
Living on the Edge – Story of an Iranian Student in US - pmc
https://medium.com/@fardinghooli/living-on-the-edge-6a692c4a7f38#.fhnz76kg4
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therein
It looks like we went to the same college in the US and in fact, I remember
seeing you around. Such a shame these draconian laws exist.

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alexro
What'd you say if a chap you knew at school then turned up on the ISIS
reports? This isn't a fantastic scenario isn't it?

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Y201K
Probably "Such a shame he decided to join ISIS." It doesn't have to be so
either/or or black and white?

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alexro
Somehow its becoming just that: 51/49 split everywhere

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amirbehzad
Same story here. I got admitted to Georgia Tech MSCS, and now I have to forget
about it.

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arcticbull
I think all immigrants and nonimmigrants in the US face some degree of this,
though obviously the Iran and friends group is significantly worse off.

American citizens don't realize the restrictions placed on even "friendly"
aliens (excluding LPRs for the most part):

(1) AR-11 form to file every time you move so the government can keep track of
your address.

(2) You cannot perform any work in the US, paid or unpaid, that's not for your
employer -- so even open source can be a grey area. Contracting is off the
table.

(3) You can trade stocks but not "too much" (undefined quantity) because it
then becomes active income and you're out of status.

(4) Every time you cross the border you're advised to bring your entire
petition with you (H1B, TN) in case the guards decide to drag you into
secondary. Further, TN status can be revoked at each border crossing. The
_one_ time I left my H1B petition at home I got dragged in, they spent about
an hour validating my status; luckily the initial officer wrote my WAC number
into my passport and they could look it up.

(5) TN only: 3 year visas, indefinitely renewable so long as you convince the
border guard you won't renew them indefinitely. The mental gymnastics hurt my
brain. Then there's the whole software engineer vs. computer systems analyst
vs. programmer distinction that's apparently the most meaningful thing in the
world. Much of your TN petition relies on the mood of the border guard. And
that's if there's even going to be a NAFTA in a few weeks.

(6) You basically can't found here without a green card, and that takes the
better part of a decade to obtain from start to finish, unless you're an
Indian national in which case god help you. You can't even get a buddy to
start the company and sponsor you unless you're Canadian and can TN your way
in, because of the sheer quantity of recordkeeping, cost and 33% chance once a
year in April of obtaining an H1B for an employee who can't start until the
new USCIS fiscal year beginning October 1st.

(7) Out of status for 180-364 days? 3 year bar. Out of status longer? 10 year
bar. Even if you marry someone, you can't adjust status from within the
country so you get wanged with the bar on your way back in.

(8) H-1B: Last day of work? GTFO time. Officially, no grace period, it's back
where you came from. Also? You simultaneously have to get an IRS form 1040-C
Sailing Permit approved by your IRS field office before you go. Though many
aliens who are fired/laid off obviously can't satisfy both requirements at
once. Pick the one you want to piss off least.

Every US immigrant and nonimmigrant knows this stuff, ask one next time you
see them, it's what we bond over ^_^

When I elected not to pursue a green card and left the US, it felt really good
not to be under the thumb of the government. And this is 'easy mode' \-- as a
Canadian software engineer with 6 years of professional experience.

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dmode
This x1000

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grzm
Please try to be more substantive in your comments. The equivalent of "+1" or
"me, too" doesn't add much to the conversation.

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coldcode
I had a friend when I was in grad school who was from Iran, during the Iranian
revolution. We had a lot of discussions on what was happening and why. He was
still intent on getting his grad degree and going back home and teaching
Chemistry. I lost track of him so I wonder what happened. Education is a great
way to bring people together. Treating people like dirt is a great way to ruin
everything.

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rocky1138
In retrospect, Toronto might have been the better choice. He didn't mention
Waterloo (Canada), but that would be up there, too.

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hackeraccount
What should the process be for foreigners in the US?

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pcunite
_As an Iranian in the US, you are restricted._

What is it like for others in Iran?

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adjkant
I think it's important to note that the author explains exactly how he is
restricted (and it applies mostly to the professional/tech world), and I don't
think the experience would vary by person based on his examples. From the
Iranians I know as well as other international students in general, what he
has described is pretty common. Not Iranian myself though so haven't seen
every detail up close and personal, and small sample size. I have never seen
evidence or heard of experiences that suggest otherwise in the cases of his
examples.

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michaelbuddy
Used to have an iranian neighbor, he had two really smart kids with a sweet
mexican lady. Great people. I still support these temporary bans. And I would
like to see more people complain about Obama admin sending iran 400 million
cash secretly and then lying about it. Obama also gave or attempted to give
221 million to palestine in the last hours of his presidency. So many things
wrong with that, frankly Obama admin simply couldn't be trusted for the safety
of the U.S.

