Upwardly Global

That's an interesting organization. I've been meeting a bunch of young people lately who came here to study but were feeling intense pressure to land a job within their allowed - I think 3 months - or else they'd have to leave the country. It was doubly tough for them because they had to find an employer willing to sponsor their visa application, and not all employers are willing to do it. In this bad economy, even US citizens can't find a job in three months.

What an interesting idea - I'll definitely check it out. As an expat myself, I know that the immigrant/abroad experience can be hard!

@ajadedidealist didn't think you were an expat..thought you grew up in NYC or do you mean you are an expat in the UK?
Yes being an expat in the US with general skills apropos to having specific skills like IT engineering is tough. You can't just expect to land something on the basis of your skills or experience which have been acquired overseas more often than not you may have to retrain entirely and in certain cases it may just not be possible financially or otherwise..

Being an immigrant is very hard today. It isn't like it was back in the 20's when people came by boat to Ellis Island to get processed. Now there are other laws and statues that control things. Maybe that is why many Mexicans sneak over the border to avoid the paperwork and bureaucracy.

True story: a few weeks ago I get a phone call from US customs at JFK airport. They were calling to verify that I know a certain person who was trying to enter the country on a tourist visa from Europe. Turns out it was a friend of mine who's French, and with whom I have worked on a few projects. They couldn't give me any more information over the phone about whether he made it though customs okay, but since they said it was a routine check, I assumed they let him through. When I emailed my friend a few days later to see whether we could get together for a drink and catch up, he wrote back to say that he had been been detained for two days, spent that time in jail, and had then been sent back! And why? Because he had professional video equipment with him and customs officials thought he might try to work in the US illegally.

I can't believe the US has become so unfriendly to visitors! Weren't we supposed to be a land of immigrants? Home of the free and all that?

@DBlack: Ever since 9-11, this country frowns on immigrants coming in. At least this is what I read a few months ago. It seems the borders and airports are tighten up on those who enter this country. I guess it is because of fear of a terrorist attack that security is just trying to protect us and doing their job. But should those visiting from overseas receive such harsh treatment. I can understand that if they come here, they should be checked out. That is commonsense, but to be thrown in prison because a video camera was spotted. Come on. That is ridiculous.

Such treatment as DBlack, and ajadedidealist mentioned is a great reason why immigrants will think twice about coming here. Which of course, will not only hurt us regarding tourism, but it will create a bad image on other countries regarding how we treat foreigners.

How do all you feel about such treatment. I think people go overboard to do their jobs, especially when it isn't warranted.

@ everyone I am a legal immigrant.. I went through the entire process by book and endured all the wait times and the separations which are all a part and parcel of the process. I am now a permanent resident and have not experienced any 'nasty' situations at immigration. However during my recent trips in and out of the country have noticed that now even I have to do the finger printing and the biometrics like an ordinary tourist. Have a been surprised by this .. thought that was all behind me..oh well.. ..

@uptowngirl That's what I'm saying. Something's changed recently and I don't think the change is for the good. If you've been a so-called productive member of society all these years, how can they start harassing even you.

@Uptowngirl and @DBlack: From what I read about it, it seems related to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the most recent terror threats across Europe and other foreign countries. As long as there are terror threats, I believe people, especially those considered foreigners, will be closely examined. Even if you are an American, if you look like a foreigner, you may find yourself getting cross-examined for no good reason. This is sad, but you may just have to prepare for it, until things change.

@hhusted I don't think things are going to change anytime soon ...thanks to folk like Najibullah Zazi-http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2010/02/najibullah_zazi_case_dots_conn.html

@DBlack I can't believe it!

Yeah, uptowngirl, and that is the problem.

How unfortunate! I remember how I was hassled when coming into JFK just for living abroad - the agent seemed offended that I didn't think America was "good enough" for me, and gave me problems because my dog's health certificate was written in French (when it was issued in France!) without translation!

@ajadeidealist I think customs officers enjoy flaunting their little bit of power. They know they can really mess someone up if they want to.

I've had some strange run-ins with custom officers, and during each it seemed like the officer involved had a bit of a Napoleon complex. So, I'm going ot have to back DBlack up on that one. And, @DBlack, that is a really strange and disappointing story about your French friend. I wonder if your phone call helped or hurt? Guess it looks like it didn't help too much, in any case.

It turns out they had called me days after the incident. Can you believe it? They called after they already sent him home. Almost as though to make sure that nothing I said was going to help him in any way. I have no idea what they were thinking, but it seems like they already made up their minds and weren't going to let a little truth get in the way.

@DBlack That story is actually really disturbing. Does that mean your friend is barred from entering the country again? How does that work?