I have tried start-ups in several Asian countries, and have assisted friends with other attempts, so have faced these issues repeatedly.
SIN was one of the easier places in general to operate. Through the use of long-term social visas and frequent travel to Malaysia (JB for an hour or a day) for monthly tourist visa. Registering a business was quite easy too.
For example, I don't have to worry about getting health insurance for me or any employees or contractors.
This makes a big difference to startup costs and getting people to work for you.
You can then setup a business bank account as a non-residents using your LLC EIN, but I had to visit the US in person to do this.
US LLC Incorporation and registered agent ~$300/y
Everything else is essentially free, I have a registered mailbox that redirects my mail and a US Skype Number attached to my iPhone. You'll need a US address to setup the bank account initially.
Here in France, the web is highly concentrated in Paris (I'd say 80% of all the activity), so it's not uncommon to have geographical disparities.
1. It's awfully presumptuous for you to assume that all these people are just raring to come to the US and the only thing holding them back is the lack of a startup visa. Perhaps people don't live in the US because they want to live where they are?
2. Sheer numbers don't mean shit. The Valley has the best concentration of engineering talent anywhere. Opening up the floodgates to anyone and everyone isn't necessarily a good idea.
In this case, all things are not equal. Being located in the US and specifically in Silicon Valley makes a lot of venture-backed startup life easier, whether you need cofounders, investors, advisors, or employees. It's not a coincidence that Google, Apple, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Zynga, and Yahoo are all in the same area.
Dublin?
I kid. But seriously, come to Ireland startups! Tax haven! Economy in ruins! Need jobs!
I might move to the states but it seems counter-productive to me to move from one insane theocracy to another.
Better executive talent, great engineering talent (but perhaps expensive given demand), plenty of VCs, angels etc & importantly, exit opportunities. As another commenter mentioned, the sheer amount of successes (in the Valley especially) isn't coincidence.
The Startup Visa initiative is a great idea, but is that ever going to happen? The current US immigration system is an extremely good filter at keeping generally law-abiding entrepreneurs out, but letting in the exact kind of individuals it purports to protect the US from.
If you're going to keep potential job-creators out in this economy, why let anyone in?
I still wouldn't like to live in the US, but I totally support that you become more open :)
Here, in Belarus, we have a startup challenge called "Belarus Startup" and the prize is a payed trip to the Valley :)
Startup visa is a cool idea
And it has since evolved to the startup visa campaign: http://startupvisa.com/
At current count, ~2/3 of readers are from outside the US. These results seem to be backed up by pitdesi's post.
Since HN is so centered on startups, that's quite a few founders and potential entrepreneurs who could be working on the next Google. And all things being equal, there is a 2/3 chance that that next Google won't be happening in the US.
The Valley is amazing, but it's nothing without talent. Making our immigration law more amenable to founders obviously won't cause a mass migration of founders here, but surely some will be attracted to our awesome startup hubs. And we need every edge we can get.
We really need a startup visa.
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Edit: A couple of the responses have misinterpreted what I was hoping to convey. Of course I don't think everyone is dying to come to the US. What I am simply arguing is that 1) HN is a decent proxy of the startup community, 2) much of that community is outside of the US, 3) is there anything the US can do to attract some of that talent?
This is a question every country should be asking themselves, because startups are engines of prosperity. For the US, I think the startup visa is a good solution.