Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with Immigration

I wanna vote!

hazelshade — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:14:50 -0800

I passed my U.S. citizenship test last month (woo!). But I still haven't received notice of when my swearing-in ceremony will be, and D.C.'s voter registration deadline is coming up (Oct. 4). Can I somehow officially get my citizenship without waiting for the official swearing-in ceremony? I really don't want to miss out on being able to vote just because of this stupid delay. I passed my test 7/10 and was told that my swearing-in would take place the first week of August or September. But here we are, a week and a half away from September, and I have heard nothing from the DHS.

Anyone else have experience with getting their papers without the pomp and circumstance?

Will I be allowed back into the UK?

vacapinta — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:27:04 -0800

Can I leave (or rather re-enter) the UK before I've gotten my Residence Permit? I am currently in the UK on an EEA Family Permit. This is fine as it allows me to live and work here based on the fact that I'm married to an EU Citizen. I've already traveled abroad and allowed to enter based on my EEA FP.

However, the EEA FP expires in October. I have an application (EEA2) in for a Residence Permit but current waiting times are 6-7 months. This means I'll be in the country with an expired EEA FP and no Residence Permit. The fact that the EEA FP is only valid for 6 months and yet it takes more than 6 months to get a Residence Permit has been noted as a serious implementation issue.

It is ok and legal for me to be here during that period since I am exercising my EU rights via my wife. I'm not worried about that.

What I am worried about is whether people at the border will recognize all that and let me back in. I've scoured personal anecdotes on the Web. Some say not to worry about it as long as I am traveling with my wife and I have a copy of our marriage certificate. Others say that without a valid entry permit I may not be allowed to enter the country (and may have to apply for an EEA FP extension outside the country)

Needless to say, this is all very confusing. I simply want to know if I can visit my family for Christmas. I know the "safe" thing to do is to stay put until I get my residence card. But...I'd really like to be able to leave the country if I am confident I can get back in.

(Extra info: I am an American and thus dont need a visa. Working in the UK for a UK subsidiary of an American company)

What's the deal with getting a creative writing MFA from an American school, as a Canadian?

skwt — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:08:53 -0800

What's the deal with getting a creative writing MFA from an American school, as a Canadian? Specifically:

money - am I eligible for funding (grants and/or loans) from American schools? Will the Canadian government lend me money (OSAP? (I'm in Ontario)) to study in the US? Can I do both?

visas - hard to get? Expensive? Long waits?

working - can I work while I'm there on a student visa?

living expenses - I want to go to Brooklyn College, but I'll probably also apply to all the other NYC MFA programs (NYU, New School, Columbia, am I missing any?), and schools in Irvine CA, Iowa, and maybe Austin. Would it be a realistic thing to support myself with whatever kind of low-skill job I might be able to find (in Brooklyn or elsewhere), and still have time to do school/write?

staying/moving to the US when I'm done - is this a hard thing to do?

Any answers are welcome and appreciated, but it would be great to hear from Canadians who have done or are doing this.

BONUS QUESTION: With respect to trying to get a teaching job in Canada afterwards, I've heard someone say Canadian schools don't care about a degree from an American school so much because they don't know which ones are prestigious, with the possible exception of Iowa. Whereas getting a creative writing MA from UofT, or the MFA from Concordia (for example), even though they might have less impressive faculty by international standards, will be more helpful in getting a Canadian teaching job afterwards. Anyone know about this? (Aside, I guess, from the obviously-better Canadian networking opportunities)

Thanks

immigration - H4 visa question

tvjoshi — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:57:32 -0800

If you hold H4 visa applied by both previous company and new company (not approved yet). Can you go back to India and get your visa stamped on H4 applied by previous company? more info follows... My indian friend was on L1 visa for 2-3 years. While in US, he applied for H1 visa and changed his job to that company (company 'A'). Company A also applied for his wife's H4 visa in jan 2008. Now he wants to switch to company B, they are obviously applying for (transfering) his H1 again. His wife's H4 visa applied by company A (lets call it H4-A) is still in the pipeline and not approved. Company B is not applying for his wife's H4 because they said it's not required if you have it (H4-A) already.

My friend is worried that if he switches now and a query (regarding H4-A) comes from IRS to company A, they may not take appropriate action or may not intimate my friend or worse, they may tell IRS that my friend is not working there anymore and H4-A may get rejected.

There are 2 solutions -
1. delay switching company. let H4-A get approved. Once you have the approved H4-A copy, switch company.
2. ask company B to apply for H4 again (lets call this H4-B).

problem with solution 1 is he does not want to delay switching company because that means applying for GC by company B also gets delayed. Time is already running out of hand. if he applies for GC now and get labor in time, he may have a shot at applying for I-140 and I-485 soon.

Problem with solution 2 is - his wife wants to go back to India in dec 2008. If they apply for H4-B, they are not sure if H4-B will be approved before dec 08. She may not have the approved H4-B to take to India for visa stamping. ( Note that if he or his wife wants to visit India now, they will have to get their visas stamped from US embassy in India. )

Is it ok if she does not have the approved H4-B (she will have her receipt of application - LIN no) for visa stamping in India?

Assuming that while they have applied for H4-B. H1-A gets approved before dec 2008. Can she take H1-A to india to get the stamping done (even though H4-B is applied)?

What would be the best solution? Please help!

How to help a young man (dual Turkish-Pakistani citizenship) pursue his education in Western country?

ebellicosa — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:37:53 -0800

How to help a young man (dual Turkish-Pakistani citizenship) pursue his education in Western country? We have been travelling in Turkey for a month or so. Recently we met a bright, well-mannered, well-spoken young man (25 years old) whom we would like to help out if we can. His father is Pakistani (ethnic Mongolian) and his mother is Turkish but they are divorced. He has dual citizenship of those two countries and speaks English, Urdu, Persian, and Turkish. He does not feel like he belongs in either country and would like to pursue his education in the West. He has had two years of college and has served the mandatory Turkish military duty. As one can imagine, it is difficult to get around with either of his passports!

Questions
- Have other people been in this situation (met someone while travelling who needs some help)? What kind of help is most useful? What are some dos and donts? Any words of wisdom in general?
- I gathered from a quick search that to enlist in the US military one needs to be a legal resident. Has this changed at all? Are there noncombatant opportunities eg as translator?
- Any practical advice for student visa process for US, Canada or Australia? I gather it is a 6+ month process. Is that about right? I also read that the student needs to demonstrate a 12 month supply of funds. Is that correct?

I know that everybody and his uncle wants to get into the US and it is not a trivial process. My husband is a softie though and likes to help out his fellow man. Any information or advice would be very much appreciated!

Green Cards take how long?

mooza — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:39:58 -0800

My sister has been living and working in the US for years. She applied for her Green Card in 2003 - she's still waiting, along with a group of workmates who applied at the same time. She believes she has no recourse. Is this true? Sis is pretty ready to give up. Apparently she and the coworkers applied at a bad time administratively and politically and a whole bunch of applications got stuck in the system. Coupled with not-so great lawyers (replaced with more not-so great lawyers by the employer). She says there's no point in getting more lawyers as the application is already out of the lawyers' hands. If the lawyers ask for a status report from the department, the respond will just be "pending", so there's no point, she says. Her wait seems indefinite.

Is this really the way it works? Five years and counting? You can't even check to see where you are in the queue? It seems insane to me. What, if anything, can be done?

What happens (legally) when an American and a Japanese person marry?

Vorteks — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:00:53 -0800

International Marriage filter: When a US Citizen marries a foreigner, what process is involved in bringing the new spouse to the US and getting permanent resident status? I'd like to know how difficult it is for a US Citizen to marry a foreigner (specifically, a Japanese person), and bring them here to the US to stay. What are the legal procedures? How long does it take? What, if any, is the chance of "failure"?

I know a lot of people are going to tell me to talk to an immigration lawyer. Believe me, I will... if/when the situation comes up. You see, right now I'm not yet dating. I'm just considering a potential relationship, and if I decide to pursue it I'd like to know up front what I'm getting into. So YANAL, or at least YANML, I understand. But what can you tell me about the process? I'd like to get a "birds eye view" at least.

Bonus points: What would be involved in a US Citizen marrying a Japanese person and getting permanent residence in JAPAN? This seems less likely in my case. But hey, it could happen.

Thank you MeFites!

How do I get personal information from banks and utility companies?

Kattullus — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:35:22 -0800

How do I get personal information from banks and utility companies? For immigration purposes I need to gain access to utility bills from old addresses and bank loans I co-signed. How do I get utility companies and banks to give this information to me in a prompt and timely fashion? I presume I will need to send them some sort of request-for-information letter. Knowing how exact organizations can be when it comes to the release of personal information, what do I need to include in this letter to satisfy the organizations' needs? Also, do I have a way to ensure that they'll answer quickly?

If it matters, the utility company is National Grid and the bank is Domestic Bank.

Advice on applying for Canadian citizenship in BC?

zeph — Tue, 20 May 2008 08:58:02 -0800

Asking on behalf of an American friend, who's been working in Canada (BC) for the last 3+ years: does anybody have advice on how best to get started on applying for citizenship? My friend has been working as an artist (on a work visa) in Vancouver for over 3 years now, but because the studio she's at will soon be closing she'll be in need of a new job. She'd like to stay where she is, and so would like to apply for citizenship (or permanent residency, or at least another work permit - something that will keep her there long-term). The Citizenship and Immigration Canada website is obviously the go-to source for this, but getting started has been a little overwhelming so it'd be great to hear from someone with experience who could offer advice on questions like:

- The takeaway message we gleaned from this thread is that she needs to get an immigration lawyer; does anybody have a recommendation for a good one in Vancouver?
- Can anybody give a ballpark figure on how much an immigration lawyer typically costs to help someone with a citizenship application?
- How long does the process generally take, and can she remain in the country while it's going on?
- She's heard that the process should be relatively simple for someone who's already been working/living there for 3 years, but is that the case? Are there things she could do to help make sure it is the case?

I know there's no way to get concrete answers on any of this given the immense number of variables involved, but if anybody can offer anything general it would be highly appreciated - getting started is hard when you don't quite know what your best first step would be. If there's any additional information that would be of help please let me know; finally, if for any reason you'd like to remain anonymous please email bcimmigration08@gmail.com. Thanks!

Why don't I get my stimulus?

mgrichmond — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:11:16 -0800

I'm a US citizen, while my wife is from Canada, and is in the US on a K3 visa while we work on getting her Green Card. The downside of this is that until she gets either that Green Card or a work permit, she can't be employed in the US. I filed my taxes as "Married Filing Jointly," and was informed that because she has an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, rather than a Social Security Number, I would not be getting my "Economic Stimulus (Bush Bribe)" check. Does anyone understand the rationale here? Why does her status preclude my receiving my payment?

Will US immigration make me pay old parking tickets?

xanthippe — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:15:06 -0800

Very old parking tickets/fines and US immigration... do I have to pay up when I come home? I am a US citizen, but left about 3 years ago and haven't gone back to visit since. When I left, I gave my car (registered in my name) to a friend who managed to generate some $700+ of parking fines in New York before finally disposing of it in a manner which is not entirely clear to me - I believe it was eventually towed to a junkyard by the police after being abandoned for some time on the streets of Brooklyn. I suspect, however, that the State of New York, given the opportunity, would claim I owe them a big chunk of cash for this.

Question: if I come back to visit the USA, is this going to turn up in my file when I'm going through immigration or any other likely situation? If so, would this happen anywhere, or only in New York? (In other words, should I avoid flying in or out of JFK?) Do these sorts of fines go away after some time (if so, how much) or remain and accrue interest forever? How can I be most confident of this not being an issue on my visit?

Translation services recommendations.

wongcorgi — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:08:34 -0800

Any recommended online language translation services? (for a foreign birth certificate). I'm filing some USCIS forms and need to have a birth certification translated. It needs to be notarized also. Can anyone recommend services that they have used before?

I found jrlanguage.com on a search and they seem to be reputable, but I was not able to find any reviews on their service. I'd like some other members opinion before I send off a sensitive document like this.

But I was born here!

Umhlangan — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:50:05 -0800

Our daughter, 4 years old now, was born in California while my wife and I (both Canadians) were working legally in Los Angeles. She obviously has a US birth certificate and SIN but lives in Canada. Will this make things easier for her should she want to study in the US when she gets to University age or will it be of no advantage whatsoever?

Does ICE think I'm still working if I'm on leave without pay?

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:51:37 -0800

H1B question: Can I go on leave without pay and remain in continual employment, for the purposes of transferring the H1B to a new employer? To avoid applying for a new H1B when moving to a new job, I need continuous employment. My next employer just submitted an application for my transfer to a new job there in a few months. My current job is a misery and for various temporary reasons I am useless at it. I would like to take leave without pay from it, and preferably return to my home country for a while. I am pretty sure my current boss would be cool with this, but as far as ICE is concerned, can I do this without interrupting my status as "continually employed?"

Various websites say yes. But there are some contradictory claims from sketchier sources leading me to feel a little uncomfortable about this strategy. I would like to find the formal ICE policy document or statute which makes leave without pay acceptable.

I would ask at work, but they have proven to be pretty clueless about immigration issues in the past, and I don't want to tip my hand about wishing to leave early before I've confirmed that it's viable to do so.

Sailing on the wide accountant-cy -- help me find a captain!

potsmokinghippieoverlord — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:55:24 -0800

Bean-counterFilter: How do I find an accountant? I'd ask around, but we have special needs.... Well, I never EVER thought I'd need an accountant, but then I married this British fella (we're adjusting his status) with his own company and the bank sent him some W-8BEN form and... we're confused. Substantial presence test? Wha? Permanent Alien or Non-Permanent? Huh?

We need an accountant that has experience working with recent immigrants and US tax law. My husband has an accountant back in Britain, but A. he's retiring soon and B. he doesn't know US tax law (why should he?)

I've poked around some ex-pat sites, and I've not come up with anything. But what (and where) specifically should we be looking for in an accountant? Certain society memberships? No bad marks on the BBB web site? If it helps, we live in the SF Bay Area.

Thanks!

What kind of visa do I need and where do I get it?

venividivici — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:17:16 -0800

I'm completely confused about UK immigration policy and am getting conflicting information re: extended stays for academic research. I'm an American graduate student, currently enrolled in a Ph.D program at an American university. In February, I flew to England to live in Yorkshire and do research for four months. I was planning on returning to the States in early June, but I have since received several fellowships and grants that I applied for last fall, which means that I now have enough money to continue my research in England for another 16 months. Great news!

However, I don't understand what kind of visa I now need to get. The immigration officer at Heathrow admitted me as a tourist for the usual six months (expiring around August 4th), after which I would obviously be overstaying. The info on the British consulate website seems to indicate that my position (graduate student) isn't "important" or high-status enough to apply for an academic research visa. It also says that the scheme for "sponsored researchers" was discontinued and that I should enter under the work permit scheme. This makes no sense, since I won't have an employer in the UK; I'm getting money from American grant agencies. Finally, I can't get a student visa because I'm not enrolling in a UK program. I'm still officially enrolled in the United States and will have no formal ties with any UK academic institution.

The US British consulate hasn't responded to my emails, so I turn to you, hive mind. My questions are:

1) What kind of visa do I need to get?
2) Can I get said visa from here in England, now that I'm already in the country? Do I really have to fly all the way back to the States and go to the British consulate in NYC?

Many thanks for your help. These immigration codes are about as comprehensible to me as tax law.

Family member immigration concern

orlando1544 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:18:41 -0800

How can I bring my 16 year old nephew to live with me in America? He wants to attend college here but it is so expensive for foreign students. I am an American citizen. Any suggestion is appreciated

Are lawyers just vampire money-pit evil people?

Brockles — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 09:30:18 -0800

Wanted: Most expedient and financially prudent way to apply for permanent residence in Canada. I can't find any specific questions or direct help in the various government websites for my particular circumstances, so am looking for anecdotal evidence or a person in the know:

I have a work visa in Canada, and I have been here since October 2006. I am English and I have a very specific and technical job here that I am extremely well/over qualified for, with 15 years employment in the field. I'd like to apply for permanent residence, and have had quotes in the region of $2.5 to 5K for the process from immigration lawyers. At the moment, that is quite a lot of money to me, although I could save that without major hardship if I had to.

So questions are as follows:

1: Is there any advantage in turn-around time going with a lawyer? (please quantify answers). How long does either take?

2: I can't decide how likely I am to screw up the process if I don't use a lawyer (my work permit took two goes to go through when we tried to do it ourselves) so am weighing cost/arse-factor of just getting it done over not paying $3K or so. Any experience?

3: After having got a work visa, and having had lawyers offer to take my case on (expressing, as they would, high chances of it being successful), are lawyer supported applications a reasonable certainty?

4: I've heard rumours that there may be difficulty extending my 2 year work permit - which seems nonsensical to me. Is there any truth in this? The difficulty revolved around needing a few months gap between visa expiry and additional applications, which seems stupid.

5: Does it make it any easier that I am already employed and living here?

So. I am essentially looking to take the right decision for reliability of application. I also want to get this over and done with.

Can anybody help with this?

US citizen live/spending in Canada funded by a US salary?

whycurious — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:44:49 -0800

Is it possible for a US citizen to live in Canada and work remotely for a US company? I'm currently applying for a skilled worker's immigration for Canada.

In lieu of that, what are my options, if any?

I'd like to move to Vancouver BC, but retain my current employment/relationship with a small web development company here in the US. My company does have a few professional contacts in the Vancouver area, but I can't imagine they'd sponsor me for a work visa if I'm not actually going to work for them.

Should I become an independent contractor? And if so, how would that work with a temporary visa - especially contracted with a US company?

Long term, I would like to gain permanent residency in Canada, hopefully with dual citizenship on the horizon.

Any suggestions? TIA

Beklager, jeg snakker ikke norsk - EU national moving to Norway?

Happy Dave — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:06:53 -0800

Moving around in the EU - how about them fjords there? Another week, another 'how tough would this be?' immigration question.

I'm 26, British, living in the UK, married to an American who is about three or four years away (assuming the UK govt doesn't move the goalposts) from a British passport. I work in communications, she's a journo.

I've been thinking about the future, and in particular the various places in the EU that we might consider living and working, and Norway keeps coming up again and again in my personal wish list. I've always been attracted to Scandinavian culture, and my Dad works for a Norwegian firm and comes back with stories about working over there that make me really excited.

I'm also quite drawn to what I perceive as a pretty liberal, well-run government and strong economy, good education, healthcare and cultural life.

If we were to think about moving to Norway, within, say, five years, what would be the plusses and minuses? Any expats or Norwegian MeFites who have done this or have insights? We live in London at the moment, but may move back to Scotland, where I'm from - how would Norway compare with Scotland in the above terms?

Cheers!

Illegal Immigrants in College

madmamasmith — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:04:22 -0800

Can anyone tell me the percentage of children of illegal immigrants who attend college? Specifically in Texas. We are arguing the HB 104 (in state tuition bill) in my government class and I need to know how many children of illegal immigrants who were not born in the US actually attend institutions of higher education....

Can we go ahead and get married?

sapphirebbw — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:15:01 -0800

I am a US citizen. My fiance is a UK citizen. We want to live in the US. In fact, we already own a home together, and he is making trips back and forth. We don't want to wait the 6+ months it will take for a K-1 visa to be approved before we get married. Can we legally marry while he is here on a tourist visa? If we do, does he have to return to the UK if we file for a change of status? What problems might this cause with immigration?

How hard is it for a third country national to work in Austria after going through university there?

joewandy — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:42:34 -0800

How hard is it for a third country national to work in Austria after going through university there? I'm a 26-years-old Chinese Indonesian who have been living in Singapore for the past 10 years (since my teen-age). 2 years ago, I completed my (3 yrs) bachelor degree in Computing from the National University of Singapore. I have also obtained my Singaporean permanent residence and been working as a software engineer since then in a local company and another MNC.

With only 1 year+ remaining until the completion of my bond with the Singaporean government (due to them sponsoring my undergrad study), I now have to begin evaluating the possible path I could take for the future.

I'd very much like to move to Europe in order to work and live there. However since this is pretty hard to accomplish for a third country national like me, I thought I could first look into studying in a European country and proceed to find job after graduation. I should be able to save up to US$15k by the time I'm ready to leave, coupled with approximate 3 yrs of experience in the IT field. From my parents I could borrow another US$20k (if necessary) for any other expenses while I'm settling down.

I intend to apply to the University of Vienna due to the special low tuition fee of €15.86 / semester for Indonesian. I'd likely enroll into another related bachelor degree programme (e.g. math, science) as I don't think I am up to the challenge of learning cs stuffs at master's level while having to struggle with communicating in German at the same time.

Assuming that I've got all the study matters taken care of (for the sake of discussion), my questions are:

1. Given my prior experiences and qualifications, how hard would it be for me to find tech job in Austria (or surrounding EU countries) upon graduation? I'm inclined to think that having graduated from a 'local' university, it would be much easier for me to be employed within the country as well, but I might be wrong. Do employers have specific preferences in regards to the nationality of people that they are looking for?

2. How much of a period of time that I would have to look for job upon school completion? Is there any kind of temporary visa that I'd be able to apply for while jobhunting within Austria, or do I have to do it from Singapore?

3. How well are asians accepted and integrated into the European society? Let's assume that I could speak intelligible English and German :)

I might have more questions to follow up later, depending on the responses to this thread. Keep in mind that this is still a medium-to-long term plan, I'm basically just trying to determine where I could go from here onwards.

The Limbo life: season 4 SoM is losing it!

Student of Man — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 07:20:40 -0800

I need a resolution! to keep going! I need to get out of the restaurant industry in NY, NY. I'd rather do hard labor or slavery if I'm provided with shelter and food. I've rarely been able to keep a job in that business for more than eight months. I just lost 2 jobs within a week of each other. I'm thinking construction in the Brooklyn, New York area.

Here's the kicker: I'm an illegal alien. It's a story you've heard before. Both me and my sister were brought here as children and have been in limbo ever since. Through sheer determination, she managed to get a BA from CUNY, soon I mustered some moxie of my own and followed suit. We had no financial aide no loans. Furthermore, my A student sister couldn't cash in on any of her scholarships. All tuitions were paid for "straight cash"at the bursar. Through underground savvy, we both managed to get bank accounts. I applied for and received an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number so I could pay taxes and integrate myself somehow. Also, I could feel like a contributing member of society. My sister, whom by then grew paranoid was convinced she would never see me again if I had the balls to ask the IRS for an ITIN. She never got one and wrote down my last words as I headed off to the IRS office to apply. (It's still on her bedroom wall.)

Four years ago we applied for adjustment of status through an immigration lawyer on Wall street NY. I checked on the progress through the net and calling the (then known as) INS. I was told that our files were backlogged and had a wait time of at least 3 yrs before processing would begin. Then, beginning of the fourth year, we received a letter stating something along the lines of "your application has been postponed indefinitely". Upon receiving this letter I roundly crumpled and cast the ball at mother who couldn't comprehend the lawyerspeak contained therein. My sister hastily asked for copies of her file and summoned a new lawyer who she plans to pay for herself. I, who is frequently out of work, am left to fend for myself for the first time in this matter, although as siblings we remain close.

We've both been toiling in the restaurant industry (as waiters bartenders) for a number of years, but I'm starting to feel like it's not for me. I want to bail. My sister is convinced that its a matter of simply calling construction companies and applying. I disagreed and contended that- as an illegal, you must have an "in" with other illegals in that business to get work. I have a feeling that-that industry is heavy in paper trails what-with unions and whatnot and that's a bad thing for me. I don't know any Mexicans or anyone in those circles.

Is there any options for an assimilated, Americanized, fluent English speaking, Educated, multi-lingual illegal alien In NY? I am positive I am not alone. Also, is there a support group for just these kinds of immigrants in NY? (not an average crackhouse for clueless refugees-a place that caters to people in exactly my situation). Also My very immobility and economic paralysis makes it hard to find someone to love an marry. Also a half-brained marriage-for-pay hi-jinx is out of the question. I couldn't possibly post this without full details, because I'm honestly looking for thoughtful help. At least a few words of encouragement to help combat my growing disillusion with my life and purpose. How does one revitalize in such a difficult battle? Is there any options or should I just end it all now?

America is all I i know and where I want to be. Looking back to my old country is like remembering a dream-for both me and sis. I hold American values, I feel American and wish nothing more than to be American. I am only fluent in one language English. My old country is devastated and provides me with no opportunities. (I'll probably die in a protest or assassinated if I take up a mantle.)

My old country is not a participant in the Visa Lottery. My old country has low priority on the list of immigrants from preferred countries. ( I presume because of absurdly high illiteracy [80%] which in turn presumably expatriates welfare seekers and criminals, political asylum seekers etc...this is my own reasoning).

Finding an easy-to-get job that requires a BA

Ndwright — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 14:44:29 -0800

What's a job that's easy to get that requires a bachelor's degree? In order to stay in the country (U.S.) a friend of mine, on the verge of graduating, needs to find a job. However, due to immigration laws he can't stay in the States unless he has a job that requires a bachelor's degree. He's having difficulty finding employment at the moment and I thought I'd help him out.

A little employment-related info: His major is Econ with a physics minor, but he doesn't need work specifically in the area of business/econ to stay in the country. He's quite intelligent, very literate, highly competent with computers (basic C++ and java programming ability) and speaks English more fluently than most of the people I went to high school with. Personally, I'm baffled by his difficulty in finding work.

So, to my question: what's a job that requires a bachelor's degree that is relatively easy to get?