As an immigrant on H1B, if it wasn't for the quality of work and people here in the valley, I'd definitely look to go elsewhere with my skills because of this incessant existential risk to our life in this country. This administration really stresses immigrants like me.
Like, are we staying here or are we not... can we plan to buy a house or not... should we plan our kids education here or elsewhere... should we save money here or elsewhere...
Pfft. Not sure if I'd have made the same decision going back 4 years. Friends who chased professional opportunities in Europe, Canada seem to have their visa stuff figured out. But over here, the rules just keep changing.
For what it's worth, as a fellow immigrant on a work visa (O-1 here… wasn't eligible for H-1B), the stress around a visa status is nothing new. It's been a constant struggle since I moved to the USA in 2009; and all 8 years of Obama were pretty bad too. Trump might be bad, but the immigrant struggles are nothing new, and won't change regardless of whether the administration is blue or red.
I guess so... but headline-grabbing news around immigration does seem to pop up more. And then I have to dive into that and figure out if this applies to us or not.
Definitely leaving a bad taste. Some amount of "lock-in" period to laws so that people can plan their lives better would definitely help. But hey... I'm no lawmaker.
Like, are we staying here or are we not... can we plan to buy a house or not... should we plan our kids education here or elsewhere... should we save money here or elsewhere...
Pfft. Not sure if I'd have made the same decision going back 4 years. Friends who chased professional opportunities in Europe, Canada seem to have their visa stuff figured out. But over here, the rules just keep changing.