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Comment by fragmede | Hacker News Reader

Yes - but not entirely by choice. Many a PhD student has returned home after earning their degree, because of the US's visa policies, which make it hard to stay after completing a degree. Why would they stay somewhere that doesn't want them?

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Current visa rules make it very easy to stay. STEM graduate students on an F-1 visa get a whopping 36 months of employment authorization in the US. Look up OPT extension. That's 3 years they can apply to get a H-1B.

In fact, getting a M.S. from a mediocre U.S. school is a popular method young people use to immigrate.

H1-B provides for a terrible quality of life, and is only attractive if options in home country are worse.

It is in many cases ask any Indian on a h1b about the Dickensian employment laws in India reliving letters etc.

I know, and it’s why Indians use H1B, but it’s a terrible policy to be 1 step above Dickensian Indian labor laws and also hurts Americans for the benefit of the owners of capital.

H1-B is slavery. No smart young person that has any choice in his life should be subjected to it.

You and I have very different definitions of easy. Nervously waiting for a year to find out whether you'll be lucky enough to stay, then not really having any job mobility for several more years is not exactly easy. God forbid you want to start a family. Honestly in a few years it probably won't be worth the hassle. Maybe it's a good thing (no excuse but to build our sh*tty countries)

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