GAME THE SYSTEM

As many of you know, my last show, The Hope Theory, chronicled my experience as an immigrant in the United States. My story focused on this experience and its unseen side, which I believe is rarely discussed. Conversations about this topic usually focus on the legal/illegal aspect, but there are many more sides to it. Many times, when talking about this subject with Americans who have a strict view on immigration, the conversation usually ends with a dismissive comment like “Interesting…” with a quick change of topic to avoid a deep conversation. But avoiding it doesn’t make it go away.

I recently read a great article on the facts about the laws' “legal” aspect and how it’s possible to tilt the system, or even game it, in favor of many, showing how the process, with all its restrictions, doesn’t work. Here is the link to read it:

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-staffing-firms-game-h1b-visa-lottery-system/

Or instead, to listen to it, you can click here:

https://omny.fm/shows/the-big-take/how-companies-gamed-the-h-1b-visa-lottery

On it, something caught my attention that I feel is worth quoting:

“The nation’s skilled-worker visa system has long been overshadowed in Washington by fights over illegal immigration and border security. But the economic stakes are high. A 2023 study from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School found that for every 10 H-1Bs that top US multinational companies lose out on, nine jobs are moved abroad. An economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond estimated that a mere 10% reduction in high-skilled immigrant workers would shrink the US economy by about $86 billion.”

Interesting… I would say…