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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

#361

Post by closeparen »

anyfactor wrote: post #351
amscanne wrote: post #317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Without higher taxes, you generally won't get good social services.. but just because taxes are high does not imply that government benefits are good. There's a large range of effectiveness at using tax dollars to actually provide value to citizens (and while I wouldn't put Canada at the top, I think it's well above high tax states like California).

I prefer the whole middle region of America as truly the best part of America. Weather can be an issue in WY, SD, ND but overall the region is fantastic from what I have heard. I have been thinking about the idea of social benefits. For the middle class what is even good social benefit? Affordable housing, affordable medical, maybe some kind of financial support for the elders, good public education, enough social be…

An interesting take from Matt Bruenig is that if you look at the “six figures doesn’t go as far as you think” genre, you almost always see one or more of:

* Saving for retirement

* Saving for college or having a kid in college

* Having young kids and paying for daycare or losing an income

* Dealing with a health crisis (while not currently a full time employee at the kind of corporation that has great insurance… even if at other times you were or you will be again)

* Caring for an aging parent

These are all significant financial stressors even to the upper middle / professional class in America, whereas in a strong social benefits environment none of them are a big deal at all. The idea that middle class families need to stand up to all all these costs personally, sink or swim, is not necessarily pro-middle-class.

Like, why is it so important to own a house? One reason is so that you could sell it or otherwise tap the equity in case you have to do something ruinous like go to the hospital while between jobs. Another is that the apartments are all in neighborhoods overrun with untreated mentally ill people. Both of these are self-chosen problems.

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

#362

Post by twofornone »

random314 wrote: post #353
twofornone wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Immigration is what is propping this country's economy up. That's debatable. >It is a tremendous gift, not a punishment- unless you are alluding to some wierd racial monoculture thing. Immigration is not free. There are social costs which are being dismissed with shallow accusations of bigotry as an alternative to engagement (as you are implicitly doing with your monoculture reference). All peoples are entitled to p…

> That's debatable. No, its not. > votes influence the laws that natives are obligated to follow Natives? You might want to think again before using that word. Trust me, none of the new immigrants have any violent intentions or intent to steal from earlier immigrants or native Americans. > Not even getting to the statistically proven increase in sexual assaults that native women have to suffer on behalf of immigrants…

Nothing in the realm of socioeconomics is settled science. It very much is up for debate. Look at where our current economic framework has taken our present economy.

>Keep in mind that not all brown people are the same. Especially considering the kind of racist violence some white men inflicted on the Jews in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. Perhaps, it is unsafe to let white people dominate a culture. The risk of holocaust and genocide is ever present. It's great if some non white culture is introduced in the society to keep the keep the genocidal tendencies of "white" culture in check

Your post is predictably combative so I don't know if you're being ironic here or if you are acknowledging these increasingly common and overt intentions, but in any case you are generalizing all of Europe and today's culture based on the actions of Germany 80 years ago. This is textbook racism. I'd remind you that some 50MM+ white european allies died opposing the nazis.

>You can do your part by not making the bigotry so easy to spot.

This poor substitute for an argument demonstrates my point.

>I thought we were discussing US immigration. Columbus was an accomplished rapist too. Or do rapes by white men not count?

Again, textbook racism. Generalizing all of modern day Europe based on the actions of a small minority from a selection of countries. In any case this is another deflection and says nothing about the modern day increase in documented rapes and assaults. An academic who tried to report on it was placed under investigation [0], so it seems that institutions really do share your fervor in denying inconvenient truths. Almost like people are using equality as a trojan horse for petty revenge.

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

#363

Post by davidatbu »

someotherperson wrote: post #55

Even going to the US as a non-immigrant is totally broken at the moment. If you don't qualify[0] for an ESTA (visa waiver) then an appointment for a tourist visa in the US can be upwards of 200 days in some places (i.e Australia or Netherlands). An appointment at the consulate in Toronto is 429 days away if you were to book today. That's not the processing time, that's literally just the appointment you need to make…

It is totally worth noting that, at least in the case of F-1 VISAs (student VISAs), you can ask for an expedited appointment. I personally helped someone out* who did this and got an appointment in two weeks, while the original appointment would have had a 10 month wait time.

* Because I'd been through this process before, that is.

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

#364

Post by ngc248 »

refurb wrote: post #328
lmarcos wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And that's another reason I will never visit the USA.

Exactly. I'll only visit safe countries like China.

dunno whether your comment is sarcastic or not... But it is definitely not safe to visit china. After the case of the two canadians, it is always a risk and there were some incidents before that also.

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

#365

Post by ngc248 »

avs733 wrote: post #293
WalterBright wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, it's the Americans disowning the notions that made America such a success. For example, successful entrepreneurs are routinely excoriated and demonized. Politicians get elected on promises of confiscating their success.

Uh…we are the literal home of the Horacio Alger myth.

Those days are long gone. Just working hard is not sufficient anymore.

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

#366

Post by 29083011397778 »

PlanckMeasure80 wrote: post #352
throwaway48375 wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe the US is just good at maintaining a facade that they aren't authoritarian. The US border agents are acting in an objectively authoritarian manner while the Chinese border agents are not and yet somehow you conclude that the Chinese are the real authoritarians. It seems like you are a victim of propaganda.

Ok *deletes your comment, welds you into your home, and blocks searches for anything containing your username*

I don't think the point is "China is not an authoritarian regime", but rather that America is more authoritarian than most Americans think, or are willing to admit.

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

#367

Post by car_analogy »

twofornone wrote: post #362
random314 wrote: post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That's debatable. No, its not. > votes influence the laws that natives are obligated to follow Natives? You might want to think again before using that word. Trust me, none of the new immigrants have any violent intentions or intent to steal from earlier immigrants or native Americans. > Not even getting to the statistically proven increase in sexual assaults that native women have to suffer on behalf of immigrants…

Nothing in the realm of socioeconomics is settled science. It very much is up for debate. Look at where our current economic framework has taken our present economy. >Keep in mind that not all brown people are the same. Especially considering the kind of racist violence some white men inflicted on the Jews in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. Perhaps, it is unsafe to let white people dominate a culture. The risk of hol…

You're missing the source for [0] - I'd like to know more.

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

#368

Post by perfopt »

notch656a wrote: post #115
itissid wrote: post #88

One of the constant dichotomies that i(and maybe other immigrants) live with are these: The privilege of being a model minority [1] [2] yet being on the edge of having to lose it all if the immigration system shits itself. One might be a senior software engineer paying 100K + in taxes and probably drive EVs and own a home, your largest infraction are parking tickets, yet the risks are asymmetric; the whims of bureauc…

>a border guard who is having a bad day. This is not to be understated. I was born a US citizen. Last time I entered the country, officers faked that a dog had alerted "on my anus", forcibly strip searched me, and fabricated a story that plastic baggies that they suspected 'could be drugs' were coming out of my ass. I was shackled and cuffed and dragged around the state of Arizona for 16 hours while publicly paraded…

It is because of things like this and more that I decided not to live in the US and moved home after grad school. Of course many of my friends and (then) countrymen/countrywomen decided to live in the US and chase the dream.

For me it was clear that I would never be accepted as a citizen regardless of how many years I live there or what passport I hold. People would continue to mock my religious beliefs and culture pretending all the time that it is a joke.

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

#369

Post by rayiner »

random314 wrote: post #332
rayiner wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> perhaps then the USA should stop preaching to the world and exporting its "values" and "freedoms" and taking the moral high ground in pretty much every conflict around the world. As a Gore/Kerry supporter I agree. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s been a broad repudiation of George W. Bush’s vision for an evangelical role for America in spreading democracy among his own party. I think Americans have m…

> I don’t begrudge any American who wants a country of their own, just like Indians and Bangladeshis do. Setting aside the fact that your reply had no relevance to OPs argument, I have other questions. Do you consider your presence in this country impugning on an Americans desire to have a country of their own? Just like Bangladeshis do? Perhaps there is a more appropriate country on this planet that you should call…

> Do you consider your presence in this country impugning on an Americans desire to have a country of their own? Just like Bangladeshis do?

Of course! My presence changes the country, because I can’t help but bring my foreign values and beliefs with me. People who were already here; and maybe like things the way they were, are entitled to not like those changes.

People back in Bangladesh would certainly complain if my wife’s family headed over there and brought with them all their individualism, social liberalism, notions of gun rights, antipathy to social hierarchy, etc! Different societies around the world are different, and in particular the differences between immigrants and native born go much more than skin deep, because even the ones born here are typically raised and socialized by parents who come from a different culture.

Under international law, distinct peoples are entitled to say “I want a country for people who look like me and have my culture and speak my language.” My home country of Bangladesh exists because of that principle, as do many other countries. Why should I begrudge those Americans who feel the same way?

> Perhaps there is a more appropriate country on this planet that you should call as a country of your own.

As an ethnic Bangladeshi my kids and I have a right of return. I can obtain Bangladeshi citizenship any time I want.

> Why are you treating America as some kind of science experiment?

I try not to! My family was invited here by Americans on certain terms, and nobody has ever really complained. But I think they have every right to complain if they wanted.

> This clayton bigsby schtick is only funny the first time around.

I point out that I hold Americans to the same standard as people from my own country, and you respond by accusing me of self hatred? I hope you realize how incredibly racist that is.

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

#370

Post by throwaway2037 »

corderop wrote: post #244
throwaway2037 wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are a European passport holder (yes, I know that is broad), you should try for the Diversity Immigrant Visa -- aka the Green Card Lottery. I had a German co-worker once who applied and got it. For wealthy European nations, it is not /super/ difficult to win this lottery, as there are so few applicants. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_Immigrant_Visa

Ouh, I didn't know about this program. It's so interesting to see a country like USA doing this. I will read more about the program, it seems interesting, I will read more about it. > it is not /super/ difficult to win this lottery, as there are so few applicants. I see in the Wikipedia article that 13M people applies. I guess that you mention that not so many people emigrate from Europe to the US, that's why it's mo…

Yes, I am pretty sure that you can re-apply every year. This would further increase your chances of winning.
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