[OJFord]

> Thirdly, the scale of stuff you are talking about is miniscule

> I walked away from a Green Card to start my company

> If I didn't succeed, I would have lost access to the developed world FOREVER

What? I'm British; before HN I'd never heard of a 'green card'. Maybe it's a policy that the USA won't let you in if you walk away from one once; maybe Canada cares about that too.

But I assure you, the majority of the 'developed world' (a) doesn't give a shit about; and (b) isn't equipped to take into consideration, American 'green cards'.

[torben-friis]

I'm a spaniard, and while I agree that green cards are obviously unknown here, I would tell you to get a closer look at the requirements for someone from the third world to come work to your country - they EU is awesome, but out of that it's all atrocious.

I had a girlfriend that moved here from the US of all places, and almost 5 years of avoiding pitfalls later she still can't be sure she'll be allowed to stay...imagine the chances of someone from, say, somalia making the jump.

[OJFord]

I'm not claiming it's easy, just that having turned down an offer from the USA doesn't matter.

[simonebrunozzi]

I don't think he meant that the non-US developed world doesn't count.

[jariel]

It doesn't matter what 'the developed world thinks'.

For someone who wanted access to a Green Card, to have to give it up is fairly substantial.

And FYI anyone in the developed world, were they to know what a 'Green Card' actually was, would find it probably invaluable. The optionality that comes along with being able to move freely and work in the US is a big deal even if it's not apparent at the start of one's career.

[quietbritishjim]

The parent comment was responding to the grandparent comment's apparent claim that a green card is equivalent to the whole developed world. There's no dispute that a green card is valuable.

A more useful correction to the parent comment: GP probably just meant that the green card was what currently gave them access to the whole of the developed world, not that it's the only way to access some of the countries in it.

[OJFord]

A US green card doesn't give you 'access to the whole of the developed world' though, it's meaningless outside of America.

France's customs for example don't care whether you have a US green card or not, it makes no difference in whether or for you're allowed to stay in France.