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Japan moves to tighten rules for foreigners

206 points · 623 comments · mikhael

  1. autoexec · · focus · HN ↗
    Requiring proficiency in the language is reasonable, but requiring everyone to be richer than the average member of the population and have enough money banked to live off of for 30 years seems insane. That goes well beyond simply making sure that people are able to care for themselves.
    1. Animats · · focus · HN ↗
      The US has something like this, but the income threshold is lower.[1] US immigrants in most categories have to show that they will not become a "public charge", that is, need US welfare benefits.

      [1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.uscis.gov&#x2F;newsroom&#x2F;alerts&#x2F;uscis-issues-guidance-on-making-public-charge-inadmissibility-determination" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.uscis.gov&#x2F;newsroom&#x2F;alerts&#x2F;uscis-issues-guidance-...

      1. TMWNN · · focus · HN ↗
        Every single person who came through Ellis Island &lt;<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.newspapers.com&#x2F;article&#x2F;the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-precautions-tak&#x2F;20781025&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.newspapers.com&#x2F;article&#x2F;the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-...&gt;

        * was a legal immigrant

        * had passed a medical inspection

        * had proof of having enough resources to pay for their upkeep in the US, or a US financial sponsor guaranteeing same

        * was turned away if failing any of the above tests, with no possibility of appeal

        Shipping liner companies were charged to return ineligible passengers to their origin (the same is true with airlines today), so they had every incentive to verify ahead of time that they could enter the destination country. The &quot;only 2% of immigrants were rejected at Ellis Island&quot; statistic often bandied-about by the pro-open borders side elides the restrictions that caused the rate to be so low in the first place.

        I, for one, am very much in favor of reinstating such barriers to entering the US.

        1. dgellow · · focus · HN ↗
          Why? The US doesn’t have a problem of too many people „draining“ the country resources.
          1. cdot2 · · focus · HN ↗
            Something like two thirds of the US federal budget is spent on some form of welfare. Assuming you want to keep that ratio you could spend more per person with fewer people withdrawing from that system.
            1. dgellow · · focus · HN ↗
              The US doesn’t lack the capital for welfare. The country decides to instead waste its resources fighting wars, fighting its allies, fighting its trade partners. The money is here, there is no will to allocate it to welfare. You could reduce the number of people on welfare by a massive amount and none of the savings from that would get distributed to the remaining recipient
              1. voidfunc · · focus · HN ↗
                Those wars are essential to protecting our economic interests. An isolationist US is impossible. We&#x27;re pretty much a modern imperial power.
                1. FpUser · · focus · HN ↗
                  &gt;&quot;Those wars are essential to protecting our economic interests&quot;

                  Translation - we bomb people for money. well thanks for being frank anyways. otherwise it is sick to hear all that moralizing about &quot;us being a good guys&quot;

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