Would you buy a Green card ($50k), H1B visa ($10K)?

[Andy Nguyen]

These are suggested starting prices for a visa auction

Economists Pia Orrenius of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Madeline Zavodny of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia propose that the government auction off visas to employers, simplifying our complicated immigration system and creating revenue for the Treasury. That's the thesis of their book, Beside the Golden Door

The authors suggest initial minimum prices-that would fluctuate according to demand-of $10,000 for a high-skill visa, $6,000 for a low-skill visa, and $2,000 for a seasonal visa.

University of Chicago economics professor Gary Becker has proposed raising even more money by auctioning off green cards to individual immigrants, starting at $50,000, raising about $50 billion annually.

RealClearMarkets - Auctioning Visas: Do I Hear Billions?

 

[Lyosha]

It's been a while since I have had to get a visa or green card, but from former co-workers, it seems that the cost required in obtaining a seasonal worker visa is currently an order of magnitude higher than what those prices... plus what do you do with people once they are in the country? How will this help get them to leave once they are done (which I feel is a better summary of the immigration issue in America)?

 

[TraderJoe]

They issue the Green Card in six months if a person has a PhD degree and is teaching in a university. Otherwise, for people from India and China, it takes about ten years to get the Green Card if they are getting it through employer sponsoship.

 

[ThinkDifferent]

They issue the Green Card in six months if a person has a PhD degree and is teaching in a university. Otherwise, for people from India and China, it takes about ten years to get the Green Card if they are getting it through employer sponsoship.

who are "they"? never heard about this procedure for getting a green card. could you provide more info pls?

 

[helpteye]

who are "they"? never heard about this procedure for getting a green card. could you provide more info pls?

use Work Visa Solution: H1B Visa, H1B Visa Sponsor, Visa Jobs and Green Card | MyVisajobs.com
. check professors/assistant professors and you will see that they receive permanent residence in less than 1 yr of filing. But not everyone can be a professor.

 

[alain]

They issue the Green Card in six months if a person has a PhD degree and is teaching in a university. Otherwise, for people from India and China, it takes about ten years to get the Green Card if they are getting it through employer sponsoship.

IMHO, you have no idea what are you talking about.

 

[Anthony DeAngelis]

50K to be a US citizen? Just marry a native and you are all set.

 

[TraderJoe]

IMHO, you have no idea what are you talking about.

I got the Green Card in six month when I was teaching at a large university. Many of my friends who work in IT field receive their Green Cards in average 10 years time. In Finance field very few people ever gets the Green card because everyone gets laid off within 10 years. All my friends who have Finance PhD, they take a job in a university for one or two years, then they get the Green Card quickly, then they come to Wall Street to make $.

 

[Stefan Zota]

50K to be a US citizen? Just marry a native and you are all set.

Not so easy as in the past. Furthermore even if all is smooth, it still takes 1 year.

I don't see any issue with the idea. In fact at the moment there is a similar option. If you invest at least $500k in some business here, then you get the green-card automatically. The discussion is really about the threshold. Is $50k too low? How about $100k?

 

[Dmytro]

to Stefan's earlier point about marrying a US citizen ;]

Investigating Marriage Fraud in New York - Do You Take This Immigrant? - NYTimes.com

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I read that article before and it reminds me of a classic movie Green card

 

[helpteye]

to Stefan's earlier point about marrying a US citizen ;]

Investigating Marriage Fraud in New York - Do You Take This Immigrant? - NYTimes.com

Did you see this at the end of the 1st page of that article?:

'Coming Monday: A Queens couple, married 17 years and denied three times, is still asking for a green card.'

 

[Anthony DeAngelis]

I just looked at the article and I think the key is to really marry someone. They only give you crap if you are a super hot Russian marrying a 60 year old, fat guy with some emails and an online romance.

I have always read that you want to meet someone here and get married here. I suppose you can't control how love happens, but even if you don't get citizenship through marriage you can still work and apply for a green card the normal route.

 

[TraderJoe]

Heck, if a super-hot Russian chick gets married to a fat dude, they should give her hundred Green Cards. She has earned them.

 

[Andy D.]

That sounds suspiciously like wishful thinking
However, there is always the risk of getting shafted by the person you're marrying.

I really couldn't help but laugh reading this. Surely one would hope this was the case if you are married .

 

[Andy D.]

... unless you're a guy and not into that sort of thing?

Yeah that may come as a bit of a surprise!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I refuse to take the previous exchanges on face value

 

[helpteye]

I would pay $50k for a green card.

 

[TraderJoe]

I would pay $50k for a green card.

I think that half the people working on Wall Street would be happy to pay $50K for a Green Card. A lot of them actually do this. If you read any of the borough newspapers in New York City, you will see ads of shady people who arrange the Green Cards. They are actually able to do this by arranging fake marriages with USA citizens. They take the person to the courthouse, get the marriage certificate. Three months later the person gets the conditional Green Card. After 2 years, the person gets the permanent Green Card.

It normally works quite smoothly. The main problem would occur if the person was already married. Then you have to be patient for 10 years and get the Green Card through your empoyer.

If you have PhD degree, the easiest way to get the Green card is to teach in a university. In that case, they will issue the Green Card in a special category and it only takes 6 months to get the Green card. Even through marriage, it takes 2 years.

 

[helpteye]

I think that half the people working on Wall Street would be happy to pay $50K for a Green Card. A lot of them actually do this. If you read any of the borough newspapers in New York City, you will see ads of shady people who arrange the Green Cards. They are actually able to do this by arranging fake marriages with USA citizens. They take the person to the courthouse, get the marriage certificate. Three months later the person gets the conditional Green Card. After 2 years, the person gets the permanent Green Card.

It normally works quite smoothly. The main problem would occur if the person was already married. Then you have to be patient for 10 years and get the Green Card through your empoyer.

If you have PhD degree, the easiest way to get the Green card is to teach in a university. In that case, they will issue the Green Card in a special category and it only takes 6 months to get the Green card. Even through marriage, it takes 2 years.

Great points. I guess I will simply start of with a teaching degree next year, then after 3 yrs (and do CQF or MFE part time) then make the move to the street.