Another thing to consider: In most English speaking countries the expectation is once your finish your study is to pack up and go home. The path to a work visa is extremely limited and often require quota based visa categories (like H1B) in order to stay in those countries. In fact for a US F1 visa if you can’t prove you’ll go home (meaning there’s an inkling that you’ll stay and find jobs after your study) the visa will be refused.
However for Germany if you got a study visa, finish your study, you have a one year extension to stay in Germany and find a job in Germany to use your degree. Then you’ll get a work visa and it won’t be quota based or require winning of a lottery to stay. I do not know if France has similar rules. It makes sense since the government is paying for your study, you should therefore stay, work, and pay back the country. Also it seems time on a student visa in Germany counts towards permanent residence (but the amount of time is higher).
Yip, in continental Europe, they want the educated foreigners to contribute their skills whereas in North America, especially the US, it’s get them educated and then kick them out. Very contrasting systems.
I’m as pro-American as they come but then again I’ve had TN-1 NAFTA run-ins with US immigration decades ago when I was going to be political consulting. Very protectionist. Resulted in me deciding not to work in the US.
Different system because when a foreigner comes to Europe to study, the government is paying for it. Remember university tuition in Europe is universal, it does not discriminate based on your residence. Because of that they want you to pay back your study by working there. I think it should be required in fact.
In the US you are paying for your own study, and you’re basically a cash cow for the system. Once they’ve made their money off of you they want you to get out so another cash cow can take your place.
US immigration law is extremely protectionist. This is also why there are so many illegal immigration there, because the law simply doesn’t want to acknowledge that the economy needs immigrants, and so these illegal immigration simply fills the void that the law refuses to recognize.
There are even Americans who don’t think the law is protectionist enough, they want it to go back to INA of 1924 (meaning almost zero immigration from countries outside of western Europe).
I had letters from state auditors explaining why I was needed (whose family were in the JFK Cabinet back in the day). It was like Dershowitz explaining immigration law to a Target clerk.
I get the sense that the AIT seems very open towards Taiwanese applicants, they almost do not deny a visa.
Perhaps if you show those letter to the AIT (assuming they are the one processing your application) you’ll get the visa for sure. Within the US, might be doubtful depending on the locations you apply. San Francisco service center seems to be the most permissible of all the immigration agencies in the US.
Hell if I could get a green card through the AIT, it should be a piece of cake for you.
It was going down for a state race in the late 1990s with a TN-1 NAFTA letter from the candidate who was quite a well known lawyer. The border visa processors were very incompetent. I chose to go to Belgium instead.
Honestly having been to both Germany and the US I actually prefer Germany.
First of all the US has ZERO safety nets, basically none. It takes very little to screw up in the US and once you screw up you’re permanently screwed. So many background and credit checks for jobs and housing that any blemish on your record (be it evictions or criminal) and you are destined to be jobless and homeless for a while.
It’s hard to rent a house in Germany (applications and such) but once you get a house the law is extremely pro tenant, and there are numerous safety nets where you have to mess up very badly to experience evictions or disconnections.
Taiwan in my opinion actually have better safety nets than the US even though most of the safety nets in Taiwan are not really legally mandated, but just part of the social system.
And nobody background checks or credit checks you to rent a house or get a job (unless it’s teaching english).
For various nationalities, Taiwan offers free education as well, plus living expenses. there are a number of people here doing this, all the way through PhD. Sadly, politics plays a role as many have gotten the boot when their countries were bought out by China . there are some pretty gripping sad stories here in this. made more disgusting when some of the “right passports” dont get the boot despite zero officialpolitical support for Taiwan. eg: USA, Germany, UK etc.
Taiwan mostly wants allies, but also likes to collect flags and many schools / governments will give scholarships based on passports.
The figure I see most often is usually in and around 30k/month. not bad at all!
of course most schools suck, but if you want the paperwork, it’s a good gig.
Like Taiwan. NTU is hard to get into (ie Tokyo Uni) but some taiwanese Uni’s take anyone and there some like this in Japan. There are some USA Uni’s in japan like temple also good. I think (you need seach by school) most English programs are easier to get into.
It has nothing to do with that. Those students have some specific scholarships provided only to diplomatic allies (with decisions made by will then choose who gets them). US, German, etc. aren’t even allowed to get those scholarships.
Other options are available to any international student regardless of national origin (though some are not available to Chinese nationals). They can be Westerners, Indian, Middle Eastern, etc. they don’t care.
I know Germans and Americans that got accepted on scholarships here and lived the free life for years. As well as other nationalities, but these 2 i mention specifically for the flag collection aspect. They are different than the diplomatic allies’ privileges, sure. It is disgusting sometimes.
Additionally, not only have students gotten completely fucked by politics here, they have also been held hostage. I know a number of PhD students that are held here by professors to do the research for their papers here, and they intentionally keep dangling them by a string to keep getting more free research done. I realize this is common globally, but I know the people and seeing them be away from their families for 5, 10 years really puts a hurt on the ethics of many university systems…which are already questionable to say the least… Again, disgusting.
In Taiwan, universities are also literally businesses. Meaning they are openly advertising the fact, zero denial. That in itself isnt actually a bad thing. However, consulting for governments is a big one. it is so bad I left my previous industry because in order to get permits passed it was unofficially required to have XYZ university consulting on the matter. In my experience this has ranged from construction, agriculture and forestry. Corruption, but at a reasonable fee… That said, anyone with no morals can make loads of money really fast here
Regardless of how trashy the industry is as a whole, it is still a good deal in taiwan to get free education, with some spending cash! Which was my original point, and still holds true.
there most likely is worse. that, however, doesnt normally justify the here and now
Usually, comparing ourselves to something better is an effort/realization to imprive. comparing to something worse is often just a justification to accept doing nothing.
I heard someone say that corruption in china is basically officials fast tracking stuff and a win win for everyone. Official gets rich, jobs are made, and factories get built.
Corruption in Taiwan has similar expectations. They’re tolerated as long as the people benefits as well.
But I heard in India corruption is entirely self serving, and those in lower castes were regarded as animals.
That said, anyone with no morals can make loads of money really fast here 
