The missing part here is that on a student/work visa, you're entitled to remain in the country longer than your visa is valid for.

When I was living in the US, I was on an E-3 visa and my wife was on an F-1. My visa lasted for 2 years, however my I-94 (which permits me to remain in the US) lasted for 3. My wife's visa was for a single year but her I-94 was for the entire duration of her study.

What this means in practice is that if you travel internationally during the period in which you have a valid I-94 but no valid visa, you have to renew. However if you _don't_ travel and just stay in the US, you don't have to bother.

I can't imagine how this is anything but a bug. The US wants my wife to demonstrate intent to return home (e.g. by frequently visiting) but actively discourages her from doing so (by forcing a burdensome visa renewal each time).

Well, her demonstration of intent is all the more sincere if it requires undergoing some burdensome steps. The logic is there, so I’m not seeing that it’s a bug, although I don’t love it.

This is a big fear for many h1bs (atleast those who I know). What if they travel to India, and then the visa officer decides just like that to deny. What will happen to their stuff in US, their apartment, car etc? These people have done nothing wrong and have all the paperwork, still have that (irrational) fear.

So many H1bs don't even think about buying a lot of furniture, a car or a house for this reason.

So many?

As someone who went through the H1-B process and had my status threaten a number of times (downsizing), it was just a reality - if I lose my visa I go back home and maybe try again.

It never stopped me from major live decisions like buying a house.

Immigrating to a new country is taking the risk that you can’t stay. I accepted that when I immigrated.

The point i was responding to was fear of being arbitrarily rejected by a visa officer, which can happen. Or having your H1B petition denied for a job that would've had it approved the year before - as is happening pretty frequently this year.

No one would complain if H1B was a transparent and clear system (like a points-based immigration system). In reality its often arbitrary, with your visa status hanging on the political tides of the country, or how a visa/border officers day is going. That kind of unpredictability wasn't clear to me when I got the H1B and isn't any kind of well-defined risk you can accept before going down that path.

>Immigrating to a new country is taking the risk that you can’t stay. I accepted that when I immigrated.

But it doesn't need to be so tenuous.

Emigrating to the Netherlands seems like a friendly walk in the park compared to the capricious bullshit that immigrants to America are subjected to. I'm ashamed my country treats people like this.

If I lose my visa for downsizing where I am, I can leave and go back on tourist visa, find another job and redo the work visa in 2 weeks.

It's idiotic to make it hard for immigrants to get back on their feet, it's not like working immigrants cost money..., what cost money is to lose them to a competing country...

But in essence you're right anyway: immigration is a privilege, complaining about it is really unfair to a country that was never forced to take you in in the first place. The only thing we the immigrants and the host countries can do, is compete on entry condition, to bring the most high skilled, high asset immigrants.

Which is why you should always travel while your current stamping is valid. The renewal always has a window. This is what I did all the time. If your new visa is refused you still have time left on your old visa to come back and take care of your stuff in the US.

I work with these people and it happens all the time. It's not irrational at all. Indian posts are very awful right now.

Is it irrational?

Clearly the above post's point is it's irrational that they have to have that fear, not that the fear itself is irrational

Well H1B is a terribly managed skilled migration. Countries like Australia and Canada do it well with their points system that is very fair and transparent.

H1B is based on a lottery. Which there are organized that openly abuse the system and the US gov doesn’t do much about it.

You either let people in or out. H1Bs are stuck in limbo for years with false hope. It’s a very sad way to live and it’s not good for the country either.

But US gov bends to corporations and H1Bs fucked up system helps them keep the wages low.

So there’s that.

You either let people in or not?

Most countries have a graduated immigration system - you start with a work visa, you try and get permanent residence, then try for citizenship.

The US isn’t alone in this except for maybe the fact that the demand to immigrate to the US far outstrips the limits.

Is there any other country where the waiting time to go from a work visa to a permanent residency exceeds 15+ years for citizens of certain countries even after the petition is approved?

No, that doesn't make sense because you don't need the stamp. I have friends who have never left America after moving here and they're Indian and just never had their passport stamped with the visa. They receive H-1B approvals and just stay here, renewing the H-1B approval when needed.

You can absolutely renew your status in the US. It's just when you travel that you need to make sure you have it stamped to return.

This applies to New Zealand afaik, my sister leaves to Australia while she has to renew her visa in NZ. So this isn't unique.