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

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

#991

Post by ipsod » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 1:27 PM UTC

FeepingCreature wrote: post #720

thaumasiotes wrote: post #686

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is democracy in action. The majority (of those who care enough at all) get to rule over the minority (and the apathetic). I've always been confused about how "democracy" is good, but "tyranny of the majority" is bad.

Well, for one you're not supposed to use a majority vote to abolish democracy, or mess with unalienable rights. You can think of it as "democracy with precommitment".

In other words, it's not democracy, it's a democratic republic. The democracy is constrained by the constitution.

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

#992

Post by dzonga » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 1:27 PM UTC

yodsanklai wrote: post #354

sinecure wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I work in a global company. As an interviewer, I don't even know if the person I interview is a US citizen. I don't even know if they live in the US or another country, and I'm probably not allowed to ask. I just rate their performance. And everybody is paid the same. I think the situation is quite simple. Companies want the best candidates they can get, and the larger the recruitment pool, the better. If tomorrow yo…

bingo. capital, talent has no borders.

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

#993

Post by jimmydoe » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 1:28 PM UTC

ciconia wrote: post #747

26 years ago I was a post-graduate student in the US, I arrived a couple months before the 9/11 attacks. The current US government, beyond its idiocy and incompetence, is just so hostile, not only to immigrants but also to its own citizens, so it seems. If I were to go study in another country today, the US would simply not be an option.

we are stuck where we are.

imo even H1B didn't change, I wouldn't go all the way to study in a country that kills so many people abroad senselessly.

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

#994

Post by gwbas1c » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC

> ...and seek to prevent foreigners from traveling to the U.S. to give birth.

FYI: It doesn't come up in the news often, but birth tourism is a real phenomenon. A lot of rich people in poorer countries travel to the US to have their child, and their child goes home with a US passport, or is raised by relatives.

Leaving the child with relatives, (or otherwise allowing an American family to adopt the child,) doesn't bother me, but going home with a US passport does.

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

#995

Post by hallgrim » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 1:31 PM UTC

cingley wrote: post #876

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.

“Hey, I disinvite you from my board game nights, so now your apartment can delight in your prolonged presence!”

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

#996

Post by techblueberry » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 1:31 PM UTC

unselect5917 wrote: post #494

tayo42 wrote: post #423

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no real Us culture to preserve.

>There's no real Us culture to preserve. Fish Fails to Detect Water The easiest way to see it is look at Japanese portrayals (outsider perspective). Cowboys, horses, guns, pride in our military and our free speech, fireworks and BBQs. Just because you look down on the culture doesn't mean there isn't one.

I’m think the weird irony is - and your example may exemplify this - a lot of the culture the right may want to preserve might be improved through immigration.

If you want more religious conservatism and traditional values, Americans are naturally moving away from that. Americans aren’t creating a whole lot of cowboy movies. China is innovating in fireworks.

David brooks has specifically called out this nihilism of the modern right. I think people attributing intention to policies like this are sadly externalizing their own values into an administration that doesn’t have them.

Because I think nobody is unified in this stuff. The people representing the culture you purport to imply a desire to preserve I don’t think agree with you, and certainly not with each other.

This is like Cracker Barrel all over again where most of the liberals I know loved Cracker Barrel and all the conservatives complaining about it almost to a one never went!

The sad truth is there is some sense things might be better if you were right.

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

#997

Post by jimmydoe » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 1:31 PM UTC

vjvjvjvjghv wrote: post #342

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…

between this and fdr's japanese internment order, there're still a lot room to go crueler.

every foreign-born, myself included, should get ready.

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

#998

Post by arcbyte » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 1:32 PM UTC

aprilthird2021 wrote: post #764

itake wrote: post #571

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have opinions about them sending their salary back home. Obviously its better for the USA if the money stayed in the USA, but "earning money in one locality and spending it another" is really really really situation, even in the USA. American Police officers are famous for not actually living in the cities they work in. In each country I have lived in, I was a guest. With that knowledge, I carefully designed…

These people are productive members of our society who enrich our country and our economy. The idea that they are guests we are hosting is absurd

A siblings commenter stated this opinion much more persuasively for me. When these people arrive here, they are absolutely guests. It's incontrovertible that they are guests. Theres no debate.

However, time is important and after a certain amount of time or perhaps even connection made to the community, a person does move from guest to neighbor.

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

#999

Post by hdgvhicv » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 1:36 PM UTC

dijksterhuis wrote: post #842

ifwinterco wrote: post #723

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not at the moment, but the result of the current UK system has been huge uncontrolled levels of immigration leading to deep public resentment, so that may change in the future

couple of notes — 1a. Illegal immigration has nothing to do with visa based, legal immigration. illegal immigration is the type of immigration people are upset about here in the UK. most people have no problem with legal migration. 1b. anyone claiming the UK’s legal migration is any sort of problem right now, or in the past, should probably not be listened to in any way shape or form for anything they have to say on…

Reform take peoples concerns about the massive increase in population numbers and the knock on effects of housing and infrastructure, and cultural clash since we swapped eu immigration for sub Saharan and South Asian, and point it to the small boats.

I have no problem with refugees. I do have problem with a million people a year arriving through Heathrow. Farage and co want that though as it’s good for business (more workers, higher asset prices) so they blame it on the tiny numbers of small boats.

Brexit meant we swapped immigration of mostly like minded Europeans and temporary workers for permanent immigration from poorer countries with more medieval views.

I’m fairly left on the spectrum, I was door stepping for remain, and for Lib Dems in 2017,2019 and a by-election, I’m very much on the tax wealth not work side, and I have no problem in paying tax despite earning more than 90% of the people in the county, including the old folk who just keep taking and never paying.

But it seems I’m not left enough because I have a problem with the massive amounts of legal immigration under a populist right wing government and I should be sent to a gulag.

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

#1000

Post by 59percentmore » Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 1:37 PM UTC

motbus3 wrote: post #782

hvb2 wrote: post #547

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The leaving part is not the issue, as you try to immigrate into a country you're subject to the rules that country sets. You're always free to not immigrate into that country (this is not about asylum). The issue here is that, if you just left the country to do everything the country asked you, you are now in limbo. For how long? No one can tell. Does this mean you lose your job? Maybe. And when you decide it's no lo…

when you treat immigrants like they were not people with lifes, you are just one step away from treating poor people as they were not people and then too treat all common people as they were not people. also it has been quite convenient explanation for adopting systems such as Flock and allowing all kinds of para-police actions which seems very similar to what happened in germany circla 1930-1934

I'm not sure what country you think we're in, but it's the one where the creation story of its modern incarnation includes turning hoses and dogs on teenagers, sending many of its children halfway around the world to die in a jungle fighting a meaningless war, and shooting quite a few of the ones who stayed to go to college.