High-Skilled Immigration Protocol for U.S.: H-1B Visa Reform Blueprint (2025)
A protocol to increase high-skilled immigration in the U.S. & H-1B visa reforms
A major debate over H-1B visas erupted this past week after prez-elect Donald Trump appointed Sriram Krishnan as his advisor on AI policy.
Krishnan had previously made comments about supporting the removal of caps for green cards and expansion of skilled immigration in the U.S.
Elon Musk strongly defended the H-1B visa program, stating he would “go to war on this issue” and emphasized that H-1Bs are crucial for companies like SpaceX and Tesla.
Elon also stated:
Maybe this is a helpful clarification: I am referring to bringing in via legal immigration the top ~0.1% of engineering talent as being essential for America to keep winning. This is like bringing in the Jokic’s or Wemby’s of the world to help your whole team (which is mostly Americans!) win the NBA. Thinking of America as a pro sports team that has been winning for a long time and wants to keep winning is the right mental construct.
A faction of the Right Wing (e.g. Laura Loomer) perceived this as anti-American and the opposite of “America First” policy.
Others had more reasonable reactions/criticisms of the “skilled immigration” programs (e.g. H-1Bs).
I think a lot of tech bosses are as surprised as we are about the corruption with visas and supposedly ‘skilled foreign labor.’ And they’re embarrassed. Keep pushing all the data and facts. Let them see it, many will come around. I knew there were issues - but all the data posted on X shows I didn’t know much.
The USA grants about 2x more visas to the foreign relatives of generic foreign workers (~193,000/yr) than to foreign workers with extraordinary ability (~92,000/yr).
44% of America's unicorn ($1bn+) founders are foreign-born (1997-2019). But notice that different sources have produced vastly different per capita rates of unicorn founders. Israeli-Americans dominate per capita.
Look, I’m getting older, and I quite like American culture just as it is today, so I’m not particularly interested in, nor would I directly or personally benefit from mass immigration or large scale demographic change. But I can also see the writing on the wall. Birth rates are collapsing, the population will fall, and the economic arguments for high skilled immigration are overwhelming. Unfortunately, almost nobody in this debate seems willing to frame things in this way. One side wants you to reject the possibility that there’s any practical benefits of immigration. And the other side insists not only that you recognize the practical benefits, but that you enthusiastically desire demographic change as an aesthetically and morally superior arrangement.
Many also rendered apt criticisms of modern H-1B visa programs:
Rife with fraud & abuse: The U.S. DOJ investigations reveal widespread misuse of the program, including fake job postings and falsified credentials.
Used for non-specialized jobs: Reports from Brookings Institution show H-1Bs are being used for routine roles like IT support and data entry - jobs U.S. workers can easily perform.
Nepotism & ethnic favoritism: Indians dominate H-1Bs (~70% go to Indians) and Indian managers and firms often dominate the system - hiring only other Indians and cutting out U.S. citizens.
Loopholes for exploitation: Outsourcing firms like Infosys & TCS file thousands of H1Bs to flood the lottery and monopolize the system. This diverts U.S.-based innovation to outsourcing firms.
Harms U.S. workers: Suppresses wages for U.S. workers (cost-cutting by hiring H1Bs over U.S. citizens), cuts out U.S. workers (DEI gives hiring preference to non-whites/foreigners & Indian nepotism fills companies with mostly Indians), takes jobs from U.S. citizens (esp. when non-skilled/non-specialized jobs are filled with H1Bs).
Skewed demographics: Over 70% of H-1B visas go to workers from India (according to USCIS) - leaving other countries talent pools underrepresented. Although India has a large population, the 70% figure means we probably aren’t getting “the best of the best.”
Undermines meritocracy: The process for H-1B visas is currently not fully meritocratic. If it were purely meritocratic, 70% of these visas wouldn’t be going to Indians.
National security risks: There is potential that foreign workers in highly-sensitive positions may inadvertently or intentionally create vulnerabilities for U.S. companies and infrastructure - risking IP theft and loss of tech advantage to foreign competitors (biggest risk here is China).
My thoughts? The U.S. should reform the H-1B visa system to:
Prioritize blind meritocracy: Only take the best of the best (regardless of age, sex, race, ethnicity, etc.).
Prioritize assimilation/integration: Do not give citizenship away if certain individuals and/or ethnicities are unlikely to assimilate/integrate (evaluate the data).
Safeguard the U.S. ethos: Preserve the ethos of free market capitalism. Do not import immigrants who will vote away what made America great.
Eliminate fraud & abuse: Crack down extremely hard on fraud/abuse.
Minimize risk of espionage: Do what it takes to minimize odds that an immigrant will sabotage the U.S.
The system should also be dynamic (i.e. not set-in-stone) wherein numbers of immigrants entering via visas could drop to zero if AI advances enough to do all the high-skilled work (or where native U.S. citizens can do most of it) via humanoid robots, AI agents, military drone swarms, etc.
And when we advance this far (i.e. AI everywhere scenario) - becoming a U.S. citizen should be insanely difficult or impossible wherein nobody new gets in unless they have something the U.S. wants/needs.
Currently the H-1B visa issues are a drop in the bucket relative to illegal immigration: ~130-500k H1Bs per year vs. ~2M-4M illegals per year.
High-Skilled Immigration Protocol for the U.S. (2025)
Below is an attempt at a comprehensive, evidence-based, and meritocratic protocol for admitting high-skilled immigrants into the United States, while ensuring:
The priority and well-being of American citizens
The preservation of core American economic and cultural values (particularly free-market capitalism)
Adaptability in light of rapid technological advancements (AI, AGI/ASI)
It also incorporates considerations for espionage prevention, long-term societal impact, and dynamic recalibration based on labor market demands and emerging technologies.
1. Foundational Principles
Priority for American Citizens: If two candidates (one American and one foreign) are genuinely equal in qualifications, skill, and cost, the American citizen is hired. This retains public support for an immigration system that benefits the U.S. without disadvantaging its own citizens.
Meritocracy First: The system is designed to favor only the most talented and needed foreign workers. Selection is based on objective criteria such as specialized tests, verifiable skill sets, educational/professional achievements, demonstrated work history, and sector demand.
Fraud and Nepotism Prevention: Implement strict oversight and detection methods to prevent abuse, nepotistic hiring, or company-sponsored “visa mills.” This includes consistent auditing and severe penalties for companies found committing fraud.
Dynamic Adjustment: The policy adapts annually (or in real time, if possible) based on labor market trends, emerging AI/robotics capabilities, and national security concerns. If advanced AI can replace certain highly skilled positions, the quota for relevant job categories is reduced accordingly.
Ethos & Second-Order Effects: Consider the cultural and political impact of large-scale immigration, especially how immigrants (and their children) might alter the economic or cultural fabric (e.g., voting patterns, entrepreneurship, etc.). Take steps (e.g., robust civic education) to ensure immigrants understand and respect American norms, particularly around individual liberty, free markets, and the rule of law.
Espionage & Security Checks: National security risk assessments and background checks (similar to existing visa protocols, but more robust and tech-driven) help minimize espionage threats. This could include advanced polygraphy, social-media screening, and continuous monitoring for critical or sensitive positions.
2. Visa Categories & Eligibility: H1B, O1, Elite College Grads
A.) H-1B (High-Skilled Worker) Overhaul
Annual Cap and Dynamic Quotas
Replace or modify the existing lottery-based system with a merit-based scoring system. A portion of H-1B slots (e.g., 75%) could be assigned purely on high scores and proven skill metrics, while a smaller portion (25%) remains lottery-based to allow smaller/less-resourced firms a chance.
Dynamic adjustment: If the Department of Labor (DOL), in conjunction with the Department of Commerce and AI forecasting agencies, determines that robotics or AI can adequately fill X% of certain job categories, reduce the cap accordingly the following year.
Employer Sponsorship Bidding & Oversight
If two equally qualified foreign candidates apply for H-1Bs, the sponsor companies can bid on visa processing fees (or an elevated application fee). This ensures only serious employers are sponsoring (reduces fraud).
Tie the number of visas a company can sponsor to their ratio of U.S. hires vs. foreign hires. If a company has a track record of only hiring from a single country (with no valid explanation, e.g., unique skill pipeline), investigate for nepotism or fraud.
Meritocratic Scoring Components
Academic Excellence: Weighted by university rank (global or national) and GPA, or standardized test scores (GRE, GMAT, etc.).
Employer Verification / Domain-Specific Testing: A third-party testing mechanism to evaluate skills in coding, engineering, biotech, etc. The test should be blind, standardized, and difficult to “game” via simple memorization. It should be updated regularly as well.
Professional Experience: Verified references, open-source contributions, published patents, or peer-reviewed research.
Economic Demand: Extra points for in-demand fields (AI, robotics, engineering, medical, etc.), based on official labor market data.
Security Clearance & Background Check: Extra scrutiny for individuals from high-risk nations; must meet stricter intelligence, safety, and espionage-prevention checks.
Fraud-Detection Mechanisms
Random Onsite Audits: USCIS and Department of Labor can perform unannounced inspections of H-1B sponsor worksites.
Data Analytics: Track anomalies (e.g., large clusters of employees from the same village in India or the same university network with no objective reason).
Severe Penalties: Multi-year bans on future sponsorships if a company is caught in nepotistic or fraudulent activity. Personal fines for executives who sign fraudulent petitions.
B.) O-1 (Extraordinary Ability) Visa Acceleration
Streamlined Processing
Create a “fast lane” for O-1 applicants to cut typical processing times in half or better. O-1 visas are for those with proven extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics.
Pre-certify elite institutions, top-tier award recipients, and recognized experts for automatic “priority” if they meet baseline security checks.
Points Bonus for Published Research and Recognition
Points for recipients of well-known awards (Fields Medal, Turing Award, Nobel, etc.).
Additional points for elite research (high difficulty level) or widely used open-source frameworks, software, or inventions.
Robust Security Clearances and Vetting
Because O-1 typically gives faster access, ensure parallel intensification of security checks.
C.) STEM Green Cards for Elite Graduates
Automatic Green Cards for Select Graduates
Grant immediate (or near-immediate) green cards to top graduates in STEM from top 100 global universities (or a top decile of programs). Criteria could include GPA thresholds, standardized test scores, or faculty endorsements.
Provide an optional path where the graduate receives a conditional green card that requires them to work in a high-demand sector for at least 3-5 years.
IQ or Cognitive Aptitude Testing
Optional/Experimental: Offer an advanced, hard-to-game, domain-specific cognitive aptitude test. High scorers in critical fields can bypass typical sponsorship hurdles and get a direct track to permanent residency.
Ensure it’s administered by a neutral, third-party organization with rotating item banks to limit pre-test gaming.
3. Dynamic Adjustment for Emerging AI (AGI & ASI)
Annual Labor-Market Forecast
A new inter-agency group (Department of Labor + Commerce + an Office of Emerging Technologies) meets quarterly/annually to project the impact of AI, robotics, and automation on job categories.
If advanced machine learning or humanoid robots can replace X% of software engineering roles in the near term, that portion of H-1B or green card slots in that domain is reduced or temporarily paused.
R&D-Specific Incentives
Even if AI can handle certain tasks, we still need top global minds to develop and oversee these AI systems. So specialized R&D roles in AI, AGI safety, robotics hardware, etc., remain open for top-tier talent.
Introduce a short “sunset clause” for each skill set, re-evaluated every 2-3 years, ensuring we don’t keep inviting the same roles if they become obsolete.
Industry Collaboration
Encourage high-tech employers (e.g., from Silicon Valley, Boston biotech, etc.) to preemptively list which job roles are likely to be automated. Let government agencies incorporate that data to align quotas to future needs.
4. Safeguarding U.S. Ethos & Minimizing Negative Impacts
Orientation and Integration
Required: A standardized “U.S. cultural orientation course” focusing on the Constitution, individual liberties, free-market principles, and the responsibilities of residents/citizens.
Encouraged: Immigrants participate in local communities, professional organizations, and civic events to minimize cultural isolation and reduce the risk of forming closed, nepotistic enclaves.
Path to Citizenship vs. Extended Work Visas
Path to Citizenship: For truly elite or in-demand individuals who demonstrate loyalty, assimilation, and a long-term commitment to the U.S. economy.
Renewable Work Visas: For those primarily drawn by economic opportunity but not necessarily oriented toward permanent residency. This is beneficial when labor is needed but the long-term demographic or political shift is a concern.
The government can implement thresholds (e.g., language proficiency, knowledge of U.S. civics, no criminal or tax issues) for switching from work visa to green card status.
Genetic Reversion / Second-Order Effects
While “genetic reversion to the mean” is a known phenomenon in population genetics, the key for policy is to ensure the environmental and educational conditions remain conducive for all children of high-skilled immigrants to succeed.
Reinforce U.S. education standards and integration programs to nurture second-generation talent, ensuring they remain aligned with American values.
Preventing Espionage
Mandatory, periodic security check-ins for individuals in sensitive industries.
Encourage whistleblower protections for employees who report suspicious behavior or data exfiltration.
Collaboration between companies and intelligence agencies to keep watch on potential infiltration attempts.
5. Implementation Tactics
Centralized Online Platform
A single integrated application portal: “U.S. EliteTalentConnect”.
Applicants, employers, and government agencies (DHS, USCIS, DOL) can track progress, verify documents, schedule tests, and conduct interviews.
Sophisticated algorithms flag irregularities (e.g., repeated IP addresses sponsoring candidates from the same remote region, suspicious duplication of credentials).
Blind Testing Infrastructure
For industries like software engineering or data science, a third-party platform (similar to HackerRank or Codility, but with enhanced security) that proctors tests in real time with remote monitoring.
For other domains (e.g., mechanical engineering, biotech), a combination of written/virtual labs and interviews by certified experts under standardized guidelines.
Penalties and Incentives
Penalties: Large fines, suspension from H-1B/O-1 sponsorship, or criminal liability for repeated offenses or fraud.
Incentives: Lower fees and faster processing times for companies that consistently demonstrate broad-based, merit-based hiring (e.g., evidence they hire top talent from diverse backgrounds, including U.S. citizens, and do not rely on a single foreign national demographic).
Transparent Scorecards
Publish aggregated, anonymized data on how many foreigners from each country or region receive visas and in which fields.
This helps policymakers see if there’s unintended over-concentration in one nationality or company pipeline. If 75% of a certain quota is going to just one country repeatedly, investigate whether it’s purely merit or systemic bias/fraud.
6. Example Flowchart
Employer Identifies a Need
Employer checks real-time “Eligible Roles List” updated by DOL.
Employer posts a job.
American Candidates Consideration
If no suitable or available American candidate is found, proceed to foreign candidates.
Foreign Candidate Application
Candidate uploads transcripts, test scores, references, etc., to U.S. EliteTalentConnect.
Candidate is prompted for domain-specific testing, background checks, security clearances, etc.
Points/Score Computation
Automatic scoring integrates test performance, academic achievements, employer references, etc.
Visa Award & Monitoring
If the candidate ranks above threshold, H-1B (or O-1 if truly exceptional) is granted, subject to final security approvals.
Employer and candidate remain in compliance checks.
Dynamic Recalibration
Annually, reduce or expand quotas based on:
Labor market data (unfilled openings vs. unemployment rates)
Technological replacement potential
National security advisories
Final thoughts: Meritocratic High Skilled U.S. Immigration
A carefully meritocratic, fraud-resistant, and dynamic immigration system benefits the U.S. by:
Filling truly high-demand positions quickly, boosting U.S. competitiveness.
Preserving jobs and opportunities for American citizens when they are equally qualified.
Guarding against abuse, espionage, and overconcentration from any single country or demographic.
Ensuring adaptability in the face of rapid technological change (AI, robotics, AGI/ASI) so we don’t inadvertently import talent for roles soon to be automated.
Maintaining America’s ethos of free-market capitalism, individual liberty, and national security.
This system is intentionally merit-based and places strong emphasis on America’s advantage—while still offering an attractive path for the world’s best and brightest.
It invests in robust screening, testing, and dynamic market alignment, using advanced tools (domain-specific testing, big-data analytics, continuous fraud detection, etc.) and robust security checks.
By doing so, it minimizes second-order risks (cultural shift, ideological infiltration, espionage) and ensures a sustainable flow of exactly the talent needed—no more, no less.
Critical thinking re: skilled immigration
Proponents of a measured approach to skilled immigration stress the importance of preserving American cultural, ideological, and constitutional foundations.
They fear that a purely skills-based or “random” acceptance model overlooks issues of assimilation, long-term cultural compatibility, and the preservation of the ethos that made the U.S. successful.
This perspective advocates a prudent, gradual policy—prioritizing high-end talent in areas of genuine need, while ensuring newcomers embrace and contribute to the nation’s founding ideals.
However, I’m still of the belief that H-1B visa immigrants are a literal “drop-in-the-bucket” compared to the onslaught of illegal immigrants flooding into the U.S. (a much more concerning problem).
1. Historical Ethos & “Nation of Immigrants” Misinterpretation
This is one of the dumbest arguments to support mass immigration there is. It fails to account for the fact that the U.S. is currently highly advanced/developed AND the heavy lifting of building the U.S. from nothing was mostly done by a highly self-selected cohort of Europeans with specific traits (i.e. not the avg. Euro).
Specific Historical Context: Early immigrants—largely from Europe—came to an undeveloped land, accepted immense risk, and built institutions from the ground up. This group’s ethos was shaped by the Constitution, lack of a social safety net, and a pioneering spirit.
Comparing Then vs. Now: Today, the U.S. is arguably among the world’s most desirable countries, creating an environment in which people may feel “entitled” to immigrate. The frontier spirit that attracted early settlers differs from modern waves of immigration seeking an established, prosperous society.
Selection effects: Invoking “nation of immigrants” as a blanket reason to accept all skilled immigrants ignores the fact that earlier waves were highly self-selected and culturally/ideologically (likely genetically) compatible with the American ethos at the time.
2. Cultural & Ideological Alignment
What good is importing a bunch of immigrants if they’re going to vote for socialism and/or communism? It could rapidly destroy the entire U.S. Ideally immigrants need to be aligned with the ethos of what made U.S. great.
Assimilation & Integration: Having technical skills is not the same as aligning with U.S. cultural or constitutional values. Rapid integration can fail if newcomers have vastly different political or social ideals (e.g., consistent socialist/communist leanings) - perhaps stemming from avg. genotypes.
Potential Trojan Horse: Large numbers of highly skilled immigrants with divergent ideologies might eventually shift the political landscape to favor policies contrary to the founding principles.
Ethos Preservation: The United States’ historical ethos (individual liberty, limited government, personal responsibility) can be undermined if new arrivals do not share or adopt those principles.
3. Pragmatic Caution & Rate of Immigration
It is better to go slow and steady with immigration than rapid-fire and then realize you made a mistake when it’s too late (can’t put the genie back in the bottle).
Slow & Steady: Admitting large numbers of immigrants too quickly can create social, cultural, and economic pressures that strain infrastructure and risk social cohesion.
Policy Flexibility: It is easier to ramp up immigration if needed than to “reverse” it once citizenship is granted. Policymakers cannot put the genie back in the bottle if immigration levels prove too high.
Long-Term Effects: Large waves arriving in short order might overwhelm systems (schools, housing, healthcare) and lead to political backlash or social friction.
4. Quality vs. Quantity & Tail-End Talent
Many morons online assume that because countries like India are mostly horrible places to live that they somehow don’t have elite talent. When people ask “well why does India look like India if it has so many smart people?” - they are dumb.
The reality is that India likely has less talent per capita by far than the U.S. due to genotype, however, India has ~1.4 billion people… distribution laws suggest they have elite talent - and we should try to get that talent to the U.S.
Distribution of High-Skilled Workers: Countries like India have huge populations, so even a small percentage of “elite” talent might be large in absolute terms. But focusing only on raw numbers can overlook the relative rarity of top-tier skills within the broader population.
Need-Based Selection: The U.S. might benefit from admitting only the “best of the best” in fields where genuine labor shortages exist, rather than indiscriminately opening the door to anyone labeled “skilled.”
5. Genetic Reversion to the Mean Argument
There is a fairly legitimate argument that high IQ, skilled immigrants will revert to the genetic mean after a couple of generations. However, the descendants will still get a boost from being in the U.S. and perhaps from new embryo selection tech etc.
Ideally we want net contributions to remain positive even after multiple generations. My guess is we should be able to make this happen with new technology.
Two-Generation View: Even if certain immigrants have high IQs or elite skill sets, their children or grandchildren might regress to population means—cultural values and skills may dilute unless there is strong assimilation.
Long-Term Impact vs. Immediate Gains: A short-term boost from highly skilled immigrants might not translate into enduring multigenerational advantage if a broader cultural ethos is not maintained.
6. Balancing ‘Striver Culture’ & Broader American Values
Vivek had a take stating that America should celebrate the valedictorian over the jock, engineering and STEM hobbies over things like watching TV and video games, etc. I think this misses the mark by far and is actually bad.
Being well-rounded (i.e. TV shows, video games, sports, farming, studying, etc.) increases creativity and provides needed balance over a culture that focuses on cramming 24/7 for math tests/spelling bees etc. - and the results show (just compare the U.S. to other countries).
Avoiding Overemphasis on Test Scores & Academics: Some argue that “grind” or “striver” cultures (e.g., cramming 24/7, purely STEM-focused upbringing) do not reflect the well-rounded spirit historically lauded in the U.S.—where sports, leisure, TV, gaming, and other interests shape a more creative and holistic society (counterintuitively helping the U.S. maintain an edge).
Cultural Fit Over Pure Meritocracy: A narrow focus on test-based metrics could bring in individuals who excel academically but may not appreciate or perpetuate the broader American traditions of creativity, leisure, and community engagement.
7. Preserving the Founding Vision & Exceptionalism
Immigrants need to align with the founding vision of the U.S. and its exceptionalism. Failure to preserve this means failure to preserve America’s greatness.
Constitutional Commitments: The freedoms, rights, and responsibilities in the Constitution are crucial to U.S. identity. Immigrants should be genuinely committed to uphold these ideals.
Self-Reliance & No Entitlements: America’s historical growth was spurred by immigrants who relied primarily on their own efforts rather than government support; modern policy must ensure incoming individuals reflect a similar ethos of self-reliance and responsibility.
Preventing Erosion of National Character: Critics of open or random skilled-immigration argue that an unchecked influx of newcomers—without thorough vetting—could erode the cultural identity and shared values that propelled U.S. exceptionalism.