Thread by @gauravsabnis

Great question!
I'm gonna answer it as someone who came to the US without any intention of immigrating here. Just get a degree and go back, was my plan.

So my number 1 reason was the universities. US university system is at a whole other level altogether. Just is!

https://twitter.com/Full_Meals/status/1456615939168894980

Just generally, all things being equal, if you're looking for a university degree of any kind, USA beyond compare. Sure, there are great universities in Europe too. But on the aggregate, especially when you're applying, US universities are the best. And have great resources.

Another thing the US has is the sheer size and scale as an immigration destination. It is a MASSIVE country, economically, geographically, culturally, demographically. Gives you a lot more flexibility than if you were to move to *a* European country. Even with EU flexibility.

From the empty prairies of Nebraska to the crowded streets of Manhattan, and so much in between, the US offers a range of options along several dimensions that is simply not available in other countries.

Something else going for the US, that might not seem obvious in the era of Trump and general anti-immigration sentiment, is that it is genuinely, at the DNA level almost, a "nation of immigrants". It's no immigrant utopia by any means. But it has that immigrant culture.

One more thing going for it is the ethnic, cultural, religious diversity. Which keeps growing. USA was explicitly founded as a nation for land owning protestant white males. But its constitution allows for a wider definition of what being "American" means.

Finally, remember what "USA" stands for. The United "States" of America. What state you are in plays a big role in your immigrant experience. So realistically, it's not as much about immigrating to "US" as such, but what state/city/suburb you're going to. The variance is huge!

P.S. I'm not saying US is "the best". I'm just answering the original question about why it is an attractive immigration destination. In general. And was for me. I'm in no way suggesting that Canada, Europe, Australia, Singapore etc are inferior destinations. That's very YMMV.

P.P.S.
In America, now that I'm a citizen, I can loudly, proudly, brashly, rudely, crudely proclaim myself an American and an equal participant in this country, no matter what the color of my skins.

I don't think I'd feel as strident in Germany or France or even Australia.

Even though USA was founded as and continues to be a largely white Christian nation, its "source code" happens to be such that I can stake an equal claim to my Americanism as anyone born here. Not just practically, but also principally.

Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

Basically you can say "I'm this color this religion this sect this gender identity and I'm still a fucking American" in a way that carries more weight than in any other country in the world.

Oh, Canada! Canada is also like that.

But yeah, that's the appeal of the US.

So to elaborate on Canada.

Yup, it is very awesome. Very nice. Also with a good "source code" that doesn't tie Canadian-ness to an ethnicity. In many ways, like a First Class version of America.

It is much smaller though. Not geographically.

https://twitter.com/spadjay/status/1456939237832466441?t=XGccRbcXG5nm7jL8SGP8-w&s=19

But Canada has roughly a tenth of the people as the United States despite having more land than the United States. Because much of Canadian land is too cold.

And most Canadians live within a short drive of the US.

Which means, if you can make it to Canada, congrats! But...

But if you're not lucky enough to find your place in Canada, it doesn't give you as many options for personal and professional growth as the US does.

So it really depends on the situation.

I have friends who have Canadian PR but still want to move to the US.

And I have friends in the US who hope to move to Canada. It's all very contextual.

So yeah, Canada is also a great option. If you can get there. But it is smaller, in realistic terms. Depends on your personal utility function if US is better or Canada.

For me, US.

Honestly, in the end, USA's appeal as an immigrant destination comes down to the fact that the reality in the USA does end up matching up, more often than not, with the way you romanticized the USA. On any dimension.

America isn't perfect. But America is the most honest nation.

I might be over romanticizing my adopted country but I do think that on the whole, America is the most self-aware and introspective and earnest nation. On the whole. We still have a lot of assholes. But it feels more like Star Trek to me than any other country. #trekkie

Also something others have mentioned.

USA really is the "land of opportunities" . You can, if you pass some hurdles, be and do anything you want.

Tomorrow, I can just quit my job and start a vadapav stall in Idaho and still make a decent living and lead a happy life.

If you're someone looking for opportunities, like real infinite opportunities, no matter what you want to do, no matter how crazy your idea sounds, etc etc, the country you want to be in is America. There's a crazy deep support system here for dreamers and pioneers.

America is basically the petri-dish of globalist humanity as of now. Black, Hispanic, Asian genes now make up b about 40% of the population, and growing.

Remember, Republicans have won the popular vote only once in the last 33 years. And that too narrowly.

We don't talk about this enough.

The last time the American popular vote went comprehensively Republican was in 1988.

Since then, in every single presidential election, except 2004, Democrats have won the popular vote.

USA is a Democratic country held hostage by Republicans.

And even in 2004, Bush just barely eked out a 50.6% vote.

But other than that, post Reagan, the country has voted overwhelmingly Democratic in an aggregate sense.

But our archaic systems still keep Republicans relevant.

Just think about this for a second.

Trump never won the popular vote.
Bush Jr only won it once, barely

Literally, in every single presidential election after 1988, except 2004, the country has chosen a Democrat.

And yet, Republicans stay relevant.

We need to fix this.