The D.R.E.A.M. Act is dead.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

What in the world are Indian people doing in West Virginia????

Probably bought homes there due to their being much cheaper (edit: commute costs/time NOT factored-into consideration) than ones closer to their DC/Balto-metro-area workplaces--basically, same idea which drove a Montgomery Country (MD) court-bailiff to buy a home in Gettysburg (the bailiff's workplace is Rockville, over an hour commute at "best-case" from his home--the bailiff is not a desi). Edited January 1, 2011 by Saddle Bronc

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Probably bought homes there due to their being much cheaper (edit: commute costs/time NOT factored-into consideration) than ones closer to their DC/Balto-metro-area workplaces--basically, same idea which drove a Montgomery Country (MD) court-bailiff to buy a home in Gettysburg (the bailiff's workplace is Rockville, over an hour commute at "best-case" from his home--the bailiff is not a desi).

I am not located in that part of West Virginia.

[^_^ 5,021]

Probably bought homes there due to their being much cheaper (edit: commute costs/time NOT factored-into consideration) than ones closer to their DC/Balto-metro-area workplaces--basically, same idea which drove a Montgomery Country (MD) court-bailiff to buy a home in Gettysburg (the bailiff's workplace is Rockville, over an hour commute at "best-case" from his home--the bailiff is not a desi).

Interesting. Sounds a lot like the Jersey desis escaping out to Pennsyltucky and taking on 90-120 minute commutes all so they can have a granite kitchen island.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Won't you be entering the UK on a marriage to EU citizen visa? I know the UK immigration system and unless it's a marraige/family based/study/investment or EU citizenship visa-it's tough to get.

( I was in the UK for 21 years on ' leave to enter and stay indefinatly' it was NOT easy or uncomplicated to aquire.)

I immigrated to the UK on a 5 work year visa which would have put me on course to become a citizen if I had chosen. The work permit took about a month to get and the visa took 48 hours. No interviews, no medical etc. There was no hassle.

Edited January 1, 2011 by Sousuke

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Won't you be entering the UK on a marriage to EU citizen visa? I know the UK immigration system and unless it's a marraige/family based/study/investment or EU citizenship visa-it's tough to get.

( I was in the UK for 21 years on ' leave to enter and stay indefinatly' it was NOT easy or uncomplicated to aquire.)

Sorry I didn't see this question.

Should we ever go back, I would be entering based on marriage to a UK citizen.

You probably had "indefinate leave to remain". That status is being done away with.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Sorry I didn't see this question.

Should we ever go back, I would be entering based on marriage to a UK citizen.

You probably had "indefinate leave to remain". That status is being done away with.

It was ruled illegal right? At least the way in which Cameron went about it?

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Jim - Thank you for putting up that chart! The site it comes from is most interesting!

Yep. Looks like the percentage of foreign born workers in the US increased by about 4% between 1998 and 2003. I'd bet it's continued to increase since then. That's not very comforting to the 9.73% of American workers who are currently unemployed. Many of those foreign born workers didn't come here with a work visa, so they're not taking jobs that no Americans were available to fill. They came as relatives of US citizens and LPR's. In 2009 there were a total of 468,761 immigrant visas issued by US consulates. Only 13,846 of those were employment based visas. The bulk of the remaining, a total of 403,790 visas, were immediate relative and family based visas. That's 86% of all immigrant visas. How many of those immediate relative and family based visa immigrants are currently working in the US? How many are competing with people who were already in the US for jobs?

Like I said, immigrants come here for the American standard of living. If it's not controlled then everybody loses.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Yep. Looks like the percentage of foreign born workers in the US increased by about 4% between 1998 and 2003. I'd bet it's continued to increase since then. That's not very comforting to the 9.73% of American workers who are currently unemployed. Many of those foreign born workers didn't come here with a work visa, so they're not taking jobs that no Americans were available to fill. They came as relatives of US citizens and LPR's. In 2009 there were a total of 468,761 immigrant visas issued by US consulates. Only 13,846 of those were employment based visas. The bulk of the remaining, a total of 403,790 visas, were immediate relative and family based visas. That's 86% of all immigrant visas. How many of those immediate relative and family based visa immigrants are currently working in the US? How many are competing with people who were already in the US for jobs?

Like I said, immigrants come here for the American standard of living. If it's not controlled then everybody loses.

All very good statistics! It's good to quote high numbers. Makes the case seem so much more compelling.

Interesting though how the chart shows that even though the US has a higher number of migrants than the other two developed nations in the chart, those migrants are a far lower percentage of the US workforce than the other two countries.

PS - You keep talking like that and pretty soon there will be quotas for family visas. They're talking about it, you know.

Edited January 2, 2011 by Rebecca Jo

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

It was ruled illegal right? At least the way in which Cameron went about it?

I think you might be talking about something I'm unaware of.

The upcoming changes to UK immigration policy were developed long before the coalition came into power.

[Boiler 45,853]

I am not sure how reliable those numbers are about the numbers wishing to migrate to the US, I would at least add a 0 to it.

Just 10 per cent of the Chinese and India Sub Continent Populations would double the US population.

Add African, South and Central America, it must be a lot lot more.

Just think of the massive increases in Green House Gases.

[Fandango 1,440]

No I wasn't being facetious.

Unless any future legislation affects removal of conditions or qualifications for citizenship, US immigration policy does not affect you directly. It doesn't affect most Americans. Which is why there is so much ignorance about why so many are here illegally.

It certainly does affect everyone in this country. I'm quite shocked that this is being said...no matter where one stands on illegal immigration.

[tmma 467]

Sorry I didn't see this question.

Should we ever go back, I would be entering based on marriage to a UK citizen.

You probably had "indefinate leave to remain". That status is being done away with.

Yes, you are right...indefinate leave to remain.

I guess I was just remembering the nightmare my British mother had getting me through immigration at Gatwick after we went to Spain for a holiday when i was 7 ( which was ....erm....decades (yikes) ago).

They would not let me in. I was the only member of my family who was US born and had a US passport. They were going to send me back to the States...lol! My Mum went nuts ' I'm a UK citizen and she is my daughter' she said - and was promptly and snottily told ' You are a UK subject not citizen and she's American and her father is American therefore she needs a visa and doesn't have one....so she not getting in'. There was a cluster and someone from the US Embassy even turned up. Eventually after hours of whatnot..paperwork and I don't know what else they gave me a 6 month visa to get in...Then pointed my Mum in the right direction to apply for residency. The US Embassy would only help in the way that it was not affecting my US status...lol.

After all the paperwork and application I was granted residency, given a NIN and bimbled along....Until my entry to the States...OMG. I have a British accent and was told by the passport stamper guy ' You don't sound American, are you sure you are?' I said ' yes' and he went on to ask if I knew who my father was! i didn't help myself much by replying ' yes-do you?'.

Needless to say i was given that 'special' kind of treatment at immigration that day and learned the hard way to just answer questions and keep my mouth shut otherwise.

Edited January 2, 2011 by tmma

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

musta taken the wrong exit on the jersey turnpike.

Education is illegal in some parts of W. Virginia and you can get arrested for DWI. Driving While Intelligent, also known as "Thinking and Driving"

Open containers of books are not allowed in vehicles.

[tmma 467]

West Virginia is awesome!

My Dad retired there and seriously the whitewater rafting, skiing, hiking, trailriding, hunting is great.

i found the ski resort there ( the one I was at) rivaled those in Europe and some here too.

edit-My dad says the taxation there is really high, though.

Edited January 2, 2011 by tmma

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

West Virginia is awesome!

My Dad retired there and seriously the whitewater rafting, skiing, hiking, trailriding, hunting is great.

i found the ski resort there ( the one I was at) rivaled those in Europe and some here too.

edit-My dad says the taxation there is really high, though.

Places with poor education are often good places to retire. I never W. Virginia wasn't a good place to NOT work or NOT get educated. Definitely a good place to live if you do not need to work or educate children.

FWIW, Europeans come to the ski resorts in Vermont. The Von Trapp family (The Sound of Music) fled Nazi Austria and moved to Vermont. You can stay at their home which is now a lodge and ski at Stowe/Smugglers Notch. The youngest of the Von Trapp family children just recently died. They never moved back to Austria. They preferred the skiing here.