What you think about USA as a prominent destination for immigration?

[Hairumian]

Given the current circumstances and developments, it's interesting to explore this question for those who might think about Green Card Lottary.

[Torsten]

The USA has been and will be the most developed country in the world. Their strength is to overcome challenges and turn adversities into opportunities. That's why so many people learn English and so many foreigners want to move to and live in the US.

PS: Please check the spelling of 'lottery'.
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[Hairumian]

Thanks Torsten for sharing your thoughts (and also for noticing spelling mistake).


It would be also interesting to hear people from USA and learn their perspectives. Generally talking, your arguments are appealing, however, my specific question is how advisable is to do that nowadays.

P.S. how critical is correct spelling (by the way), my computer does it for me

[Jamie (K)]

I live in the most depressed state in the US, with the highest unemployment rate, and all of my immigrant ESL students seem to be working, if they want to work. (I say immigrant ESL students, because some of my ESL students were born here but still need ESL.) Some of them don't have exactly the kind of job they want, but that can happen anywhere.

Note, however, that a lot of my students are engaged in entrepreneurial occupations, working in stores, restaurants and other businesses that are little affected by the economic correction.

Besides, if the new presidential administration doesn't try to create a European-style welfare state (which the public will almost certainly not allow him to do), you can expect the economy to start recovering sometime next year. According to the business magazines I read, this economic situation is similar to the one in the 1970s, not the one in the 1920s, but the hysteria is louder because the oldest wave of baby-boomers is getting ready to retire and is worried about their stock portfolios. We bounced back in the 1970s, and we'll bounce back this time also, sooner or later.

There's another thing you have to realize about the US also: The educational system here is so flexible and "all inclusive" that anyone can go back to school at any time to update his skills and retrain or completely recreate himself professionally. Whenever the economy sinks, very large numbers of people of every age go back to school, and now I'm seeing a large increase in the size of my classes and the number of people going back to college. In a year or two, these people will bring their new skills into the work force, and this will be part of the basis of the economic recovery.

A typical example would be a man I met who was at a table doing his homework at a college where I teach. He was in his 50s, and he realized that so much work in his industrial profession was being outsourced to low-wage countries that, if he didn't change, he might be out of work. He looked at what skills were needed in his industry, and he went back to college to study business and project management, so that he would be running the outsourced projects. He was engaging in a type of professional judo -- using the momentum of his skills and current industry trends to his advantage, rather than allowing them to act to his detriment.

But anyway, everybody has to recreate himself in one way or another when he comes to the US. My great-grandfather was a waterwheel builder in Europe, but when he got to the States and found little or no need for waterwheels, he made a good living building the stairways in houses and other structures. A lady I know who was trained as a custom seamstress in the USSR now, in the US, designs and sews the custom curtains for hotels and other buildings, but she's also studying another profession now.

[SkiIucK]

The USA is a 'no-no' for me as it is going to collapse on its sand foundations in the next decade or so.

[Hairumian]

Thanks Jamie for sharing your opinion from real life. Very helpful!

[Hairumian]

Hi SkiLuck,
Can you elaborate your thoughts? What makes you to think so? Do you have such impressions or have agruments? Thanks

[SkiIucK]

Unwilling to go in detailed explanations, I'll just say that living PRIMARILY on credit will ultimately and inevitably lead to collapse.

Best regards

[Diverhank]

I think the US is still the land of opportunity despite the slight economic downturn. This is one of a few places where you can succeed if you put your mind to it.

[Jan]

I don't see any special reason why I shall move to States now or why I shall be somewhere else.There are no bad places to emigrate except maybe the Third World or Russia(just kidding) but even there all would depend on an individual case. If you think about emigration I would recommend Australia.
States are too much overcrowded, what annoys me personally in States is too much of trash on streets and easy going or mind your own business attitudes.
It could be also very irritating self-assured pose that States are the best in the world.
America will be tomorrow as Americans are today , afterwards nothing to be cheery.

Jan