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I came to the US on an H1-B visa. This new executive order is crushing for the people caught up in it. But they're talented, they'll continue to succeed, just not in America. So ultimately it's the US I worry about. (1/7) https://twitter.com/jeremysliew/status/1275171203867570176
Getting an H1-B wasn't easy. I had a PhD and a job offer from @case_inc. They had to advertise the role and try to hire an American first. My application was then put into a lottery and my number was drawn. The whole process took almost 12 months.
In New Zealand we have a word for all the young, talented people leaving for places like America. We call it the 'brain drain'. We literally have a problem with other countries poaching our best talent.
Think of how much it costs to educate a child, pay for their healthcare, and put all the social services around them. And then right as they're about to enter the workforce and start paying taxes, the US basically gets a first-round draft pick (or used to).
The best scientists, artists, programmers, entrepreneurs, designers, or whatever else the US needs.
When I applied for my H1-B, I felt like I had to come to the US to really challenge myself, to really put my skills to work. I'm not sure that's true any more. Everyone is working from home anyway, so there is a diminishing advantage to being in the US.
Stopping legal immigrants entering the country isn't going to save US jobs. Instead, all these talented people are going to take their work elsewhere. The jobs they create will be offshored, the companies they build will be foreign, and the taxes they pay won't go to the US.
