U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications • Hacker News Board

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

#521

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 3:38 AM UTC

sinecure wrote: post #97

dzonga wrote: 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.

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.

[deleted]

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

#522

Post by thelastgallon » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 3:38 AM UTC

Some of the comments are talking about H1-B which isn't impacted by this.

Vivek Wadhwa, one of the staunchest supporters of H1B (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12489558) is now recommending to end it: https://x.com/wadhwa/status/2090958079726927873

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

#523

Post by ShinyLeftPad » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 3:39 AM UTC

sinecure wrote: post #97

dzonga wrote: 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.

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.

The news is about immigrant visas and H1B is temporary non-immigrant visa...

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

#524

Post by jimmydorry » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 3:41 AM UTC

klardotsh wrote: post #114

goodluckchuck wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the whole point of making someone leave is the possibility that they may not be allowed back in. If staying was a foregone conclusion then there’d be no point in leaving.

I can’t think of any other rationale. What, only border officers are able to process a visa renewal? Please. We can have offices inside the country handle this stuff, just like offices handle Trusted Traveler applications and Social Security card issuances. The point is surely to get another chance to grill the immigrant and potentially bar them entry. Other countries don’t always do this: Canada for example has inla…

Canada effectively requires leaving and re-entering. It can take multiple months for an online visa to get processed, meanwhile leaving and reentering takes hours.

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

#525

Post by Georgelemental » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 3:42 AM UTC

vjvjvjvjghv wrote: post #345

My company has a H-1B guy that travelled home to India a few months ago and since then can't come back because the next date he can get with the US embassy is next year. Seems he may get stuck even longer... I am to some degree on board with keeping a closer eye on immigration, but the way the current administration does it feels intentionally cruel. The guy at my company has a house, wife, and kids in the US; his vi…

An H-1B is a temporary non-immigrant visa. You're not supposed to rely on it to build a life in the US with no backup plan; that was never the intent of the law. However, successive administrations ignored the intent of the law, for so long that people began to rely on assurances that the law never promised. Now that the law is getting applied properly, those people are facing the consequences. It sucks for them, but continuing to not have rule of law would suck worse for all of us

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

#526

Post by willmarch » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 3:42 AM UTC

jagged-chisel wrote: post #312

ytoawwhra92 wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The prevailing wage for H1B software engineers is a very good salary for most software engineers in the world. It's common for the prevailing wage to be double what that person could earn in their country of origin.

And still exert downward pressure on wages. Just by virtue of having more people in the pool.

This would only make sense if there are a finite number of possible jobs and that more jobs are never added as an economy grows.

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

#527

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 3:43 AM UTC

15155 wrote: post #481

scoofy wrote: post #456

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, anyone who is still defending this administration isn't even trying to have a conversation in good faith. I have a Republican friend who appreciates the Supreme Court Justices, and then suddenly has zero clue about any news story involving the administration, and shrugs off the war. This despite meticulously following Benghazi hearings when it was someone he wanted to dislike. He would rather Trump be Romney,…

> defending this administration "Leave to renew" has been policy for decades.

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

#528

Post by GolfPopper » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 3:43 AM UTC

consensus1 wrote: post #427

pstuart wrote: post #367

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will take generations -- if we even get the chance.

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?

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

#529

Post by green_wheel » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 3:44 AM UTC

Razengan wrote: post #454

green_wheel wrote: post #450

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes that is a great example. You certainly don't want what happened to them happening to you.

Yeah that's a great example of hypocrisy

No one actually thinks this is hypocrisy. No one is giving up their houses to Native Americans. They do an land acknowledgement and call it even. Even the most liberal among us don't feel it's necessary to sacrifice any meaningful amount of their own comfort to right some past wrongs.

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

#530

Post by 0xDEAFBEAD » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 3:44 AM UTC

dwaltrip wrote: post #518

unselect5917 wrote: post #482

Earlier quoted context omitted.

White people are a global minority at ~7%. "Minorities™" have their own countries where they are majorities. If they don't want to be Minorities™, they can stay home.

Seriously? You don’t like non-white people?

Personally, I'm fine with non-white people. But the idea of moving to a country where people like me are in a minority, then complaining: "Woe is me, I'm a minority, I demand special treatment", is objectionable. This isn't the type of immigrant I want.