immigration policy

Bilingual

The Founder Visa
2 months ago
- Establish a new class of visa for startup founders, costing nothing, to increase the number of startups in the US.
- The biggest constraint on new US startups is not taxes or regulations, but preventing founders from entering the country.
- Letting 10,000 startup founders per year could create 2,500 new companies, boosting the economy and creating American jobs.
- Visa terms would prohibit founders from working for existing companies, only their own startups, so they don't take American jobs.
- Define a startup by market-based test: recognition from accredited startup investors, similar to university accreditation for student visas.
- This small immigration change could have a visible economic effect and costs practically nothing to implement.
How did the H1B visa become the 'Indian' visa
2 months ago
- The H-1B visa was created in 1990 with a 65,000 cap, but actual annual approvals are about 4.7 times higher due to exemptions for universities, nonprofits, and renewals, totaling around 399,000 in FY2024.
- The program is dominated by Indian IT workers, who receive about 71% of H-1B approvals, while the green card per-country cap (7%) creates multi-decade waits, effectively trapping workers and enabling exploitation.
- Beyond the H-1B, larger pathways like Optional Practical Training (OPT, over 505,000 workers in FY2024) and H-4 spousal work permits expand the skilled workforce to about 1.28 million, roughly two-thirds of the U.S. software workforce.
- Wage protections are weak: the required prevailing wage is often set below market, and the $60,000 exemption for H-1B-dependent employers has not been adjusted for inflation since 1998, allowing widespread underpayment.
- Fraud and abuse are documented, including a 2008 audit finding 13.4% fraud, and recent lottery gaming reduction from 408,891 duplicate registrations to under 8,000 after a per-person rule was implemented.
- Major Indian IT firms (Infosys, TCS, Cognizant, HCL, Wipro) are the heaviest users, with documented settlements for visa fraud, below-market pay (47-64% less), and discrimination against non-Indian staff.
- The visa system fuels India's export-driven economy, with IT services exports of $224 billion and remittances of $129 billion, while a WTO dispute filed by India in 2016 remains frozen to protect its dominant share.
- The program creates winners (Indian IT firms, U.S. companies) and losers (American workers displaced, H-1B holders stuck in long green card queues), with some layoffs requiring employees to train their replacements.
New DHS rules limit foreign student visas to 4 years plus extensions
2 months ago
- DHS eliminates 'duration of status' loophole for foreign students, exchange visitors, and media representatives, ending indefinite stays without oversight.
- New rule sets fixed admission periods (up to 4 years for F and J visas) and requires formal extensions via USCIS, including biometric vetting and background checks.
- Reduces departure grace period from 60 to 30 days and restricts academic changes to combat visa abuse and strengthen national security.
Supreme Court upholds broad conception of birthright citizenship
3 months ago
- Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship, rejecting Trump's executive order to deny citizenship to children of unauthorized or temporary residents.
- Court's decision aligns with 14th Amendment interpretation, emphasizing citizenship based on birthplace, not parents' immigration status.
- Ruling also upholds state laws banning transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports teams and strikes down limits on party spending in federal elections.
- Justice Department to prioritize cracking down on 'birth tourism' schemes post-ruling.
- Dissent from Justice Thomas argues citizenship should require deeper ties to the country, not just birth on U.S. soil.
- Reactions include relief from immigrant families, criticism from conservatives, and calls for constitutional amendment to restrict birthright citizenship.

immigration policy

The Founder Visa

How did the H1B visa become the 'Indian' visa

New DHS rules limit foreign student visas to 4 years plus extensions

Supreme Court upholds broad conception of birthright citizenship