congratulations! waiting for mine, it is an insane journey!!

I dont understand the green card system, if you run a company, you want the best to stay, and not make their life hard. the existing process makes it harder for those better performers for the USA company.

They reopened the 2007 numbers - they had closed it for a few weeks, but I think a lawsuit got them to reopen. I'm hoping to get mine in the next month or two.

Here is an important question. Did you apply for the green card lottery or did you get on some other premises, and what were those?

I was ineligible for the Green Card lottery since I'm British.

It was an employment-based application. The startup I worked for in London got acquired in 2003 and we all got the chance to move to the Bay Area.

most immigrants come here because their home country had a much lower standard of living - aside from the opportunity. So I am surprised that you took so much trouble; surely Britain has an equivalent standard of living?

I can't figure out whether the people who run immigration in most countries are complete morons on their own, or if their political masters have significant influence in the stupidity of the system. My own personal example (well, one): when I got married in Italy, I had to swear, in front of a (busy) judge, with two witnesses, that no, I was not actually married elsewhere.

I don't think there would be any huge effects if things were basically opened up between wealthy countries... a few would go here from there, and vice versa, and things would balance out. But it is increasingly difficult. Bleagh!

"if things were basically opened up between wealthy countries"

so, only between wealthy countries?

For starters. You couldn't realistically completely open, Holland, say, to immigration from India and China without some adverse consequences. Between rich countries, people would likely flow back and forth enough to balance things out.

It has an equivalent standard of living - in some ways I still prefer it. It doesn't have anything like Silicon Valley though.

I got mine through marriage. I came here with a college F1 visa.

Congratulations!