Re: Is it better to be illegal in the USA?

I am a victim of the US immigration laws. After spending thousands of dollars to get my bachelor's and graduating with the highest GPA and winning the Wall Street award I had to leave the country because I was on a working viza and my position got outsourced to India. Finding a company to sposor you is really hard in the current economic circumstances in the United States and the law states that after losing your job you are out of legal status on the next day and you have to leave the country. There's no grace period which is ridiculous!!! It is impossible to lose your job today and wake up the next morning with a job in a company that is willing to sposor you since only the interview process takes at least 2-3 weeks. I talked to a number of immigration lawyers and their advice was to stay out of status and look for a job and HOPE that after the new company applies for the work viza the immigration will 'forgive' me for being out of status but again there's NO guarantees. It really depends on who is looking at your application and what mood is he in? So years of education and work experience went down the drain. I am so fed up with the US immigration laws. It is hard for me to understand why are the illegal people given green cards and the educated people who have maintained their legal status being kicked out of the country? I just moved back to Bulgaria because I didn't want to stay illegal in the US and break the law. May be I should have stayed illegal, work in McDonalds or pick strawberries to get the green card????!!!!!

Re: Is it better to be illegal in the USA?

Oh I hear you, I am in the same boat. Here's the thing, I support dayworkers and hispanics coming here and working on farms and being given work permits and being given greencards and their children enrolled in school- we are using them and it is only right and humane; for crying out loud without these immigrants the houses here in AZ would be 10 times more expensive, and I would pay $50 for a meal. BUT what does not make sense is that educated people and professionals who chose to stay legal are being punished for obeying the law. it's a ridiculous law that makes no sense and outrages all of us who are in the boat. i mean the law REALLY gives incentives to be ILLEGAL. it's disgusting. and it's not like staying legal is easy and comes at no cost. god knows how much money i've paid, how many stupid papers i had to file, and how many times i couldn't fall asleep worrying that the INS in all its efficiency and glory would not process my papers on time or find another box marked wrong and deny me the papers (which happened before, and I wasn't even notified for 8 months, until i kept harassing the officers to tell me where my paperwork is, so they finally realized i was actually out of status and supposed to leave the country- God bless my lawyer at the time!!!). So why does the US do that? it's simple. because in this country everything is ruled by the almighty dollar and corporations. we go to war for corporate profits, we elect presidents for corporate profits, we even make healthcare and education all about corporate profits. the hispanic workers are perfect for businesses because they are a minimal cost and allow for maximum profits. unless of course they are illegal so the company would have to pay fees if they were caught hiring them. so of course making them legal is perfect for american capitalism and corporate proifits. very simple. whereas us, the educated bunch...well, if we are outstanding statisticians or physicists or anything that americans are plain STUPID at, we will get sponsored fast. if we are in any field where americans are bad but there are other countries with underpaid workforce where we can outsource the work too...well, then uncle sam says thank you for the good grades and good reputation you gave to our schools, thank you for the taxes, social security and medicare taxes you will never see back, thank you for purchasing our products, now have a nice day.
yes, i am bitter too. why am i still here? because of luck and little synchronicities and i was meant to meet the people and do the things i have done so far. but i've definitely been thinking about canada or europe, and i am letting life decide where i am meant to stay. but wherever i am i want to be wanted as a damn part of society and not have to struggle so much!!!!!

Re: Is it better to be illegal in the USA?

Very well said Emy! The dollar rules the world and changes people's values.

Re: Is it better to be illegal in the USA?

Aside from immigration laws this seems to be the way our country is run. I live in an agricultural area and the economy depends on the immigrants in order to provide the labor for menial tasks that it would bedifficult to get a highly qualified or educated person to perform. This, while welfare is extremely easy to acquire and - pardon the bluntness - the "white trash" taps into this. Instead of granting these individual a free ride, require them to work filling these jobs which they are more than capable of performing and require them to get the education that the illegals who are granted green cards value so highly. I must say that the students of the prmarily Mexican immigrants are the hardest worker, most driven and most appreciative students in the schools. All of this while we are turning away highly trained and qualified individuals who expertise could raise the bar significantly in areas where they would be valued and rewarded elsewhere.
I refaced this entry with an aside. This same system which grants green cards to these individuals puts them outside of the law. When an individual, at least in my area of the country, is broadsided by an unlicensed uninsured illegal nothing is done unless a death is involved. The victim is told that immigration does not enforce in this area. Unfortunately this is not limited to one's status of citiznship. The victim if further victimized by the legal system as the perpetrator is granted more rights. The number of criminal cases that go unprosecuted through plea bargains and technicalities is staggering. And in the case of identity fraud or other forms of forgery, the burden of proof that lies on the vicitm can be overwhelming. The paperwork can be immense.
The sad part is we sit by and watch it happen. I saw a bumper sticker that says it all......THE PROBLEMS WE FACE WILL NOT BE SOLVED BY THE MINDS THAT CREATED THEM.It is time for a change.