We
were comparing, evaluating, estimating our "alien status" as if we
were talking about our own babies. If you think about it, a visa is a process
that has nothing to envy to a pregnancy. It takes time and preparation. And
once you are delivered with it, you suddenly are charged with joys and
responsibilities. Welcome to the craziness of the visas' world!
Once
you are hooked up in the carousel of visas and you think you are all set, think
again! You have to learn all the limitations that come with you visa,
about leaving or not the country, having to leave the country or not. Do
you think things get easier once you get the green card? Wrong again. Two
friends of mine married to American citizens, said just forget about it! They
went through a lot to get their green cards, eventually moved back to their
countries, respectively France and Brazil, and never bother to maintain their
green cards, which among many things imply having an American address and spend
X amount of time per year in the USA. Guess what?! They are happy people even
without it! To tell the truth though, I wish I had it only to avoid the endless
line at the airport when you fly in. After such a long flight, another
nightmare is about to begin: all non US-passengers are lined up like cattle and
treated like suspects. Guys seriously, do you look at me? After a 9-hour flight
my neurons are not even connected. Not only do I look like a zombie but walk
and talk like one: I could kill for a bed and some sleep! And for the record,
it is only a figure of speech...
But
let's go back to visas. There are too many and I am only familiar with few of
them.
In
my previous post entitled "I have been offered an H1B visa" I warn my
young readers against fab offers, sometimes too good to be true, and in this
article I will still talk about H1B visas in this time of worldwide economic
crisis.
Getting
an H1B visa is not an easy job. Very often people who get to this stage are
those ones who, after graduating from an American university, find a company
that will sponsor them, investing in their skills. But not all degrees are the
same: a scientific and technical background is highly requested and valued,
whereas humanities are not equally considered; so if you studied electrical
engineering, you are more likely to get a job than if you ended up with a
degree in literature. Sadly this is true everywhere.
But
being a foreigner is twice as hard when applying for a job, especially in a
time of economic strains. Instead of helping out the economy in these tough
times, immigration policy does the opposite by tightening up its immigration
laws, slowing business's growth and targeting foreign workers inefficiently.
When immigration policy dictates times and ways to companies and business in
general, it is really slowing down and jamming their productivity. On this
issue, you might find interesting these articles on CEOs asking for strong
action about immigration policy:
Having
assessed though the needs of big companies to have international qualified
workers, now let’s see the same issue from the worker's perspective.
As
I already said in previous posts, for a worker whose paperwork is in order, it
is frustrating to be limited within the law by the law. Rather than tackling
the real issue of illegal immigration, immigration policy goes after qualified,
legal workers. By the way, this has created a lucrative "spin off
business" where immigration lawyers charge an arm and a leg to both
companies and foreign workers to deal with the paperwork!
But let's face it: it is easier to go after those ones who are "visible" to the system than chasing the "invisible" who are a commodity for the American economy. The invisible, illegal workers, are underpaid and do jobs that Americans don't want to do. Hence, it is convenient to turn a blind eye on the whole issue, swiping the dust under the carpet. Both contenders in this game win because both get what they want: the pragmatic, cynical America has cheap, un-insured labor so that it can afford to keep motels and restaurants open 24/7 and on the other side, the illegal workers who have their "dream" to work for. The only loser in this game is legality and the other side of those foreign workers who comply with the rules.
But let's face it: it is easier to go after those ones who are "visible" to the system than chasing the "invisible" who are a commodity for the American economy. The invisible, illegal workers, are underpaid and do jobs that Americans don't want to do. Hence, it is convenient to turn a blind eye on the whole issue, swiping the dust under the carpet. Both contenders in this game win because both get what they want: the pragmatic, cynical America has cheap, un-insured labor so that it can afford to keep motels and restaurants open 24/7 and on the other side, the illegal workers who have their "dream" to work for. The only loser in this game is legality and the other side of those foreign workers who comply with the rules.
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