems like a friendly walk in the park compared to the capricious bullshit that immigrants to America are subjected to. I'm ashamed my country treats people like this.
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Nativism is a reaction to the decline of the middle classes prospects. Half of America is not doing well and has been overlooked. The better educated amongst us are blinded by their own progress and weren’t looking inward. We will see more focus on nativist policies in our lifetime as automation continues to eat jobs.
Correct. A lot of people wanted an "outsider" and to "drain the swamp". In other words they don't feel represented by their elected officials, or treated fairly by the government, and they want things to change. Despite this desire being co-opted and twisted by Trump's campaign and Fox News, the underlying feelings are valid for a lot of people across the USA. The Democratic party should have realized this back durin…
I like your theory on the entertainment value of Presidential hopefuls.
As any US Visa applicant can attest to, the DS-160 is already some of the most annoying form you have to fill - in fact for most people it's less pleasurable than doing 1040. In addition to asking for details of every school you went to, every job you had, every country you've been to, they ask you questions like this: >> Have you ever violated, or engaged in a conspiracy to violate, any law relating to controlled su…
And don't get me started on the stupid fact that you cannot renew your US visa within the US, and in the end people on student/work visas have to take the pointless trip to Canada/Mexico just to get a new visa. That’s a feature, not a bug. You don’t have to kick people out if they can’t renew, you just don’t let them back in.
You can absolutely renew your status in the US. It's just when you travel that you need to make sure you have it stamped to return.