Proposed Restrictions on Parents/Family Members

[c_mat 0]

For those of you who will be becoming citizens soon and would like to bring parents or adult children to the US in the future, please read "Proposed Restrictions on Parents" in the General Citizens Bringing Family Members to US forum. The new immigration bill that was approved by the Senate, while trying to resolve the illegal immigration problem, puts a severe cap on visas for parents, siblings and adult children of US citizens. The new guidelines put a greater emphasis on work/efficiency skills and English proficiency rather than on family ties. Based on the capping, parents and children may have to wait several years before they can get PR. What is more, if they do apply for PR, they maybe denied visit visas for that period until they have received the GC ( which could be greater than 5-10 years or more). For those of us, who think this is a serious concern, we cannot let the bill pas in the current form. My wife and I have already sent letters to Sentaor Kennedy, and several other people on the forum mentioned above are also doing so.

Just wanted to keep my friends on this forum updated as well.

Thanks,

c_mat

[John & Annie 0]

What you are not realizing is that your Family Members if competing for a job here in the US will have the advantage over some one who does not have ties to the US

[c_mat 0]

What you are not realizing is that your Family Members if competing for a job here in the US will have the advantage over some one who does not have ties to the US

But how could they compete if they are 60 or 70 years old and know minimal English? There's many such applicants who have parents in the above category.

[rebeccajo 14]

The bill hasn't passed yet, c mat. It's just on the floor.

[homesick_american 1]

I sort of hope it does...at least that way, my unholy mother-in-law won't have a prayer of following us to the USA.

That was a joke, BTW. I hope the bill doesn't pass, but I wouldn't mind never seeing my MIL again.

[Yodrak 7]

c_mat,

I have no problem with this change in emphasis.

I know a lot of immigrants - my present circle of friends and acquaintences is more immigrant that native born - and none of them necessarily want to be bring family members to the USA. Their immediate family is here, and they can visit their other family members back home as easily as I can visit my other family members on the opposite coast of the USA. (Which is not to say how easy it is, only that it's somewhat comparable.)

Nor do their families of the immigrants I know want to emmigrate to the USA. They are perfectly happy living in their own country. And I am not talking about 'rich, 1st-world' countries. They are suited to their own lifestyle, and recognize that they might not be suited to the American lifestyle. Happy to visit or be visited, but wouldn't want to live here.

True enough, though, close family ties are a key part of many cultures, and many families want to stay close. Which always causes me 2nd thoughts in such cases - why one member would want to break away, and then once they have broken away 'family reunification' suddenly becomes a major issue in their life. Is there a motive here somewhere to get one family member into the USA, and use that one to get the rest of the family here as well?

Yodrak

For those of you who will be becoming citizens soon and would like to bring parents or adult children to the US in the future, please read "Proposed Restrictions on Parents" in the General Citizens Bringing Family Members to US forum. The new immigration bill that was approved by the Senate, while trying to resolve the illegal immigration problem, puts a severe cap on visas for parents, siblings and adult children of US citizens. The new guidelines put a greater emphasis on work/efficiency skills and English proficiency rather than on family ties. Based on the capping, parents and children may have to wait several years before they can get PR. What is more, if they do apply for PR, they maybe denied visit visas for that period until they have received the GC ( which could be greater than 5-10 years or more). For those of us, who think this is a serious concern, we cannot let the bill pas in the current form. My wife and I have already sent letters to Sentaor Kennedy, and several other people on the forum mentioned above are also doing so.

Just wanted to keep my friends on this forum updated as well.

Thanks,

c_mat

[Yodrak 7]

c_mat,

It is a legitimate objective of immigration policy to bring in people who can benefit the country and keep out people who would be detrimental to or a drag on the country.

I think it's safe to say that this is something that is a part of all countries' immigration policy. What will vary from country to country are the definitions of 'desireable' and 'undesireable' immigrants. And I also think it's safe to say that even though this immigration bill would de-emphasize family-based immigration, the USA would remain among the countries where family re-unification is a significant aspect of immigration policy.

Yodrak

What you are not realizing is that your Family Members if competing for a job here in the US will have the advantage over some one who does not have ties to the US

But how could they compete if they are 60 or 70 years old and know minimal English? There's many such applicants who have parents in the above category.

[Jessi+Rich 0]

To me the parents visitor visa proposal (so they can visit their children in the US for longer stays) is as fair as it can be. My parents have their life solved in Peru, considering their age, I would like to have them spend spring and summer here with me. Mine is a very big family, I would not dare to take my parents away from them, that would be really sad.

Jess

[tom&tata 2]

Personally, my parents does not want to move from Indonesia. As Yodrak mentioned above, they are not rich but they live comfortably. Both are retired and fortunately have good medical benefit. More importantly, they have family and friends (very close friends who are more like family than friends) around them. My siblings are all living close to them (not all in Indonesia but close enough to see each other frequently). If it were up to me, I would want them to be able to visit us for extended time and the new extended visa for parents will probably the better choice.

[taco2 0]

I think a cap would be unfair to parents who are old, widowed and ill and canot live alone in home country.

[JaEnglishGirl 34]

But how could they compete if they are 60 or 70 years old and know minimal English? There's many such applicants who have parents in the above category.

That's the kind of immigrant the USA is probably wanting to keep out....Harsh as it sounds, what do thet have to offer the USA?

I think a cap would be unfair to parents who are old, widowed and ill and canot live alone in home country.

And why exactly should the USA worry about that???

[taco2 0]

It is not just about what immigrants can give US. It is about immigrants' family needs too.

But how could they compete if they are 60 or 70 years old and know minimal English? There's many such applicants who have parents in the above category.

That's the kind of immigrant the USA is probably wanting to keep out....Harsh as it sounds, what do thet have to offer the USA?

I think a cap would be unfair to parents who are old, widowed and ill and canot live alone in home country.

And why exactly should the USA worry about that???

[JaEnglishGirl 34]

It is not just about what immigrants can give US. It is about immigrants' family needs too.

The immigrants have already been the opportunity to come to the States. Why should the USA automatically allow them to bring everyone else too?

[Yodrak 7]

taco2,

Perhaps. But how many would really be in this narrow category?

In particular, how many would be truly alone, especially in countries where the culture is for extended families to take care of family members? Why does the task have to fall to the family member who has emigrated to the USA?

Yodrak

I think a cap would be unfair to parents who are old, widowed and ill and canot live alone in home country.

Edited May 27, 2007 by Yodrak

[BJZags 17]

Why does the task have to fall to the family member who has emigrated to the USA?

Simple. Because of the money-tree that grows in every US citizens backyard.