The comments in this discussion that talk about how foreign nationals look at a PhD as a short-cut to getting permanent residency infuriates me.
I have a CS PhD from a reputable mid-west school. I am also not a US citizen. When a person is considering investing 5-7 years of his/her life into a PhD program, I am quite certain the US immigration policy is not a motivating factor by any measure. You can apply for permanent residency under the EB-2 quota even with a Masters. The EB-1 quota is for "outstanding researchers" with truly exceptional skills, and who have made significant impact in their field of research. All the non-American PhD students I have met in my life (and I have met a LOT of them) have a real drive to innovate and be someone in their field of research. Sure, higher salaries (if they decide to enter the industry, as opposed to academia) are a strong motivation to some of them, but I doubt if permanent residency is.
I have a CS PhD from a reputable mid-west school. I am also not a US citizen. When a person is considering investing 5-7 years of his/her life into a PhD program, I am quite certain the US immigration policy is not a motivating factor by any measure. You can apply for permanent residency under the EB-2 quota even with a Masters. The EB-1 quota is for "outstanding researchers" with truly exceptional skills, and who have made significant impact in their field of research. All the non-American PhD students I have met in my life (and I have met a LOT of them) have a real drive to innovate and be someone in their field of research. Sure, higher salaries (if they decide to enter the industry, as opposed to academia) are a strong motivation to some of them, but I doubt if permanent residency is.