Can someone explain the thinking behind US immigration policy to me?

[Sian]

Let me first say that I do not mean this in any way as a criticism of US policy, I am just trying to understand.

I know that it is extremely difficult to get a Green Card to work in the US, which I can understand, but I believe it is easier for some nationalities/backgrounds than others. Is that actually the case, and, if so, what is the reasoning behind it?

One of the reasons I ask is that my daughter (aged 20) recently spent a year on an international internship scheme at the Royal Pacific hotel in Orlando (and received a first class commendation). She loved her time in the States and would like to look for work in the hotel industry there when she graduates college this summer. It would appear to be almost impossible for her to do that, even on a temporary basis, as she has already had a visa for a year. Maybe it is a simple case that there are not enough jobs to go round people already in the country. It's just that I know that my daughter is an extremely hard worker and will be an asset to any country she chooses to settle in, which may well be Canada, Australia or New Zealand if she is unsuccessful in her US visa application.

 

[dazeddaisy]

If its any consulation, an American in the same situation would find it hard to get back into the UK.

It comes back down to if your scratch our back, we'll scratch yours. Unfortunatly there is no back scratching.

Is it possible for your daughter to get a work sponsored visa via the Royal Pacific?

 

[powellrj]

we had a situation like this at our church. A girl in our Sunday School class wanted to go to England to be a nanny for a family member and was denied because they said that would be taking a job from a British citizen. Because she was a family member they didn't think there would be a problem. Sometimes you just go Huh??????

 

[Barb D]

DD12's last viola teacher was Canadian. He was here getting his PhD, so he had a student visa. He got extended for a while after he got it, but eventually had to leave...even though he was gainfully employed.

 

[bicker]

I think a good part of it is that the United States currently faces difficulty keeping its current population employed. There are certain sectors of the labor market for which there are significantly more workers than jobs, and indeed several where that situation is projected to worsen in the coming years. It makes sense for a nation, whether it be the United States, the United Kingdom, etc., to gauge the impact of immigration policy on unemployment, present and future.

 

[Mskanga]

My kids are very lucky because since they have dual citizenship ( American and Spanish ) , they can work and live in any country part of the European Community without having to get a visa.

 

[binny]

its just as hard to get in to other countries and this isnt a new issue.
Back in 73 when my dad was called to take over a church in Prince Albert Saskatewan we had all of our paperwork in line, approved, the moving van at the border and they still gave us a hard time!

It took a call from a former PM, who had ties to the church we were going to, to let us in.


My kids are Dual citizens as well. They can work in any commonwealth (and so can we) but getting here seemed easier than getting to Canada.


Good luck to your DD I would also suggest that she look into a work Visa with the same company. Aside from marriage to a citizen that is probably her best bet.

 

[SC Minnie]

My company paid over $10,000 for my boss to get his green card. He is from Canada. We are in Transporation and he does not have a Transportation background so its not like he had a certain skill set that was needed

Anyway, I personally think it depends on how much money you are willing to pay for lawyers to work on your behalf.

 

[CheshireVal]

It is, indeed, very difficult. My DH had a hard time figuring out how to get here (from Australia) before we were engaged. It's relatively easy to get a tourist visa to come here, but it's next to impossible to figure out a way to live here! It's difficult to get a work visa because you have to be super qualified and you have to prove that an American wouldn't be as qualified as you are.

DH ended up enrolling at a university here and getting a student visa (which was good for him because he needed to finish school anyway.) A student visa allows you to work on campus, but not off campus. Since we're married, he's got his work permit now, but we're still waiting on our joint interview that will grant him permanent residency status. Until then, he's still officially here on a student visa!

I think immigration policy has gotten way tougher since 9/11. It's kind of odd, though: America makes it impossible to come here legally, but relatively easy to sneak in illegally.

 

[DawnCt1]

We have had two sets of friends who came from peaceful, democratic countries that had a hard time getting in. One was a couple from Israel. He was an internist and she was a pediatrician. She was able to secure a job at a low income area clinic and was able to extend her visa. He wasn't able to. They went to great lengths to stay in the USA, meeting with an immigration attorney in NYC who was an expert on this. Another friend, from the UK, also a physician was able to stay because he was married to an American citizen. In talking to them both, the main issue seems to be they type of country one is leaving from. If you are escaping a totalitarian, dictatorial regime and returning to live there will mean possible death, then it is easier to stay, even without a job and skills. If you are leaving a country that is comparable to the USA in terms of freedom and economic opportunities, than it is very, very difficult. Motivation seems to be at the heart of many of these decisions.

 

[ducklite]

I don't feel that we should give any Visa's for employment until a company proves that they've had a reasonable but unsuccessful search for a candidate who is already entitled to work in this country.

I'm sorry OP, but there are hundreds if not thousands of qualified people who can fill travel and tourism jobs who are out of work at any given time in the US. We need to get those people into jobs before allowing someone else to come in from another country and take a job from them. It only makes sense for our economy. We get people off of unemployment--which is paid for by taxpayer dollars--and have them begin to pay back into the system again.

I fell very strongly about I/T jobs--there are thousands of I/T workers out of work in the US, yet we still are giving thoudands of Visa's every year to Asian and Eastern European workers to fill US I/T jobs. That's total BS in my opinion.

About the ONLY industry with a nationwide worker shortage right now is nursing--if there are vacancies for ciritical jobs which can't be filled by US workers, then of course we should be giving Visa's.

The exception to this rule is migrant farm workers, there aren't enough people to fill these jobs legally, so illegals are hired. Not only are they not paid a fair wage, but they also aren't contributing to our tax base, and yet in many cases are taking from it in teh form of education and healthcare. We need to make it easier for this type of worker to legally enter the country and work, even if only during a temporary season every year.

Anne

 

[caitycaity]

for what it's worth, my dh and i would quit our jobs here and move to london in a second if we were able to get work. unfortunately your government makes it pretty much impossible for us to do that as well.

 

[Crankyshank]

for what it's worth, my dh and i would quit our jobs here and move to london in a second if we were able to get work. unfortunately your government makes it pretty much impossible for us to do that as well.

Ditto that. I have at points in my life looked at immigration policies for Canada, the UK, and other parts of Europe. In each case it was just as difficult and possibly more so than US immigration for essentially the same reasons I would imagine.

 

[frozone]

Slightly OT, but relevant. This is one of the issues that gay and lesbian couples of different nationality's confront. I have a friend, an American performer, who met his partner (Austrailian)on an international tour, and now they are trying to get Canadian greencards so they can stay together since they aren't legally allowed to get married.

 

[Sian]

Thanks for all the replies. I hadn't thought of it from the other angle - Americans trying to come here! We get so used in the UK to thinking that anyone can come at anytime but clearly that's not the case. I personally wouldn't want to live permanently in another country, but I would like to try another culture for a couple of years (and the US is definitely another culture!) and would hope that my kids might have that chance even if I am too old now.