immigration

[tweaker]

I know it's tough for UK citizens to immigrate to the US and all the documents needed, but WHY? I don't mean all the forms etc.. to fill - just the explanation.

Is there still some - old - beef with the UK since the war of independence? Or we (as a country) are extremely well off and seen as we don't need to move?

[dzug2]

It's a question of balance more than anything - overall the US does not wish to be seen as favouring one country more than others.

The reason for UK citizens not being able to participate in the green card lottery is that enough of us manage to immigrate by other legitimate means - so it can't be as tough as all that.


What is difficult is for unskilled brits to settle in the US - the quota (if you can call it that) is taken up by the skilled and those who have the right connections with US companies, leaving nothing for those without skills.

Whereas for somewhere like a central american country, which has few workers with scarce skills, the rest of the population do get a look in.

[ummmm]

A friend of mine went to America for a two week holiday.....That was over 12 years ago....!!

[jake-the-peg]

It depends on your circumstances. The company I work for was taken over by a US company and they jumped through a lot of hoops to try to get a number of us to resettle there.

I wasn't interested but some were. The company pretty much handled everything and did all the paperwork. Not all that hard if a US company wants you there

[tweaker]

dzug2

thanks for that info.

The green card lottery (website) I - for example - ticked off the boxes for where my parents were born, both in the UK - and I didn't pass. However if my parents were born in Italy and an obscure African country I pass!

An American said to me once 'it's a pity there were not more good UK folk in the US, instead, immigration allow "Colombian drug lords" and the like in?

It seems a bit crazy to me...

[tweaker]

I could just go and stay, but I'd have constant paranoia of getting caught!