This is true not just for SV but also the biotech/pharma R&D sector. I personally know people who have already moved out of the US to places like Singapore and India, and are doing way better in terms of peace-of-mind, moving ahead with their lives, having kids, putting down roots etc. On the other hand, I know a few others who are much like nomads within the US, moving from job to job just to keep their H1-B visa status valid. The biggest threat for them has not been joblessness but the threat of deportation if they do not land a new job within the ridiculously low time span exceeding which would put their legal status in jeopardy.
<cynical>It appears that the US citizens and their government just do not give a damn about any of this.</cynical> It is only in the last 12-18 months that some murmurs are being heard in the MSM in this regard.
I have to wonder: the US taxpayers financed this advanced education, almost entirely in case of Bio/Pharma PhD programs, and then to throw out (literally) all that investment out the door makes absolutely no sense whatsoever!
My time is coming soon... I am very apprehensive as to what the future and this country has in store for me. :-/ :-)
I personally know people who have already moved out of the US to places like Singapore and India
May I ask some follow-up questions to make sure I understand your point of view on this issue? Are you referring to people who are originally from Singapore or India, or to people from third countries who settle in Singapore or India rather than settling in the United States? How does the number of those persons compare to the number of persons who stay in the United States after completing higher education? Aren't there official statistics about this?
It appears from your post that you too come from another country and have studied in the United States. Why did you think originally that it was a good idea to study in the United States rather than in your country of citizenship?
After edit: I have lived abroad myself, for two three-year stays in different decades in a country across an ocean from the United States. So I am always curious, as an American who left his country of birth, why people leave their country of birth and take on the challenge of living with new laws, perhaps a new language, noncitizen status at least at first, and perhaps new climate, food, and social customs too. What countries these days are best succeeding in attracting immigrants from all over the world? What example can those countries provide to countries that are less attractive to immigrants?
Are you referring to people who are originally from Singapore or India, or to people from third countries who settle in Singapore or India rather than settling in the United States?
The people I know personally, who moved, are mostly from India, including one very close relative.
How does the number of those persons compare to the number of persons who stay in the United States after completing higher education?
Not a very large number, yet. But I have seen the upswing over the last 10 years that I have been in the US. I am not aware of any official statistics off the top of my head, but I would be very surprised if no one is tracking this quantitatively.
Why did you think originally that it was a good idea to study in the United States rather than in your country of citizenship?
When I first came to the US a decade ago, it was for a MS program in a field (bioinformatics) that was almost non-existent at the time in my home country (India). I worked with a drug-discovery start-up for a year after graduation but soon realized that career prospects in biotech/pharma research are way better with the letters PhD after your name and some serious publications on your resume. I hope to wrap-up and graduate this year.
Why I left my country (USA)to become an immigrant in Vienna Austria.
Indeed, why would anyone leave their home for new laws, different language, different foods, different social customs.
The very same reason both my great grandfathers left Ireland to come to America, opportunity, and a better way of life!
Our family are all US born citizens. I am a registered republican, highly educated, and have founded 2 successful companies in Silicon Valley, and now a third in Vienna, Austria. Our family left the United States 9 years ago. We will not return until the US is once again a land of opportunity.
I am a proud American. I am proud of my country,and it's citizens. I am not proud of the kleptocracy that the State and Federal governments have become. I saw the financial industry collapse and "great recession" as inevitable back in 2002 when we left.
Yes the immigration system in Austria is highly dysfunctional and just as self defeating to entrepreneurs as in America.
Attractions:
Austria has a highly effective social welfare system, social health insurance system, career training, apprenticeships, and no cost higher educational system. As a direct result, Viennese society is one of the safest on the face of the earth. Kindergarten children take the subway and streetcars to school by themselves.
The European Union actively funds "open source development", and requires much of its research to be made open source.
Software patents in Europe, which exist, are unenforceable.
The US government sells its research to the highest bidder, depriving its citizens of its use. Europe believes in returning its research to its citizens use.
Austria, Germany Switzerland, and France are growing rapidly, and have record low unemployment rates. Austria is currently at 4.6 percent.
Vienna has been the top Mercer world city for 2 years in a row. A very trusting society, papers are placed in plastic satchels, with a coin box attached. The subway and train systems have no entry / exit barriers or gates. A simple ticket stamping machine sits on a post. In a highly trusting society, there is no need for steel newspaper boxes or oppressive barriers.
Austrian's are protected by law from overwork, and as a result, are very healthy, utilizing far less heathcare services than the typical American.
Austria, Germany, and France are the best countries for an American to emigrate to.
Vivek Wadhwa fails to realize that immigrant founders actually deprive Americans of key jobs. Founders jobs. Immigrants are the only people desperate enough to accept the immoral yet legal terms offered by many Vulture Capitalists. A legal form of slavery. Nothing else explains the high percentage of immigrant founders adequately. I was witness to several immigrants having lost control of their own companies just as they became profitable.
The US must actively recruit each and every foreign born entrepreneur, engineer and scientist they can find, in order to grow the economy to at least 7 percent a year, or it will be bankrupt before 2025.
By throwing wide the doors to foreign immigration, the Vulture Capitalists would be unable to exploit foreign immigrants. The playing field for both immigrant and US citizen would be equal. The US would, within a few years, drastically reverse its trade deficit to a significant surplus. Just as Austria, Germany, and France currently enjoy.
I don't see that happening, and so the US government will be deprived of vital tax revenue from the next great technological advance. US corporations have parked 2 trillion dollars of profits overseas, to avoid paying US taxes.
I highly recommend US citizens act with haste to emigrate to a new home in either Europe or Asia before the Hobsian society arrives in force, resulting in an exodus tidal wave of Americans.
I can understand Americans who move to places like Brazil or India in search of opportunity, but it's surprising to see central Europe as a destination. (I'm not American nor European, but live in NYC and worked in the EU).
I doubt Germany, Austria and France are churning out more scientists & engineers than the US. They most definitely are not churning out more entrepreneurs. In fact they're barely producing a next generation - these are aging demographics, and their advanced social benefits (which in general I support) will be especially hard to sustain when there aren't enough working age tax payers around.
Pretty much every criticism of American government & big business easily applies to these nations, and in addition they are also now tethered to corrupt governments like Greece and malfunctioning economies like Spain and Ireland.
Visit NYC and Silicon Valley, and you'll find EU expats who come there to fulfill their entrepreneurial ambitions. TThat's part of the reason a "startup visa" is even an issue in the US.* You don't hear much talk of startup visas in Europe - not because it's easier to migrate there, simply because there aren't thousands of people who want to move there and start companies.
There isn't a single place in Europe that's even close to Silicon Valley or even Boston in terms of startup environment. America has a lot of problems, but the EU is at least in as bad a shape.
Clearly, starting a business in Europe is far more costly and time consuming than in the US. It took 3 months to get approval by the Handelsgericht (commercial court) to obtain approval of the incorporation papers. In Austria, you must have a minimum 35000 euros of "startup capital" invested "on deposit" to form a company. In the US, it can be done in an afternoon.
Regulations and oversight in Europe is far greater, and intrusive, than in the US, which can be frustrating to me as an American, however I understand the reasons, and clearly can see the benefits of this in the stability of the financial and business industries. With kurzarbeit, there was minor economic damage to either Germany or Austria.
The key economic drivers of European growth, Germany, France, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland tend not to have boom / bust cycles like the US.
The Euro definitely has issues in the absence of an "economic union", however if any country goes into default, it does not bring the entire union down.
Europeans tend to focus on R&D of "long term sustainable" "tangable technology" rather than the modern silicon valley focus on "short term fluff" of facebook, zynga, iPhones, iPads etc.
Airbus kicks Boeing's ass in Aerospace (not to mention business efficiency (787 outsourcing debacle)
European research is superior in almost every category, and is at par with the best that the US has to offer. Europeans do not turn over their core R&D in order to do business in China, or India.
NASA manned spaceflight (the 11 billion dollar boondoggle of the canceled ARES / CONSTELLATION)(and the new heavy launcher designed by politicians) is a huge embarrassment for US expats like myself. For Europeans, this is clear undeniable evidence of the US having lost its technical superiority, and Europe's rise to supremacy.
Europeans tend not to do business arrangements with dictators as often as the US. And I think that it is immoral to exploit citizens in another country which tolerates slums (Brazil favelas), and does not work actively to lift its people out of poverty (China/India). Check out the favela tourism (predominantly patronized by US citizens) next time you're in Rio.
Yes, Europe in general is not as astute in funding of high tech startups, and culturally are more risk averse to funding the silicon valley fluff.
Greece Spain Ireland:
Unlike in America, if California or Illinois, or Ohio declares bankruptcy, its fatal to the entire country. In Europe, it would cut Greece loose from both the Political and Monetary unions in a snap.
Not so easy to kick states out of the United States union.
As far as EU expats, I've personally met many Germans and Austrians who have returned from the US, and vow never to live there again (violent crime / fascism / kleptocracy). Most would like to visit again, because of the friendly people and the beautiful landscapes. These folks in particular "get why I am here", and the advantages of Europe over the US. There is a weekly television show in Germany and Austria called "Goodbye Deutschland", which chronicles such expat adventures primarily to the US. The vast majority return home with a newfound respect for their home country, and wiser about the world in general.
Really, everybody with the opportunity should leave their "country of birth" for a few years as an adult. It helps to truly put your country in perspective with the rest of the world.
The US is a beautiful country with a majority of wonderful caring and friendly decent people. It however pretends to be a democracy and operates as a kleptocracy / fascist republic. Yes there is corruption in Europe as well, however here, people go into the streets and demand justice, whenever the politicians fail to act in the best interests of its citizens!
Wisconsin is the "first shot heard around the world" for the next US revolution. With people equally divided on critical issues, and politicians unwilling to negotiate and compromise (kleptocracy), the next 15 years are going to be witness to the next US civil war.
Europeans has survived fascism, and will never allow its return. America is in the throes of fascism, and it will be Europe and the rest of the world paying to rebuild the USA.
France labour laws are pretty bad. It basically shuts out the young because once you hire a french worker, it's hell and high water to fire them. Unemployment is at %9.6 right now and %25 for youth.
While not feeling as strongly about the state of the US as you, I am in a position to and will likely end up emigrating in the next few years to one of the countries you have mentioned. Health care, quality of life, etc. will all play into the decision.
As far as immigration policies in the US? I do think things are pretty f'd up. However, I don't think "throwing open the doors" is the actual option. We do need to encourage and readily "recruit" people that want to come here and start and build companies. The US can benefit (like it did in the past) by bringing the best and the brightest (as well as retaining those that come to our universities).
Where I differ, is I think we don't need every warm body coming here to fill tech jobs. There should be a focus on hiring (and if necessary training/continuing education) for those that are in need of jobs where there are openings (like in tech).
The idea of throwing open the doors, was to ensure a truly competitive playing field for Americans and Immigrants alike.
If an Immigrant, and an American have to be paid equally, work the same hours, have the same benefits and rights, then the immigrant is no longer at a disadvantage, as he currently is a legal slave, with no rights, under H1-B.
<cynical>It appears that the US citizens and their government just do not give a damn about any of this.</cynical> It is only in the last 12-18 months that some murmurs are being heard in the MSM in this regard.
I have to wonder: the US taxpayers financed this advanced education, almost entirely in case of Bio/Pharma PhD programs, and then to throw out (literally) all that investment out the door makes absolutely no sense whatsoever!
My time is coming soon... I am very apprehensive as to what the future and this country has in store for me. :-/ :-)