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Re:China Overtakes U.S. For First Time as Top Spender on R&D... by soohamr on Tuesday October 13, 2026 @11:23PM (#50082000)
I dont care about how many green cards the states has issued, its a backwards looking metric.

Comparing visa datasheets and application requirements will not give you the complete picture on immigration. I cant iterate case by case over every western nation here so I will limit my myself to the US since this is HN.

For most H1B immigrants residing in the US on dual intent visas, there is no realistic pathway to PR either, due to country caps and observation that one country supplies a majority of immigrants to the US.

Most H1Bs here spend their full careers in an anxious immigration limbo between USCIS, unreliable employers, power tripping border agents with 3/6 year renewals and periods of restriction on travel. Many who arrived to the US pre-2001 are still yet to recieve their promised green card. That is not practical in any meaning of the word. Immigration and PR into other western nation is an order of magnitude easier.

Many without the fortitude pack up early and return home, the USCIS does not account for them AFAIK.

Most immigrants get the same or better experience under the Z visa with minimal pretense and bullshit. The Chinese govt is kind enough to dictate reasonable terms. You renew every 3/5 years at the local visa office until you reach 60 and head back home. You arent treated like a criminal at airport immigration. The points system used for Z visa not a hurdle for anyone remotely compenent. It does not ask you to learn fluent Chinese, getting paid sufficently, having enough prior experience making grants enough points, its table stakes for most immigrants. If you want to reside in China beyond 60 you can figure out an avenue with immigration consultants, but it rightfully requires justification.

Peering into the future, net legal immigration into the US has passed its inflection point. As DJT admin looks into curtailing OPT, H1B and birthright citizenship I would say US is looking worse today than China in matters of immigration. Compared to just 2 years ago, 2024, nobody coming to US is expecting to stay permanently. That door has long shut. In contrast foreign student enrolement in Chinese universities is trending higher every year. Eventually this may lead to better terms to reside in the country.

Re:China Overtakes U.S. For First Time as Top Spender on R&D... by ElProlactin on Wednesday October 14, 2026 @06:37AM (#50085417)
You've gone from arguing that "China welcomes all skilled foreign talent to come work and take residence in the country with open arms" to arguing that the US is now no better than China and worse than other Western countries.

There is no doubt that the Trump administration has hurt America's appeal, and that Indians in particular face a pretty tough road ahead.

But you're overstating so many things. China's system is working as designed. The US system has a huge backlog. Those are not the same thing.

And you still don't want to acknowledge a simple fact: a US green card provides a real pathway to citizenship and full rights for your children. China has no similar path for immigrants.

The numbers simply don't lie: despite Trump, the US issues more green cards in a year than China has issued its closest equivalent in 20+. China has had net negative migration for 50+ years. The US population will be modestly higher in 2100 than it is today, while China is going to lose as much as half of its population in the next 75 years.

Source: the UN's 2024 World Population Prospects