<p>"with the work visa, can you in time apply for residency?"</p>
<p>Generally no. However, your employer can keep on renewing your work visa. Keep in mind, however, that technically you become an indeture servant to your sponsor. There are certain rules that prevent you from switching employers and stuff--or you lose your sponsorship, etc. I'd suggest checking with an immigration attorney.</p>
<p>I have no hard-and-fast data re: how much being Asian helps/hurts applicants. </p>
<p>My guess is this: it really depends on where you are applying. If you're looking to go to the University of Wyoming, you'll probably be more interesting to them than you would be to UCLA.</p>
<p>Immigration laws are ridiculous. People should be able to stay in the United States if they want to. Americans act as if we're in danger of overcrowding. We're ranked 172nd for population density. Monaco has 700 times more people per square km. Americans need to stop being so xenophobic.</p>
<p>From an economic perspective, the US is dangerously underpopulated, actually - labor supply is considerably too small given the demand and the need to maintain a welfare state.</p>
<p>The benefit of an undersupplied labor market, however, is that it inflates compensation and gives laborers more bargaining power. In an era where we're seeing wider compensation inequality between laborers and entrepreneurs (and, to be cynical, greater power going to unions), the question is whether moderate inefficiency in the market and cutting back some social expenditure programs is worth allowing workers to retain market power.</p>
<p>In any case, it's probably not a relevant discussion. We can start something in a Cafe thread or something if you really want to discuss. Just thought I'd share.</p>
<p>Don't forget that blanket point systems were shot down by the Supreme Court in the UMichigan case. They ok'd UMichigan law school's admission process though, which looked at each candidate as an individual.</p>
<p>Did they shoot down points systems, or points systems that implemented affirmative action?</p>
<p>points systems that implemented affirmative action</p>
<p>Gratz stated that the points system is unconstitutional. The Michigan undergrads were rated on a 120-point scale. Minorities received an automatic 20 points, which was the crux of the issue. A renowned artist would only get 5 points for that activity, whereas minorities got automatic points. Equal protection issue.</p>
<p>Grutter upheld using race as a "tip" factor, but only in that the Court deferred to a school's educational judgment that minority students added to the educational experience. (Other reasons for affirmative action, such as the desire to have a diverse Bar, to have those who would serve underrepresented segments of the population, and a remedy for past discrimination were all found to not meet Constitutional muster.) </p>
<p>Now, the big issue with the law school thing is that, while there is no de facto point system, there is a bigger advantage to being a minority when applying to the law school. Since there is no explicit number associated with being a minority, however, the system was upheld.</p>
<p>Let's not forget, though, that as a matter of federal Constitutional law, Equal Protection applies only to situations where the government is an actor (through the 14th amendment to the states and through the 5th amendment to the federal government), such as in state universities (as was the situation in both of the cases that you mentioned). Private actors, such as private universities, who may not be considered to be state actors (and whether or not a law school, who receives, for example, grant money for research and federal loan program assistance for its students, is a state actor is not a question that has a certain answer), are not bound by these rules, though I believe that most private law schools will look to these Supreme Court decisions as guidance in their programs.</p>
<p>LGBT could help (at some schools...not Baylor or Ave Maria or something), but it would be a fairly minor thing. Some schools offer fee waivers to self-identified LGBT applicants.</p>