I'll be here for the rest of the day. As usual, there are countless immigration-related topics to discuss and I'll be guided by whatever you're concerned with. Please remember that I can't provide legal advice on specific cases because I won't have access to all the facts. Please stick to a factual discussion in your questions and comments and I'll try to do the same in my answers.
Previous threads we've done: https://news.ycombinator.com/submitted?id=proberts.
Have O1 visa approvals slowed under the current administration, and what steps can individuals take to address this?
Hey Peter, thanks for doing the AMA.
Kind of a high-level question... but what is the typical process of hiring someone to work in the US who isn't a US citizen?
i.e. what steps does the potential employee need to take vs the company, & in what order?
Thanks!
Hey Peter! What are some of the most common legal mistakes you see startups make and how can they be avoided?
Im a Canadian, I want to expand my business to US - what’s the right way to do that and use that for green card?
Should I hire a lawyer to fill out the form to apply for citizenship as a Green Card (marriage) holder
Hi Peter, appreciate for hosting the AMA. I am a Chinese and holding a L1B visa and now just submitted PWD with paralegal's help, how long would it cost to get a green card?
Hi Peter,
Thank you.
What should my next steps be if my employment-based green card renewal is denied?
I just got my green card but the category mentioned on it is wrong (E18 instead of E17). Is there an action I need to take? Separately, can I use the existing card to travel outside the US and reenter?
Hi Peter, I am on a H1B visa; Is it allowed to run a company by myself if I never take out the revenue off the company bank account (so, effectively unrealized gains).
Can you convince YC to have programs outside the US by any chance? It's not exactly easy getting into the USA these days and by no means a smooth experience either.
is E2 still an easy option for (small) investors to buy/start a business with ~100k capital?
Hi Mr. Roberts;
Thank you for doing this, yet again - your insights are always so valuable. I am on an H1B, and my company applied for a Greencard, and I have received a Priority Date with my i-140 (sorry if I'm not using the correct terms here, this process confuses me). When am I able to leave my current employer without losing my priority date? Would I need to get my new employer to apply for an H1B transfer and extension for me, or how does that work? Thank you!!
Hey Peter! Thank you again for doing this series. Apologies for the broad question, but do you think it applying for PERM during the current administration is a good idea? My understanding was that in the first Trump administration, PERM denials went up quite a bit, and with immigration being an even larger concern for the second administration I'm wondering if it makes sense holding out for a few years if that's a possibility.
Are non-US citizens banned from working on <2nm GAA technologies? What are the ITAR limits on non-US citizens from working on these tech? Can we incorporate in another country to allow hiring on non-US citizens to work on <2nm GAA technologies?
i'm probably going to marry my american partner next year and thinking of moving to america. what are (generally speaking) my options for working? coming from the united kingdom.
What is the likelihood today that Trump and his allies in Congress may improve the ability for H1B holders to obtain green cards? This was repeatedly raised during his campaign and his first weeks in office and it sounded like this was going to be a thing....
How can a citizen support colleauges who are dealing with well-placed ICE anxiety?
why is ycombinator promoting immigration thru H1B when so many US born CS grads are finding it hard to get job. In 2023, American colleges graduated 134,153 citizens or green card holders with bachelor's or master's degrees in computer science. That same year, our federal government handed out work permits to at least 110,098 foreign workers in computer occupations through just three major guest worker programs. That's equal to 82% of our graduating class who are guaranteed jobs even before any Americans walk across the stage for their diploma. https://ifspp.substack.com/p/data-on-how-america-sold-out-it...
So, I have a wife who just got her citizenship. We're very happy about that.
Concerning, though, is the current presidential administration's talk of trying to do large-scale denaturalization of citizens.
I know you don't have the ability to read minds, but would you care to hazard a guess to much of this is the president just blowing smokes or how worried I should be?
Immigration is actually directly related to how CEOs and VCs intend to change the landscape for all things government related, and democracy as a whole. There is very much a subjective intent to tear down the rule of law, the rights that safeguard Americans as a whole, starting with immigration. IT's an entry point, a target to whittle away basic rights of the average American. Peter Thiel touches on this need for a tech revolution in his paper "The Straussian Moment", https://www.hoover.org/research/peter-thiel-straussian-momen..., who also funded JD Vance's rise to VP, and DJT.
These guys, "Tech Bros", love the concepts written in Srinivasan's book "the Network State", and want to replace our current government with distributed monarchies. Srinivasan, Thiel, Andresen, and Curtis Yarvin actually have a documented plan to achieve this which is being executed, to a "T", which involves attacking immigration, not just as a distraction so they can attack the courts directly, but also cause it's part of their vision. This plan is referred to the butterfly revolution, by Curtis Yarvin, which states the following:
1. Reboot (“full-power start”) Suspend or bypass existing constitutional limits; concentrate absolute sovereignty in one new organization—analogous to Allied occupation powers in post-1945 Japan/Germany. Eliminate checks and balances that block rapid change.
2. CEO-Monarch model A single executive (chosen like a corporate CEO) rules; the former president becomes a figurehead “chairman of the board.” Treat the state as a firm run for efficiency, not democratic representation.
3. RAGE strategy “Retire All Government Employees” by mass-firing the civil service and replacing it with loyal appointees. Remove institutional resistance (“the Cathedral”) and ensure obedience.
4. Parallel regime Build a fully staffed shadow government in exile before inauguration; unveil it on Day 1 to take over agencies at once. Prevent the bureaucratic slow-rolling that stymied Trump’s first term.
5. Media & academia clampdown Defund or shutter universities and independent press seen as hostile. Break what Yarvin calls the Cathedral’s cultural dominance.
Curtis Yarvin's writings include pointed attacks on immigration, both as a policy and as a reflection of deeper systemic problems. He uses immigration as an example to argue for the failure of democracy and to advocate for his preferred model of authoritarian governance. He also frames immigration debates as distractions from what he sees as the real issues-namely, the incompetence and self-serving nature of current elites and institutions.
Do you understand why the current administration would want to attack immigration? Altman, Theil, and others(Tech Bros) that manage YC, Palantir, OpenAI. A16Z prescribe to these beliefs. It is no secret, no conspiracy, they publicly talk about this. How do you feel about their approach, and YC's involvement, to changing governance and the future of our country? How do feel about Immigration as a tactic to attack the judicial branch as well assault innocent legal civilians with ICE, which is part of their reboot strategy?
[dead]
[dead]
[dead]
[dead]
[dead]
Hi Peter, Thank you for taking your time to do this.
I currently hold J-1 research scholar visa. I would like to better understand what visa options I have after my J-1 ends. I am considering applying for O-1 but I need a professional advice on that. Can you recommend any immigration lawyers that can help me with that?