6 ms·

I've been here for 17+ years, earn $650k/yr and I'm still in the same boat. I'm at the mercy of the govt. if I want to change jobs. Moreover, I need to restart

I've been here for 17+ years, earn $650k/yr and I'm still in the same boat. I'm at the mercy of the govt. if I want to change jobs. Moreover, I need to restart the labor certification process and reapply for my green card though I get to keep the same priority date. There's no end in sight i.e. I cannot predict when I'll get my green card due to the per-country cap and backlog. Worse, I cannot quit and take time off even for a day.

nullspace 7y ago
Honestly, with that kind of salary - it feels like you could save up enough to get to an EB-5 investors category, which have far shorter waiting times, correct? Or am I mistaken?
- product50 7y ago
  EB-5 for Indians has a 3+ yr timeline now and you have to shell out at least $500k. And there is no guarantee you will get approved.
- faang34253 7y ago
  With that kind of salary, you could just quit working for others and lead pretty luxurious (or frugal, or just basic, whatever floats your boat) life almost everywhere until you die. Okay, some of us got the real "dream job" and that's the way they want to live this life, so whatever. But, if not spending everything on coke one should have several millions on investments at this point. And that makes literally buying (through the loopholes created for investors) citizenship easy. Heck, even Switzerland gives you a passport if you invest about one million IIRC. I fail to understand why anyone in such a prestigious position (but without citizenship for a given country) would not use their hard earned money to make things easier in perfectly legal way. Well, I guess it's easier to be illegal immigrant and suddenly the media is all about you and your presupposed rights (like invading any country you wish 'cause you want free stuff). The whole system is broken and probably soon also broke.
  - conanbatt 7y ago
    Equality under the law and all really goes out the window with this thinking.
- bonzini 7y ago
  Even O-1 seems like it could be a good possibility (I wrote a reference letter for a colleague seeking the O-1 via a few years ago, and I only had to describe his work as open source project lead).
  - winter_blue 7y ago
    You mean EB-1. The O-1 is a temporary visa. Approvals of EB-1 are unfortunately highly subjective. It's like winning a lottery (based on who looks at your application).
    - bonzini 7y ago
      O-1 is extensible, isn't it? You can get it first instead of H-1B, and then apply for a green card once you move to the US.
      - winter_blue 7y ago
        Yes, it can be extended any number of times. But each and every O-1 approval is also highly subjective and discretionary. The standard is somewhat lower than EB-1. While EB-1 requires what Congress calls "extraordinary ability", the O-1 requires "exceptional ability". Again, the way things work is that whichever officer looks at the case, subjectively decides if it qualifies (in his/her opinion). Nothing like the highly-objective points-based skilled immigration system you have in some countries.
usaphp 7y ago
Why not get an investor visa? It's easily convertible to green card according to several people I know who did it. You only need $500K or so for the whole thing. And investment money were returned even with some profit.
- fernandopj 7y ago
  As I recall it doesn't even need to be $500k upfront, you have to (show/prove) you'll invest that and generate jobs in a couple of years.
  - deminature 7y ago
    You have to prove you'll create jobs for a minimum of 10 U.S. citizens, which sounds somewhat nontrivial. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/immigrant-investor-visas.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrat...
    - satya71 7y ago
      Not really. Most such investments are in hotels/hospitals etc with large number of low paid employees.
    - usaphp 7y ago
      You can just provide the money without actually doing any leg work in hiring or managing the business itself. As far as I know you get a list of businesses that require funding and you will pick which one you will fund
    - kevin_thibedeau 7y ago
      You just get roped into a big development project like Hudson Yards in NYC which was an excuse to sell thousands of EB5 visas. The bonus is your investment in "blight" redevelopment turns into luxury housing you can purchase to park your excess funds. https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/04/hudson-yards-financing-eb5-investor-visa-program-immigration/586897/ https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/04/hudson-yards-financin...
product50 7y ago
Surprised this is getting downvoted. These types of salaries are somewhat common in FANG companies for senior engineers and it is common for some of them (depending on their nationality) to still wait for the green card for 15+ yrs. I know people here won't like the truth but this is the current reality for Indian citizens legally immigrated in US. On the other hand, it is actually easier to get a green card if you are an illegal immigrant - which is the real thing that boggles my mind. I was talking to an Uber driver the other day who was from Congo but came illegally to US and got his green card within 2 yrs. Not saying that the Congo folks shouldn't get green cards but a high skilled legal immigrant, who is able to command $300k+ in salary (which is sufficiently high to categorize them out of the IT body shop type work), is someone US should try to value at least as much (if not more) vs. an illegal immigrant.
- leakybit 7y ago
  So the rich are more entitled to get a green card?
  - paxys 7y ago
    Highly skilled people should be more entitled to a green card (and that often corresponds to highly paid)
  - conanbatt 7y ago
    The rich also get the protection from competition from abroad. There is an unlimited visa for nannies, but limited for doctors, lawyers and software engineers.
  - notyourday 7y ago
    > So the rich are more entitled to get a green card? Compared to a dishwasher? Absolutely. This is not 1800 and we do not need to dig trenches using shovels for which we just need bodies. That's also why Patel, the senior software engineer at FAANG, is making $650k/year in total compensation while Jose who is a custodian cleaning FB's office is making $40k/year.
- ra7 7y ago
refurb 7y ago
Considering the average US citizen has a median income of $50K, it's kind of hard to feel sorry for you.
- Bhilai 7y ago
  OP is not stopping anyone from pursuing higher education or working hard or getting a high paying job, they are merely describing their experience of the broken system and not asking for your sympathy.
- conanbatt 7y ago
  Why stop at immigration restrictions then, just jail and confiscate all the goods from immigrants.
- dang 7y ago
  Please don't post unsubstantive comments to HN. Perhaps you don't owe the GP better, but you owe this community better if you want to post here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - refurb 7y ago
    Noted, but I didn't feel my comment unsubstantive. The OP comes to America as an immigrant (as did I), makes more money in one year than most American's make in 20. My comment simply put his "problem" into perspective.
    - dang 7y ago
      There was no information in it other than that the GP makes more money than others, which was missed by no one, and a vague expression of resentment about it. I'm afraid that's completely unsubstantive by HN standards.
geodel 7y ago
Huh, wouldn't putting 1 million dollar investment get you EB5 green card in very short time?
- morningcovfefe 7y ago
  It takes 2 years and a lot of lawyers and maybe you might get it.. (it's not guaranteed at all) but if you've earned the 500k the hard way you're not very inclined to gamble it on the slim chance. Besides.. there's better places to retire on 500k
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
stbernardlove 7y ago
Alright, drama queen, so you're saying that H1B holders can't take PTO or even unpaid time off? If so, I have empirical evidence that disproves your point ;) What you meant to say is you can't be in between jobs, but even then, you're allowed up to 60 days. GC backlogs suck. Kids aging out is just evil and wrong and needs to be fixed. But don't blame the backlog on country caps. If there were never any caps, you would still be backlogged, just by 1-2 years less, and the rest of the world would be backlogged as well. The root of the issue is applicants like the person mentioned in the article taking up space in the backlog, regardless of the job that they do or their experience. You can be a fresh graduate or a seasoned professional with decades of experience, but be in the same EB-2 queue. Looking forward to seeing what the White House bill will look like, but the US definitely needs to more merit in its immigration system.
- dang 7y ago
  > Alright, drama queen, so you're saying Personal attacks and name-calling aren't allowed here. Could you please not post in the flamewar style to Hacker News? We're trying for something other than that on this site. If you'd read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and follow those rules when posting to HN, we'd be grateful. You might also find these links helpful for understanding where they came from: https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html https://news.ycombinator.com/hackernews.html https://news.ycombinator.com/hackernews.html http://www.paulgraham.com/trolls.html http://www.paulgraham.com/trolls.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hackernews.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hackernews.html
  - stbernardlove 7y ago
    The parent comment was unsubstantive. It served no purpose, but to falsely paint the author as a victim. I disagree that calling someone a "drama queen" is flaming or name-calling.
    - dang 7y ago
      I wouldn't say it was unsubstantive. It described a concrete situation with new information. Yes, it also had a note of complaint (pretty understandable assuming the information is true), and perhaps a bit of gratuitous showing off, but "falsely paint the author as a victim" seems harsh. You can agree or disagree, but addressing another user the way you did is definitely outside the community norm here and a bannable offense, so please don't do that on HN again. Also, since your account has so far commented on only one topic and done so rather pugnaciously, I should let you know that single-purpose accounts are not allowed on HN, and especially not accounts that use the site primarily for political battle.

nullspace 7y ago

Honestly, with that kind of salary - it feels like you could save up enough to get to an EB-5 investors category, which have far shorter waiting times, correct? Or am I mistaken?

product50 7y ago
EB-5 for Indians has a 3+ yr timeline now and you have to shell out at least $500k. And there is no guarantee you will get approved.
faang34253 7y ago
With that kind of salary, you could just quit working for others and lead pretty luxurious (or frugal, or just basic, whatever floats your boat) life almost everywhere until you die. Okay, some of us got the real "dream job" and that's the way they want to live this life, so whatever. But, if not spending everything on coke one should have several millions on investments at this point. And that makes literally buying (through the loopholes created for investors) citizenship easy. Heck, even Switzerland gives you a passport if you invest about one million IIRC. I fail to understand why anyone in such a prestigious position (but without citizenship for a given country) would not use their hard earned money to make things easier in perfectly legal way. Well, I guess it's easier to be illegal immigrant and suddenly the media is all about you and your presupposed rights (like invading any country you wish 'cause you want free stuff). The whole system is broken and probably soon also broke.
- conanbatt 7y ago
  Equality under the law and all really goes out the window with this thinking.
bonzini 7y ago
Even O-1 seems like it could be a good possibility (I wrote a reference letter for a colleague seeking the O-1 via a few years ago, and I only had to describe his work as open source project lead).
- winter_blue 7y ago
  You mean EB-1. The O-1 is a temporary visa. Approvals of EB-1 are unfortunately highly subjective. It's like winning a lottery (based on who looks at your application).
  - bonzini 7y ago
    O-1 is extensible, isn't it? You can get it first instead of H-1B, and then apply for a green card once you move to the US.
    - winter_blue 7y ago
      Yes, it can be extended any number of times. But each and every O-1 approval is also highly subjective and discretionary. The standard is somewhat lower than EB-1. While EB-1 requires what Congress calls "extraordinary ability", the O-1 requires "exceptional ability". Again, the way things work is that whichever officer looks at the case, subjectively decides if it qualifies (in his/her opinion). Nothing like the highly-objective points-based skilled immigration system you have in some countries.

usaphp 7y ago

Why not get an investor visa? It's easily convertible to green card according to several people I know who did it. You only need $500K or so for the whole thing. And investment money were returned even with some profit.

fernandopj 7y ago
As I recall it doesn't even need to be $500k upfront, you have to (show/prove) you'll invest that and generate jobs in a couple of years.
- deminature 7y ago
  You have to prove you'll create jobs for a minimum of 10 U.S. citizens, which sounds somewhat nontrivial. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/immigrant-investor-visas.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrat...
  - satya71 7y ago
    Not really. Most such investments are in hotels/hospitals etc with large number of low paid employees.
  - usaphp 7y ago
    You can just provide the money without actually doing any leg work in hiring or managing the business itself. As far as I know you get a list of businesses that require funding and you will pick which one you will fund
  - kevin_thibedeau 7y ago
    You just get roped into a big development project like Hudson Yards in NYC which was an excuse to sell thousands of EB5 visas. The bonus is your investment in "blight" redevelopment turns into luxury housing you can purchase to park your excess funds. https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/04/hudson-yards-financing-eb5-investor-visa-program-immigration/586897/ https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/04/hudson-yards-financin...

product50 7y ago

Surprised this is getting downvoted. These types of salaries are somewhat common in FANG companies for senior engineers and it is common for some of them (depending on their nationality) to still wait for the green card for 15+ yrs. I know people here won't like the truth but this is the current reality for Indian citizens legally immigrated in US. On the other hand, it is actually easier to get a green card if you are an illegal immigrant - which is the real thing that boggles my mind. I was talking to an Uber driver the other day who was from Congo but came illegally to US and got his green card within 2 yrs. Not saying that the Congo folks shouldn't get green cards but a high skilled legal immigrant, who is able to command $300k+ in salary (which is sufficiently high to categorize them out of the IT body shop type work), is someone US should try to value at least as much (if not more) vs. an illegal immigrant.

leakybit 7y ago
So the rich are more entitled to get a green card?
- paxys 7y ago
  Highly skilled people should be more entitled to a green card (and that often corresponds to highly paid)
- conanbatt 7y ago
  The rich also get the protection from competition from abroad. There is an unlimited visa for nannies, but limited for doctors, lawyers and software engineers.
- notyourday 7y ago
  > So the rich are more entitled to get a green card? Compared to a dishwasher? Absolutely. This is not 1800 and we do not need to dig trenches using shovels for which we just need bodies. That's also why Patel, the senior software engineer at FAANG, is making $650k/year in total compensation while Jose who is a custodian cleaning FB's office is making $40k/year.
ra7 7y ago

refurb 7y ago

Considering the average US citizen has a median income of $50K, it's kind of hard to feel sorry for you.

Bhilai 7y ago
OP is not stopping anyone from pursuing higher education or working hard or getting a high paying job, they are merely describing their experience of the broken system and not asking for your sympathy.
conanbatt 7y ago
Why stop at immigration restrictions then, just jail and confiscate all the goods from immigrants.
dang 7y ago
Please don't post unsubstantive comments to HN. Perhaps you don't owe the GP better, but you owe this community better if you want to post here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- refurb 7y ago
  Noted, but I didn't feel my comment unsubstantive. The OP comes to America as an immigrant (as did I), makes more money in one year than most American's make in 20. My comment simply put his "problem" into perspective.
  - dang 7y ago
    There was no information in it other than that the GP makes more money than others, which was missed by no one, and a vague expression of resentment about it. I'm afraid that's completely unsubstantive by HN standards.

geodel 7y ago

Huh, wouldn't putting 1 million dollar investment get you EB5 green card in very short time?

morningcovfefe 7y ago
It takes 2 years and a lot of lawyers and maybe you might get it.. (it's not guaranteed at all) but if you've earned the 500k the hard way you're not very inclined to gamble it on the slim chance. Besides.. there's better places to retire on 500k
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

stbernardlove 7y ago

Alright, drama queen, so you're saying that H1B holders can't take PTO or even unpaid time off? If so, I have empirical evidence that disproves your point ;) What you meant to say is you can't be in between jobs, but even then, you're allowed up to 60 days. GC backlogs suck. Kids aging out is just evil and wrong and needs to be fixed. But don't blame the backlog on country caps. If there were never any caps, you would still be backlogged, just by 1-2 years less, and the rest of the world would be backlogged as well. The root of the issue is applicants like the person mentioned in the article taking up space in the backlog, regardless of the job that they do or their experience. You can be a fresh graduate or a seasoned professional with decades of experience, but be in the same EB-2 queue. Looking forward to seeing what the White House bill will look like, but the US definitely needs to more merit in its immigration system.

dang 7y ago
> Alright, drama queen, so you're saying Personal attacks and name-calling aren't allowed here. Could you please not post in the flamewar style to Hacker News? We're trying for something other than that on this site. If you'd read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and follow those rules when posting to HN, we'd be grateful. You might also find these links helpful for understanding where they came from: https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html https://news.ycombinator.com/hackernews.html https://news.ycombinator.com/hackernews.html http://www.paulgraham.com/trolls.html http://www.paulgraham.com/trolls.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hackernews.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hackernews.html
- stbernardlove 7y ago
  The parent comment was unsubstantive. It served no purpose, but to falsely paint the author as a victim. I disagree that calling someone a "drama queen" is flaming or name-calling.
  - dang 7y ago
    I wouldn't say it was unsubstantive. It described a concrete situation with new information. Yes, it also had a note of complaint (pretty understandable assuming the information is true), and perhaps a bit of gratuitous showing off, but "falsely paint the author as a victim" seems harsh. You can agree or disagree, but addressing another user the way you did is definitely outside the community norm here and a bannable offense, so please don't do that on HN again. Also, since your account has so far commented on only one topic and done so rather pugnaciously, I should let you know that single-purpose accounts are not allowed on HN, and especially not accounts that use the site primarily for political battle.