> What is the processing time for European countries?

IRRELEVANT

There's no reason why you should be prevented from traveling just because you applied for some document.

Next you'll argue that noone is being prevented from traveling, technically. Don't bother.

There's also no reason to require the _employer_ to handle all immigration matters. The initial application? Sure. But then allow the employer to file for his permanent residency. Let them file for visa extensions. Let them transfer employers without risk. Maybe get another source of income. _Let the spouses work!_ There's no reason to limit a household to a single income. And so on. That's how its done in many countries in Europe.

You may say "you should go to those countries then". Many have. But you don't know the full extent of the issue until you are in the system. At which time you have relocated your family, upended your life, and staked your career in the system.

> What is the processing time for European countries?

EU is not one country. Some countries have better timelines than others.

> What would your ideal processing time be that wouldn't be "criminal"?

My ideal would be asap. Make the decision quick. If you want to deny most applications, deny it. But do it quick.

Slow denials is a feature not a bug of immigration systems. Fast denials with systems that allow retries just quickly get backlogs of people applying again after finding a quick fix to the rejection reason, which makes it harder to give proper time to new applicants who may be more eligible.

> Fast denials with systems that allow retries

There's nothing that says quick retries are allowed, or that subsequent tries should even be adjudicated quickly. Take H1Bs. If you get selected and subsequently denied, you can only apply next year.

Some types of visas require a cooldown period outside the country after you have used them. And so on. This is all solvable.

My point was to compare European countries as they were suggested by the GP to be better.

Go ahead and choose one or so and come back with numbers to compare. You'll find the US is very good in comparison.

Germany offers a shorter and significantly cheaper path to citizenship, for instance.

Plus incredibly easier paths to immigration on a skilled work permit and access to permanent residence. Like most EU countries.