In part, this is a country of exiles, refugees and adventurers. Many find this part of our national identity appealing; many others, who do not, still see wisdom in attracting the foreign elites and letting their blood flow through our veins, making us stronger (google Brain Drain if you are not familiar with the term).
I propose a twist on the usual GD immigration threads:
**I’m inviting anyone who thinks they can do better than gut reactions and opinion pieces to actually answer a few questions and have a shot at proposing interesting ideas and maybe expose inconsistensies. **
Assuming you were named Immigration Czar and given a $100bn / year budget TO PROCESS LEGAL IMMIGRANTS (IE: not your job to build fences or deport illegals).
How many legal immigrants, total, could the U.S successfully absorb* every year?
*Successfully absorbed by your own criteria.
Would you disqualify people because of their citizenship or other characteristics*?
*if so, which and how?
How would you allocate your immigrant slots?
*Would you use any quotas and why?
What criteria* would you deem important?
*How would you test for unconventional ones?
Would you offer group* deals?
(whole families, work teams, etc)
Would you impose conditions / offer incentives to help the integration process after the arrival to the U.S?
How much time should an immigration applicant have to spend to fill out an application?
How much time should an immigrant applicant have to spend to obtain the necessary documents* to attach to an application?
*(anything from criminal records to bank account balances)
How much money should an immigrant applicant have to spend* on obtaining the documents and to present the application?
*Should even the poor be able to afford it?
Should immigrants bear the costs* of this policy?
*How much money should it end up costing per applicant and how much of that money should be repaid? In what way?
In the end, if your plan is successful, how would you estimate the economical impact on the country? What about social and political impacts?
Feel free to add or answer more questions.