A Stanford PhD working on cancer cures has the exact same 25% chance in the H-1B lottery as someone with a random bachelor’s. Jerremy Alexander Newsome, Dave Conley, and 25-year immigration attorney Melissa Harms rip apart the outdated visa system that’s pushing America’s best minds to Canada, Europe, and Asia. From insane employer costs to endless backlogs and penalty traps, this episode shows exactly why we’re losing the global talent war—and why it’s getting worse fast.

Timestamps:

• (00:00) Immigration Nation – Paper planes and brain drain intro
• (01:07) Episode Overview – What’s actually broken
• (02:22) Broken System – First look at the mess
• (02:58) Meet Melissa Harms – 25-year immigration attorney
• (03:48) Visa Challenges – Where it all starts falling apart
• (07:02) H-1B Dilemma – The lottery nightmare exposed
• (12:25) Student Visa Lottery – Same 25% shot for PhDs and average grads
• (17:29) Employer Pain – Sky-high costs and red tape
• (22:02) Penalties & Risks – One mistake = massive fines
• (25:57) Green Card Hell – Years of waiting
• (30:35) Fee Hikes – Who’s really paying for this
• (33:36) Fixes & Thoughts – What could actually work
• (35:06) Reform Talk – Balancing innovation and borders
• (36:06) OPT to H-1B Jump – The broken student-to-worker bridge
• (37:03) University Crisis – Foreign enrollment collapse
• (38:18) State Wins – What some places are getting right
• (43:51) Small Biz Struggle – Hiring global talent on a budget
• (45:38) Point Systems – Why others are eating our lunch
• (49:37) AI in Immigration – Tech that could save us
• (54:57) Abundance vs Scarcity – The mindset killing us
• (58:19) Key Takeaways – What we just learned

Connect:

• Melissa Harms – harms-law.com

📢 Solving America’s Problems Podcast – Real Solutions For Real Issues

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