What is insane to me is that there are still Americans that think they live in a normal country. If I was an American I would crawl to Canada or Mexico.
Moving to another country is complicated and difficult even under normal, stable circumstances. Doing it successfully (not ending up broke and homeless with no support) requires a lot of planning and money, or else a lot of help from someone else.
Even if the other country is willing to let you immigrate, and you have good prospects for a regular income and a stable living situation, you have to leave friends and family behind. That means leaving your support system. If you have children that’s going to be very difficult. If you have aging parents that you support, or other family with medical issues, it may be impossible.
Really, the only people who think picking up and moving to another country is something you can just do are young, single, above the poverty line, and have no dependents.
And when the critical factor for being able to choose immigration over death/incarceration is money… Well, a lot of us simply don’t get a choice.
My engineer friend is halfway through the immigration process. Me? I have a solid 9 to 5 that I bust my ass at every day but I don’t have enough money for gas to get to the border, much less to immigrate.
I’ll never be an immigrant, and not by choice.
When the time comes, if I’m very VERY lucky, I might live long enough to become a refugee. That’s my only alternative to your alternative.
What is insane to me is that there are still Americans that think they live in a normal country. If I was an American I would crawl to Canada or Mexico.
Moving to another country is complicated and difficult even under normal, stable circumstances. Doing it successfully (not ending up broke and homeless with no support) requires a lot of planning and money, or else a lot of help from someone else.
Even if the other country is willing to let you immigrate, and you have good prospects for a regular income and a stable living situation, you have to leave friends and family behind. That means leaving your support system. If you have children that’s going to be very difficult. If you have aging parents that you support, or other family with medical issues, it may be impossible.
Really, the only people who think picking up and moving to another country is something you can just do are young, single, above the poverty line, and have no dependents.
The alternative is death or incarceration.
And when the critical factor for being able to choose immigration over death/incarceration is money… Well, a lot of us simply don’t get a choice.
My engineer friend is halfway through the immigration process. Me? I have a solid 9 to 5 that I bust my ass at every day but I don’t have enough money for gas to get to the border, much less to immigrate.
I’ll never be an immigrant, and not by choice.
When the time comes, if I’m very VERY lucky, I might live long enough to become a refugee. That’s my only alternative to your alternative.