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US demands social media details from visa applicants

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Re: US demands social media details from visa applicants

#301

Post by xwolfi »

refurb wrote: post #218
zaptheimpaler wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

If I lose my visa for downsizing where I am, I can leave and go back on tourist visa, find another job and redo the work visa in 2 weeks.

It's idiotic to make it hard for immigrants to get back on their feet, it's not like working immigrants cost money..., what cost money is to lose them to a competing country...

But in essence you're right anyway: immigration is a privilege, complaining about it is really unfair to a country that was never forced to take you in in the first place. The only thing we the immigrants and the host countries can do, is compete on entry condition, to bring the most high skilled, high asset immigrants.

Re: US demands social media details from visa applicants

#302

Post by tim333 »

lloeki wrote: post #291
godelski wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can some lawyer explain why these questions are necessary? I understand that you can add extra convictions for lying on these applications, but all the above questions are quite damning themselves. Like >> Are you a member or representative of a terrorist organization? Assuming you are: you answer yes and you get denied a visa (duh). Answer no and the gov doesn't know, what happens? You commit terrorist activities on…

RFC3514! So basically a “Please reject my visa application” check mark. Even if you were willing to answer this honestly it can even become extremely hard to actually answer: what it is deemed a “terrorist” organisation? Maybe your home country would not consider some group as such but the US does? What about drug usage? It’s not even consistent across US states, let alone a different country. To properly fill this y…

Or fib. Which you are sometimes pretty much forced to do.

Re: US demands social media details from visa applicants

#303

Post by tim333 »

deepGem wrote: post #272
HeavenFox wrote: post #74

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 is not unique to US. Almost all visa applications to any first world country are like this. It’s an excruciatingly painful process to fill out even a tourist visa form for crying out loud. This social media requirement is as ridiculous and I won’t be surprised if other first world countries follow suit.

I've never come across a first world one as bad as the US. India is one of the few places I've been to that I think could compete.

Re: US demands social media details from visa applicants

#304

Post by archey1 »

llukas wrote: post #238
archey1 wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the time the constitution was framed, "well regulated" meant properly trained and not "subject to 30 million pages of government control and criminilization". If you want to cherry pick certain parts of the second amendment - I can do that too: "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed".

Please stick with weapons available at time constitution was written of not very reliable ~3 shots per minute fire rate. Gunpowder cannons are also OK. Law evolves along with technical progress and 2nd amendment is not exception.

The framers wanted the people to have access to the same weapons the government did - to allow the people to have a very real check over the overreach of said government.

Benjamin Franklin was an inventor - if you think when they wrote the second amendment they didn't think "gee, maybe guns will shoot faster someday" then I don't know what to tell you.

Re: US demands social media details from visa applicants

#305

Post by tim333 »

diveanon wrote: post #244
thewileyone wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tioman?

Bingo, have you been?

I've been. Last time I thought I'd pop in from Singapore I found they'd discontinued the flights there which can't help with US tourists who don't want to schlep about with busses and boats.

Re: US demands social media details from visa applicants

#306

Post by romanovcode »

davidw wrote: post #171
klipt wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well traveling through the Schengen area is like traveling between US states. You don't even need a passport once you're in. If you're traveling on a non-EU passport, I don't know if entering the EU is much better. IIRC flying through Frankfurt once the customs people rifled through my carry-on for no apparent reason.

Anecdotally, I've had several negative, but inconsequential experiences with the customs people in Germany.

I had a security guy that checked for drugs telling me "This is Germany, why don't you speak German!" when I told him if he could explain what he wants me to do in English. (put down my bag on the table and show my phone so they can check it for chemicals)

Yep, this happened. In Airport. International Berlin airport.

I didn't say anything because I did not wanted to be detained for longer and miss my connection flight. But WTF.

Re: US demands social media details from visa applicants

#307

Post by hdfbdtbcdg »

adventured wrote: post #283
hdfbdtbcdg wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They only have 5-10 days vacation a year on average. Give them a break already!

> They only have 5-10 days vacation a year on average. Your figures are off by a large margin (70% to 240%). The average American worker took 17 days of vacation time in 2017. For paid vacation time - the more important item - it depends heavily on experience and company size. "In 2017, the average worker with five years of experience at a company was given 15 days of paid vacation and the average worker with 20 year…

If they take sick days do they come out of vacation time?

Re: US demands social media details from visa applicants

#308

Post by conanbatt »

pooya13 wrote: post #226
HeavenFox wrote: post #74

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…

>> Do you seek to engage in espionage ... while in the United States? >> Do you seek to engage in terrorist activities while in the United States? Who are they hoping to catch with these questions? Honest spies and terrorists? Or maybe they hope to say in court: “You committed a terrorist attack sir, but even worst is that you lied about it on the form!!” All jokes aside I think these questions are designed for psych…

The questions are meant to add perjury to the indictment when they catch you for a real crime.

To verify my thesis i would see what are the effective conviction times between foreigners and citizens and expect the latter to get harsher convictions on this alone.

Re: US demands social media details from visa applicants

#309

Post by Aromasin »

adventured wrote: post #283
hdfbdtbcdg wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They only have 5-10 days vacation a year on average. Give them a break already!

> They only have 5-10 days vacation a year on average. Your figures are off by a large margin (70% to 240%). The average American worker took 17 days of vacation time in 2017. For paid vacation time - the more important item - it depends heavily on experience and company size. "In 2017, the average worker with five years of experience at a company was given 15 days of paid vacation and the average worker with 20 year…

That little holiday time still baffles me. I've taken 15 days off this year and we're barely nearing mid-summer. That's not including the 8 bank holidays we get. I've still got another 10 to use before the years end, not including days in lieu from working overtime, and this is only my first year of employment. I know that the US isn't great for workers rights, but regardless that's incredibly shocking to me.

If I was expected to work 50 weeks in a 52 week year I don't think I'd ever get a full-time career. I'd probably run off and become a surf bum selling loom bands on the beach.

Re: US demands social media details from visa applicants

#310

Post by frankbreetz »

archey1 wrote: post #197
frankbreetz wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the isolationist attitude that people have a problem with. We don't "owe" anything to anyone, but this not the behavior of the greatest country in the world.

> We don't "owe" anything to anyone, but this not the behavior of the greatest country in the world. I didn't say the US shouldn't let people in or be respectful of foreigners - I was just stating the fact that they do not have any legal obligation to do so. Of course they do it because it is good for the country - but if they stop, who is going to make them change their mind? It's up to the American people to decide…

> It's up to the American people to decide what they want for their country at any given time - the rest of the world has no power to make them do otherwise - as does any other country and I wouldn't want to force any country to take people they don't want to either.

A country with many allies is much more powerful than a country with none. This is a lesson that is taught before children enter school (play nicely with others), I don't know how this became an American attitude and I find it very disappointing and worrisome.

You often hear statistics like the US fund 25% of NATO, or something similar. I don't see how this is a bad thing, this means we have 4 times as much power than if we were not in NATO, because we supply the most we have the most control over the group, and because we play nicely with others and listen to the needs of other countries who have similar morals as we do.

You are the only one talking about a legal obligation, the article and everyone else is just talking about how this is not the behavior the world and US citizens would not like to see coming out of America the melting pot.

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