Not totally related but Wall Street’s Frantic Push to Hire Coders - Bloomberg
We need to figure out a way that works and allows the people to move freely between countries while being secure enough to prevent criminals and such a free ride at the same time.
It's a big hurdle now, the people can't go where they are needed and could contribute the most.
Agree, half-baked immigration policies create more problems than they are trying to solve
I like the concept of countries at the same time I want to be able to move to and work where ever it hits my fancy 
There are always countries/states/towns/communities/neighbors and their rules
I know, it's just insane how complicated it can be and how carelessly they change it without thinking through the outcomes.
I mean the "rules to move here".
Well, step one is to think hard, about which ones would benefit a community more: merit-based, or humanity based (asylum seeker, family union) ? Given the finite spots for immigrants without big disruption.
AS of now, employment based compared to family based immigration is such a small percentage https://travel.state.gov...
In 2015, only 21K (out of 531K total immigrants) were employment based.
I would split the refugee and immigration issues. Not to mention that the number of immigrants in the US is not a big one, 0.16% of the total population (based on your number above and 2014 US census.
Unless the number you wrote there is the visas issued and not the total immigrant population - seems very low to me.
annual visa issued
yeah, that's more like it, I was thinking after I typed in the first post. Anyway, banks, insurance companies and companies needing engineers are really stretched right now. I am sure an extra 100,000 engineers
wouldn't even cause a blip in the visa system, but would help the business.
In 2014, 467K immigrant visa issued, 1.3 million moved in (don't know why it's much bigger than visa issued) and only 21K was employment based
yeah I agree with what you said, but currently H1B visa is being abused by some large (out-sourcing) Indian international companies
Before we can greatly expand that program, we also need to address the abuse of system
Yes, it's not a simple problem. One reason for more people moving in than visa issued - doesn't account for all the difference! - is americans moving home.
Net immigration includes citizens moving home and citizens moving out.
I think I have just figured out the 1.3M, it's not the citizens as you guessed, it's mostly illegals plus 120K asylum seekers
So, roughly, 1.3M = 21K employment + 380K family&relatives + 50K lottery + 120K refugees + 670K illegals
it's interesting that even though they are called "undocumented" they are still counted.
But yeah, that's a big number too.
yeah so social service can get their pie
don't get me wrong, there is a great need for those undocumented workers, and I am all for them to come and work here! I just don't want to see so many existing wrong incentives that attract wrong kinds of them
the problem is that if it's "impossible" to come legally, they will come illegally. And then of course will come not just the workers but the non-workers too.
I'm pretty sure that the people who want to work would be quite happy to arrive legally. But not if it takes 2 years and costs a lot of money which they can't afford.
"When the gates are sturdy, they climb the fence"
it's because we cannot limit the too-generous social benefit only to those who have "chipped in enough" and watch a big group of people live without insurance and kids without schools
open border works only in a society who doesn't hand out free stuff
I didn't say open border, just pointed out that the really desperate/dedicated will always find a way
making anyone who is willing to work to come in is open border to me
But if they work then there is no problem. They work, pay taxes, and contribute. But it's not a simple issue, loads of related questions come up, from insurance to schooling to housing.