Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

wsj.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

981–990 of 1001 posts

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

#981

Post by eudamoniac »

ActorNightly wrote: post #714
bruce511 wrote: post #456

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for posting. I'm being sincere. I think it is helpful to remind folk that these policies are not universally hated. Indeed a majority of voters voted specifically for them, and they were explicitly laid out. This is democracy in action. The majority (of those who care enough at all) get to rule over the minority (and the apathetic). Obviously not all actions will be universally loved, but no govt action can…

Its also helpful to remind folk about why someone would hold this position. The largest reason US got to where it was at least in the world economy stage was because of the visa program. It was the country everyone wanted to move to, because you can apply your skills, make money, start a business, with very little restriction comparatively, buy a house, and live your dream life. The more people wanna work, the more o…

Countries are not merely economic zones..! While I don't even agree with you (skilled immigrants are very different from unskilled), even if I did, anti immigration sentiment is largely about culture. I would prefer to live in my own culture than to be slightly richer in someone else's culture.

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

#982

Post by leftouterjoins »

hvb2 wrote: post #15

So for those that don't know, it's quite common for a visa renewal to be required to leave the country. Depending on the visa, you might have to do this every year. So just imagine, having a normal job in the US and you're asked to leave to renew your visa and this stuff happens. That's no more appointment, not even a new date and you're now very likely unable to work and possibly can't even enter the country to get…

Imagine trying to find a job in your home country but you can’t because masses are being brought over to undercut you and your fellow countrymen. Inhumane.

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

#983

Post by ydat »

ajmurmann wrote: post #42
Dig1t wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is classic goomba fallacy. Right wing oligarchs want infinite immigration because they get a larger labor pool and lower wages. Right wing normies want less immigration because they don't want to compete with the entire world for a job and don't want to become a minority in their own country. Spend some time on X and you can see the two parts of the right wing attack each other over this issue.

Jobs will just move abroad then: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-11-11/trump-s-h...

[dead]

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

#984

Post by rmujica »

leftouterjoins wrote: post #982
hvb2 wrote: post #15

So for those that don't know, it's quite common for a visa renewal to be required to leave the country. Depending on the visa, you might have to do this every year. So just imagine, having a normal job in the US and you're asked to leave to renew your visa and this stuff happens. That's no more appointment, not even a new date and you're now very likely unable to work and possibly can't even enter the country to get…

Imagine trying to find a job in your home country but you can’t because masses are being brought over to undercut you and your fellow countrymen. Inhumane.

skill issue

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

#985

Post by aveao »

prepend wrote: post #20
hvb2 wrote: post #15

So for those that don't know, it's quite common for a visa renewal to be required to leave the country. Depending on the visa, you might have to do this every year. So just imagine, having a normal job in the US and you're asked to leave to renew your visa and this stuff happens. That's no more appointment, not even a new date and you're now very likely unable to work and possibly can't even enter the country to get…

I have friends who are expats and they’ve done this for years. I had one family member who left every six months to renew their visa. It’s a chore, but very common around the world.

Common around the world? I'd be curious what other countries require this, pretty much everywhere else I know has you renew your status within the country (incl. US), and they give you some form of proof of residence that takes the place of a visa (excl. US).

In many cases I've seen this is either a sticker on your passport (incl. possibly a visa) or a physical card, and does not require traveling abroad for it for "consular processing". This is the case for Schengen countries, Canada, UK, Australia, Japan, Thailand, etc.

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

#986

Post by eudamoniac »

theF00l wrote: post #980
eudamoniac wrote: post #974

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are conflating morality with proper governance. Democratic government must enact the will of the citizen body, even if immoral in some frameworks.

So it can be inhumane then, by your definition?

Sure. Unless you prefer autocratic rule by a moral paragon, democracy involves doing what people want, not what is moral. Often what is nominally moral is not good for the country or its people.

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

#987

Post by softwaredoug »

This is the upshot

> Melissa Chavin, a London-based U.S. immigration lawyer, said she expects the pause to be temporary. “I don’t think that they’ll leave this indefinitely, especially for wealthier developed countries,” she said. Applicants from developing countries might find it harder to progress their applications under the new guidance, she added.

This comes after one judge ruled the 75 country travel ban was illegal[1]

My sense is they’re trying to get some of that travel ban back through other means

1 - https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/distric...

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

#988

Post by orsenthil »

cingley wrote: post #934

That doesn't sound too bad, it just means that workers who would otherwise have migrated to the US can enrich their home countries, or other countries they are more easily able to migrate too. From an economic point of view this may well end up being a positive policy decision for both sides.

> positive policy decision for both sides.

Actually not. Harmful for US. US gains for more from the skilled immigrants (at their cost).

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

#989

Post by MostlyStable »

leftouterjoins wrote: post #982
hvb2 wrote: post #15

So for those that don't know, it's quite common for a visa renewal to be required to leave the country. Depending on the visa, you might have to do this every year. So just imagine, having a normal job in the US and you're asked to leave to renew your visa and this stuff happens. That's no more appointment, not even a new date and you're now very likely unable to work and possibly can't even enter the country to get…

Imagine trying to find a job in your home country but you can’t because masses are being brought over to undercut you and your fellow countrymen. Inhumane.

Lump of Labor fallacy

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

#990

Post by tuesdaynight »

account42 wrote: post #952
UncleOxidant wrote: post #458

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We skip over fixing the birthrate You're assuming the birthrate can be "fixed". Japan has an even worse demographic problem. They've tried "fixing" it and nothing much works. Similar for South Korea. Japan would certainly benefit from opening up to more immigration. Countries that can attract more immigration are going to benefit economically as the birthrates continue to decline globally. Why not be attractive to…

You can definitely fix it. You might not like what it takes but others don't like their culture being replaced either.

So tell us what it takes, I'm curious
Post reply on HN