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Comment by Const-me | Hacker News Reader

Why is that regulated by federal government at all?

Shouldn’t there be different immigration regulations in the Silicon Valley and in e.g. rural Ohio?

Wouldn't that require having an internal visa system? While some countries do it (China), it's a bit antithetical to having a unified country with a single foreign policy

Currently, if you’ll get a regular L-1 US visa, you’ll only be able to work for the petitioning company. This effectively limits your ability to move. The system works without internal borders within the US.

Also look at Canada. Different Canadian provinces have their own immigration programs, with different caps and criteria: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/provincial/

How enforceable is Canada's system? I believe permanent residents have the right to live anywhere in Canada (citizens certainly do), so what's to stop people applying through the easiest province and then moving wherever they want?

Not very. http://www.cknw.com/2016/08/17/quebec-immigrant-investor-pro...

It's the purvue of the federal government.

However, you're 100% correct that picking "the optimal number of immigrants" by committee is a terrible idea: http://johnhcochrane.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-optimal-number...

This is actually a great idea which would reduce co.s depending hiring foreign contractors via loopholes, empower local senators/politicians to make decisions to improve state economies, define goals for immigration policies at the federal level and pave the way for fixing legal immigration overall.

That sounds like a great way to ensure that rural Ohioans never have a shot at a job in Silicon Valley.

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