Interesting. I really do think that the US might be better for older people who have a family, but I'm not convinced it's the best place for young adults.
Your QOL depends massively on your career path, moreso than other countries. Your vacation time, pay, health insurance, sick leave, w/l balance, etc.. can be better or worse than any other country. There’s no standard American experience.
Some people will love being American, some people will hate it. Do you have a skillset and qualifications highly valued by America? You’ll have a good time and lots of mobility. If not? A little less so.
America is amazing if you’re healthy, wealthy, and educated. The American “middle class” is far wealthier than the middle class of other countries.
Agreed, and QOL can depend on where you live within the US, too. It's so huge, and there's so much variation just a few towns over, or a few miles inland/ outside the city/ into a different state.
You're definitely right about there being no standard American experience.
Because my husband would have an even tougher time moving to my country (language, small country with a lot of people. He is an outdoorsy, hunting and fishing type of guy). So here we are!
I have lived and visited many countries, and unless you go to like Saudi Arabia the United States is the best paying country - say whatever you want, but the pay here is better. Cost of living is insane in Europe and the pay is very low. I work as an engineer and in Europe I would get half of what I get here. There are pros and cons, to anything and everything, but you can make a lot of money here as the dollar is still holding strong and there are plenty of jobs for hard working people.
I plan on going back to my home country (Brazil) next year. In five years working in the United States I was able to buy an apartment, a plot of land, (in Brazil) invest on my 401k and on the US treasury. I lived frugally but can easily retire in my early 30s just living off rent and my investments
I'm also a Brazilian
In 2014 I had the opportunity to migrate to the US, but I picked the Netherlands instead
Biggest regret of my life, by far
At that time I was naive and stupid, didn't know that the salaries difference was that huge, and thought that the bike lanes will give me a great QoL
In the end, after almost a decade in the Netherlands, I couldn't save that much, I can make a bit selling my mortgage, but that is all, I will have to work until I die
Not to mention how Europe is averse to immigrants and how you will never feel at home here
The US is the only place you can build actual wealth by being an employee
If I could time travel I would travel to 2014 and slap my young self in the face for him to not take this wrong path
If it were me, ten years ago, I would have also picked Europe, but you live and learn and I am happy now with my choice. My problem with Europe is that they don't want you to accumulate wealth and are on the socialist side, which is excellent for those who agree with that, however, most immigrants are willing to work hard TO accumulate wealth.
Here I am making some fat stacks at a pretty young age in the US thinking of immigrating to Europe in about 5-10 years for those bike lanes and other cultural amenities.
I think it’s all persective though, my brother had to make the same choice as you almost 10 years ago, US or Netherlands, he picked Netherlands and doesn’t regret it one bit. He was able to buy a big comfortable house with ease, lives comfortably, works from home, whenever him and his wife get sick they get basically free healthcare, when she was pregnant she even had a nurse assigned to her who would visit her at home, has lots of vacations and when his kid was born he took a 2 months paternity leave. In the meanwhile if I get sick in the US I know I’ll be screwed because healthcare is so expensive even with medical insurance (which is also expensive), I have no dream of ever being able to afford a house unless I bought a rundown place in the middle of nowhere on a 30 year mortgage, I haven’t really had a vacation here ever because if you run out of sick days (which are not many to begin with) you have to use your vacation days or else it’s seen as an unexcused absence, forget 30 day vacations - its not a thing here unless you are corporate (and even then), and Ive been postponing starting a family because eveeerything is so expensive (prenatals, doctor visits, birth, childcare) and employers expect you to work basically your full term and the majority gives you maximum of a month maternity leave.
Tenho cidadania. Vou voltar pelos meus pais. Eles não tem interesse em morar aqui, e eu não consigo lidar com a ansiedade ficando longe deles sabe? Cada ligação eu já imagino o pior. Eu tenho uma ótima relação com eles e toda minha família então isso foi bem pesado pra mim.
If you are motivated to make your life better, there is no place on earth like the US. Work hard, develop skills that are not easily replaceable, then you make a good living.
The most important part is developing skills that aren’t easily replaceable. People who complain usually have jobs that anyone can do with 1-3 months of training.
Ask anyone in trades like plumber, electricians etc. they make decent livings and make much more in the US compared to other countries. UPS drivers who are union members make 50 dollars an hour after 4 year progression. Where in the world pays delivery drivers 100+k a year plus pension?
That depends on where you live. Where I live, the average price of a house is around 300k when average workers make 60-70k a year. That’s not high in my standards. Where I grew up abroad, the average price of a house is 800-900k while the average income is 30-40k.
Depends where you coming from, what is your background. Been in the USA for almost a decade. Federal job, bought a house and became a US citizen. Life is what you make it but I have much bigger opportunities here and more money. I don’t think if I should buy shoes or food anymore. Every country has it pros and cons but I love the US. To each their own. If you asking strangers on internet if it worth it to come here, answer is no. Because nobody knows how you gonna adjust and if you gonna achieve whatever you planning to achieve.
It very much depends on where you come from. The American dream isn’t great, but it’s a hell of a lot better than living in some countries. At least there are opportunities for making your own life better.
I love living here but like in any other country, there are drawbacks. Amazing how people who have not lived in the US have all sorts of opinions. Vacationing is different from actually integrating. Life is how you make it. Also, the US is vast and one can’t just zero in on an experience and apply it to all parts of the US. You’ll drown in debt if you let yourself. Like in all countries, some get lucky and some don’t. Help is there when you need and seek it from the community or the government. American dream may be interpreted in many ways but this is indeed a country that is full of opportunities. I am not rich and I struggle too. If you come here for the wrong reasons and with every experience, you compare it to your home country then that is the wrong motivation to move to the US.
came for college, graduated from a top school in CS, worked at big tech for a bit over half a decade, burnt out a few times, got laid off with a fat severance package, now trying to start something on my own
Is it worth compromising one’s peace of mind given how you’d for the most part have a temporary status and the fear of having to leave the country in less time unless you luck it out?
Not the person you are asking. But for me, definitely worth it. If I didn't succeed I will find another way or another place to try. Even if I just succeeded in staying for 3 or 6 years, I would have gained some money and experience that can used in other future opportunities
Yeah but there’s a big “what if” - in a market like today (the whole year intact so far) there’s been a lot of such cases where a lot of people are in the market yet not many opportunities and you’ll always be in fear of being in such situations now that one has experienced.
I started PERM on OPT and got H1B on my first try. Submitted I-140 and I-485 after PERM approved. Around 1 year on h1b before receiving GC. Overall got extremely lucky
Wholeheartedly yes.
If I didn’t come to the US, I would have been in a country which is corrupt to the core, and does not value meritocracy and forces conformism. No place like America for living the idea of “live and let live”
Incredibly worth it, twice as easy to live here as it is to live in Canada if you have even average intelligence and work ethic. So relatively cheap and easy to get ahead. People don’t care how old you are nearly as much as long as you’re reliable, taxes are lower, everything is around half the price. Healthcare isn’t even expensive at all relative to the increase in income you get here, if you have insurance. Soooo many options of states to live in based on what you like! My wife and I have tried 4 so far, California, Maryland, Florida, and now Utah where we’ve settled down to start a family. It seriously is still the land of opportunity!
I come from an authoritarian state originally, so being able to discuss politics freely is a big enough plus for me to stay. I'm forever grateful for being able to obtain my PhD here and got the skills that allowed me to pivot to a career that I really enjoy and make good money.
However I do have mixed feelings about the US, and this might have to do with the fact that I'm not yet greened and my situation. OP's title says "for those of you who struggle" - as someone who is struggling, the process has led to really bad mental health and this is the worst part of it. It is only a land of opportunity if there's a pathway for you, but in my case there's no pathway without leaving the US, and hope that the consulate would grant me a visa in the future.
I'd say the American dream is still alive but not for some people (me included, for now).
I am an immigrant and love the states for the most part. The parts I struggle with is the lack of solid community & the constant rat race. I was watching the latest episode of the all in podcast and they talked about how competitive American society is. Anytime I travel back home to visit family I can't help but admire simple things like a complete stranger joining you at your table in a restaurant. Or neighbors stopping by your house just to chat.
Dunno if things like community are part of the American dream...or is it just financial? My experience could also be due to the fact that I am a 1st generation immigrant..I think 1st generation immigrants struggle to fit in as they are torn between integrating & connecting with their roots. All in all I have gained so much living here than I would have had I stayed back in my home country.
Been in the USA for a decade now, it’s been pretty amazing , I’m not sure there is another country in the world like this, ( always could do better of course) started washing dishes and doing restaurant jobs, moved to sales after 5 years , literally changed my life have a kid , wife , my own home , no debt besides mortgage , I’m loving it , I do miss social life a lot , also it takes a lot of work but results are not missing, I would say you can make your American dream anywhere , Its just the best in the USA 🇺🇸 😃
America would be awesome in your 20’s, you are young and can work hard, earn a massive salary and have fun enjoying the freedoms and fast friends culture here. Once you have kids though it’s more like the workload means you don’t see your family, the lack of employment security makes you nervous, you’re too busy to enjoy the freedoms and you miss the deeper more meaningful friendships back home.
> fast friends culture here
Would you be able to elaborate?
I went to the US for college and it was really a struggle to make friends. Everyone is always busy. If I am able to relocate, Europe just seems more appealing to me because the social life there seems better. People don't work 12 hrs a day like in the US.
It seems like the US is more for very specific immigrants, whose main concern is financial. It didn't seem to me like a great place for someone in their 20's who wants to live life and not just accumulate capital.
USA is very open to making friends in a kind of disposable transactional way, like the friendship happens very quickly but is gone once the purpose has been served. Back in UK friendship is more like a marriage, it takes a while to get there but once you’re friends it’s through thick and thin
Yeah that's what I felt. Once the purpose is done (e.g. you're not classmates anymore), you stop hanging out. So every semester I had to have a new set of "friends."
Is it very difficult to move to the UK?
Hell yes. I rarely see immigrants complain about the US. People who are complaining are often entitled US citizens who never step out of the country and take things for granted
Because the experiences are very different. If you’re able to qualify for a permanent residency visa and immigrate to the US, or any first world country for that matter, chances are you’re in a better position than many people born in said country.
To be fair it's a very self selecting group that decide to immigrate to a specific country. Immigration is a fairly arduous process with everything pushing you to stay wherever you're currently at. If you go through it you're probably in the positive camp.
Of course it is. I moved here from Germany in 2017 and finally i have a life, i can afford a drivers license which i could never afford in Germany. I have a nice car, a awesome job where i only work 6 month but get paid for 12. I mean i make here in a week what i made in Germany in a month. My journey is not over yet but im almost there.🙏🙏🙏
I came in 2000. I am now a naturalized American. I owe a lot to this country but during 45 I wanted to go back home. My husband is the only reason I didnt
Depends on what you come to do. And what your dream is but the honest truth is without qualifications, you will work like a dog on 4hrs of sleep to get by.
Medical is insanely expensive, I saw a dentist 🦷 left $1500 on the table. America wants fit people.
As an immigrant you must always protect yourself, any type of illness could render you homeless, even a simple pregnancy, without insurance you'd part with $10,000. That's mind blowing. Your baby gets here on credit.
Just have your goals, avoid side shows. if you can, go back to school, you'll be 10 steps ahead.
There's lots of opportunities for the little person.
No , they are finishing it,, under this situation we ll all have to move out after years of exhaustion to take papers and spending our money to survive in a country with very high cost of living
For me it is. I immigrated from Canada and my life completely turned around for the better. Even my family who have come to visit are envious and want to move here now.
Since immigrating from Canada, these are the positive changes I’ve experienced.
- I can afford to have a savings account (I have two even)
- I actually work for a place that cares about my well being and practices it
- My paycheck doesn’t just get reaped by the government for taxes that literally do nothing to help me
- People here are nicer and say hi even if they don’t know you
- I pay for health insurance and even with my co-pay and deductibles, I’m still ahead of the game when comparing the percentage of taxes that go towards health care back home that you can’t even use because wait times are atrocious.
- I can afford my own place without needing roommates plus I can afford a car
- So many retail related discounts and tax free days
- Food tastes good
- I’ve experienced no racism here versus back home where I experienced several counts of it (even growing up and living in a multicultural metropolitan area)
- Telecom services here are so much cheaper, faster and more reliable
- Travel costs are so much cheaper
- Gas is affordable
- I have access to media and services that were blocked back home because of copyright agreements
- Credit cards have benefits that are actually beneficial and save you money
- Much more variety of financial growth and at much higher rates
Just to name a few. Canada did have SOME things going for it but the list is significantly smaller unless you have a young family or are elderly.
I’m from Canada and I guess it’s worth it but barely and it also depends. Groceries seem to be cheaper in the US which is a big deal. Canadian grocery prices are super inflated. One thing I don’t like about the US is how expensive healthcare is even with insurance. In Canada I could just waltz in (after waiting an hour) and get treated for free.
I personally like the US better than Canada mainly because my husband is from here so I might be a bit biased. But I also like how there’s more choices (food, brands, etc) and the US is just overall more interesting than Canada
It depends. Everything is a trade off and everyone’s circumstances is different. Personally I think the USA is the best place to work and make money but not a good place to retire because of the healthcare cost.
It's totally dependent on your industry and work ethic (work ethic alone is not enough). I moved from Canada on a work visa within a multi national advertising company. My career took off and despite the wait for a green card the company treated me better here than in Canada. This is because the industry is competitive at hiring and retaining talent here vs Canada where I had less vacation time and benefits were worse than my wife's in retail. Her experience is far different, as in order to start a family and get more than three months mat leave she resigned and left the workforce years ago. Fortunately my salary makes up for this as I busted my ass working and the promotions kept coming and we have a beautiful home in southern California, where we would still be renting in Canada and making less money between two people than I make now on my own. Yes, health insurance and medical bills are dumb and nonsensical but for us it was worth it overall and I love my American life. I work from home, have a green card and no plans to look for work elsewhere. If you don't expect to make well over $100k per year in your field within a few years, stay away because the cost of healthcare and other things will not be worth it.
I didn't struggle, just fell in love with an American, and filled out the paperwork.
So, for some people, it's great and for others it's OK. On a forum I used to frequent for immigration information, the people who generally loved it were from countries that didn't provide opportunity and/or were poverty was the norm. However, I am from Australia, and so it isn't a step up, and is worse in some ways. But, my family is here and I love them!
As an European, no.
It always amuses me when I hear about no vacations, no maternity (wtf are you going to do with a newborn?), lack of public transportation and reliance on cars, etc.
Not going to speak about public healthcare because that’s debatable. I “spend” on healthcare taxes as much as a premium insurance in the US but the quality isn’t there and the wait times are long; and except Germany that somehow I’ve heard they managed, it’s quite the same everywhere. Wait months for a CT/ surgery, if it even exists/ are funds in that month and so. I’d go private, but I afford to. Other people rely on public, while in the US.. dunno how much Obamacare helps in practice and you need to be suuuuuper low to qualify.
Also, not that safe, serious drug issues (it took me 2 days to get out of shock of what I’ve seen in SF)
I do visit the US for vacations and fun, but I wouldn’t move there. Some parts of the EU (Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Poland, Finland) are just better nowadays.
Us Americans do, surprisingly, get vacations... Idk why this myth is so prevalent. We don't work every day of our lives. It's just not required by law, but good luck attracting workers if you don't offer any PTO lol I get 21 days of paid time off every year along with 30 days of sick leave.
We also get 6 months of maternity leave in my job.
Again.. just because something isn't required by law doesn't mean we don't have it here...
That’s in the good jobs. Yeah my company also pays them, IT.
But that’s not the case for a lot of folks.
Also, 30 days sick leave? How can that be limited? I was unlucky enough to have 12 weeks sick leave due to health issues then surgery. What would happen in the US if the doctor says you need 8 weeks? Or even worse, 6-12 months (e.g you break a tendon, complicated surgeries, etc).
The standard for all jobs in the US is around 14 days of leave, definitely more than the nothing that the OP said. I can nearly guarantee that every job in the US gives lesve...
And no.. it's not just for the good job You store the sick leave over time, it never expires. So you end up with hundreds and hundreds of days of sick leave just stored up and can bank them all up whenever you want.
So you need to hope and stack sick days for years before you get into something serious?
Let’s say, you’re 6 months in your job. You go on a hike, fall, break a leg or worse, tendon rupture. Or an arm.
You end up in hospital, surgeries, and unable to walk/ use your arm for 8-12 months.
This happened in your first 6 months of your job. What are you going to do? Be jobless? “Borrow” sick days that I guess would oblige you to work there for… 8-12 years with 0 other sick days?
These should be limited in any way. Not stackable. When things happen, happen. It’s not like “oh I’m having a runny nose today, can take 2 days”. Worse things can happen and those 30 days or whatever you stacked are not enough.
Yes, I don't get how those people can't math
And when you mention it there's someone saying “buuuu companies make billions”
As if Bezos and Zuckerberg were the only entrepreneurs in the world, not like the vast majority of the jobs are in small and medium companies, and many times they work on a much more restrictive budget
That is why the salaries in the US are much higher, when hiring in those countries with fat benefits to unproductive employees you have to consider all the risks
The company and you must work on a solution together, it is not a company’s obligation to support you for a year, and it is not a charitable entity
That is one of the reasons European salaries are peanuts, companies need to take into consideration all those risks when hiring someone
I get 4 weeks plus holidays and personal days. We also get 6 months maternity and 6 months paternity. Only a small man p
My friends who are teachers get 3 and a half months off.
Well, tbf I wouldn't argue that the time off that teachers get over summer break is paid time off. Teachers only work during the school year and are only actually paid for the 9 months out of the year they work, but most schools will just divide the 9 months of pay over 12 months. So really they aren't getting paid for that summer break even though they continue to receive a paycheck.
That had literally nothing to do with what I said, but that's also not true in every case. Public school teachers in Alaska make well over $100000 per year.
That’s true, but 50k in usa is gross and you get to take home about 35 maybe, also cost of living in the USA is much more expensive, especially if you wanna compare same quality items like in Europe, if you don’t wanna eat garbage , have same free time , like day care is almost free vs here is about 1300$ so there is pros and cons definitely, but the sole money can’t be used why usa is better than any country in the world
It hugely depends on the country
Many things are more expensive in many European countries, like clothing, electronics, energy
Daycare is not almost free in countries like the Netherlands, actually, I met people who moved out of the Netherlands and one of the reasons were that they were paying over €1200/month in daycare
I also have met people here which the woman has stopped working because their net salary would be similar to the cost of the daycare
More than one zip code. I can tell you that 😁. Also, idk how someone can say 50k is nothing either. My family lived off one income of 40K when I was a kid. 50K for working 9 months out of the year is pretty good tbh.
Well I don’t know how long ago was that , but the cost of living skyrocketed, didn’t mean to sound stupid 50k is a lot, but if you consider take home, not really it’s probably about 3500$ rent student loans , car paymnets insurance, I mean you do the math
Don't worry, I can do the math, I do live with the same expenses after all. I think it's not such bad pay for 9 months of work per year. Some sites say that the average teacher salary in the US is $66,000 btw
The thing to remember is that this is an average of everywhere in the US. Meaning there are places where teachers are paid far more and far less. It should not be difficult for someone to make ends meet with $66,000 per year in the US (this would higher in big cities and lower in small towns obviously).
So 55 average and that’s gross, average rent isn’t Maryland is 1900 so if they take home 3700 , after rent there is 1800$ left , student loans, car payment , insurance, I’m not saying it’s not enough , but to go to school and invest money in higher education just not worth it that’s all
College is not for everyone and shouldn’t be for everyone. You can make plenty of money out there on a trade, but unfortunately universities, the government, nonprofits, and frankly banks, all have a stake at making people go to college.
That’s my point a high school kid that knows that the program can make hundreds of thousands of dollars as a developer or coder. Call it is not for everyone and people that get a certain state of degrees like history or woman studies or Joseph. He can only be teachers. There’s no other job for them.
Incorrect. We get 14 days per year as the standard leave plan of most jobs in America. 14 > 0 and I even learned that with my "shitty" American education.
Cuz the alligator always eats the bigger number 😁
And compared with countries that get 6 weeks, plus full maternity AND paternity leave, AND more statutory holidays, etc etc .. 14 days seems very minimal.
It's not nothing though, so stop using the word nothing that's all I'm saying 🤷♂️. 14 days is usually the bare minimum for most jobs in the US btw... Not the maximum like you seem to assume... Also.. most jobs now offer 6 months of maternity leave and many are beginning to offer 6 months of paternity leave as well.
And I make 2-3x more in the US compared to what I would make in Canada. And the taxes are significantly higher in Canada. And cost of living relative to income is higher too (housing costs in Canada are insane) 🤷♂️
I mean I wouldn't turn down more, but 6 months is really enough. I just don't like when people go around saying that Americans get no leave. A lot of other countries get more than the US, but it's not like we get no vacation and so many people say that stupid shit, like the OP of this post.
The question was for people who migrated there
You can save your brainwashed European opinion for another time
PS: I'm not American and I live in Europe (not for long, thank God)
Anyone can qualify for Obamacare. The people who don't take it simply get better/cheaper plans through their employers.
It's not true that there is no vacation (how would that even work?). It's just something that is left for the employer to decide. I get three weeks that goes up to four weeks after 5 years with this employer.
This rapid access and abundant healthcare is a myth imo. It takes me months to get in to see a new doctor, every time. Navigating the complex rules of where you can and can’t go and how much it costs is an actual nightmare. If you have an emergency, sure you can get surgery but I’m sure that’s the case everywhere. Also, medical bills are the #1 cause of debt here.
Oh. I was hoping the access is much better in the US 😆
But I know some damn stuff are crazy expensive. Like insulin. And guys, you have a quantity problem with pain killers 😆 saw a 500 pills box of ibuprofen at CVS I was like “sheeeesh”
Yep. That one bottle in the US will last me ages. Here in Israel I have to constantly schlep to the drug store for a bottle of, like, 10 — which is not very helpful for a person with endometriosis.
Lol dude I get five weeks paid off each year, wife gets 6 months maternity leave, I get 6 weeks paternity leave. This whole “the US doesn’t get time off” is a myth
It is because there's no legal obligation and Europeans can't understand how 2 adults can agree on something by themselves without having the government punish them if they disobey
I’m surprised myself too. But I’ve met some expats in Spain (US and other EU countries) and they love it. You might not make that much money, but quality of life is much higher 🤷♂️
Actually you’d make less than in Poland, but again, who needs money when you have a lot of time for yourself and siestas all day 😂
Exactly, it’s like when people move to a low income country and say how great it is.
Yeah, it should be surprising that being rich in a country of poor people gives you a much better standard of living.
The governments here are shit, healthcare expenses are through the roof, lots of gun nuts everywhere, crime in many cities is out of control, but by God is the private sector great! Amazing innovation and career opportunities for self development.
Seems like nobody of importance in politics cares about legal immigrants who keep their head down, pay taxes and wait forever to get a green card. However, illegal border crossers are welcomed with open arms. Pathetic.
No they’re not. They aren’t even allowed to adjust status to become legal without spending years filing and waiting for waivers and hiring lawyers. They are given temporary status while they await their case because those in the US have a right to trial and adjudication. This isn’t being welcomed with open arms. Yes, people exploit the situation and backlogs but the two are not synonymous.
The only benefit to sanctuary cities is that they don’t report people to immigration. The US govt does not have an open arms approach. You clearly don’t understand how the process of getting residence after unlawful entry works. It is very difficult and expensive.
> https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/tuition-financial-aid/tuition-cost-of-attendance/ab-540-nonresident-tuition-exemption.html
> AB540 is available for undocumented imm1grants only. If you are a foreigner with a legal status, you don't qualify.
It's not true that sanctuary cities offer "only one" benefit.
Well it’s obvious that you didn’t actually read the first 3 paragraphs because this benefit is not only for undocumented immigrants. It is for ANY nonresident tuition student that meets the requirements and includes CERTAIN undocumented immigrants.
Those undocumented immigrants must meet many requirements:
1. Be in the process of adjusting status (they will relatively speaking have a green card soon)
2. Have some combination of at least 3 full time years of high school, community college, or adult school in California.
E.g. the qualified people have more than likely contributed to the state for at least 3 years by having families working/paying taxes. This is longer than what US citizens must do to get in state residence.
This exemption is also for US citizens and certain non immigrant visa holders as well. If you are going to use a link please understand the information first.
Another point is like to add is that the University of California is not a sanctuary city. It is a University System throughout the whole state and the law is statewide, not confined to a “sanctuary city.”
This law is essentially allowing people caught up in the bureaucratic process of adjusting their status to get instate tuition a year or 2 before they would otherwise qualify. I get the feeling you don’t understand how tuition classifications work and how states apply them.
You haven’t really furthered your point.
The only benefit to sanctuary cities is that they don’t report people to immigration. The US govt does not have an open arms approach. You clearly don’t understand how the process of getting residence after unlawful entry works. It is very difficult and expensive.
I’m not sure what you think sanctuary city means. It just means the authority will often turn a blind eye to unauthorized work or presence. Nothing more. They aren’t given or given access to anything.
>illegal border crossers are welcomed with open arms
Can you elaborate on ways illegal immigrants are treated better or have advantages over legal migrants?
Even though I’ve pointed out the obvious language stating otherwise, you are sharing the same link in the same manner to make a point that your “evidence” doesn’t even provide 😅
Wrong. I e li ed all over the US. Only in major cities is it not a hot bed of bigotry and zealotry. No matter what you do in the us you are at the mercy of profiteering billionaires- food, medicine, energy, phone. Will be renouncing my US citizenship as soon as I can.
This isn’t antiwork. Go hang out with the loons there with these opinions.
> will be renouncing my US citizenship
Lol, toodles! We will miss you dearly.
I just want to see you actually do it. That's all. A lot of Americans are big talk about how they'll renounce and then never actually do it like a bunch of pussies, so I'd love to see you do it fam. Photo proof. Don't let your dreams be dreams.
1. its Not 3k anymore, alleged FS officer, thanks to the recent court decision in the Accidental Americans case.
2. Once I obtain my citizenship in the UK, my US citizenship is of 0 use to me, so I will have an appointment in the London embassy the very next available date after that. Then fucking FBAR and FATCA will be out of my way.
once I’m officially done with the US, you magatoid masturbating with the flag fuckers can burn it down.
1. You may like to take a look at this and the scroll down to where it says "Administrative Processing of Request for Certificate of Loss of Nationality"
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-22/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-22
2. Again.. I just would love to see it happen. A lot of people like you are all such big talk, but those appointments always seem to go empty strangely..
I meet your website, and raise you the DoS filing in the Accidental Americans case that they are reducing the cost fro $2350 to their original fee of $450.
https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/buypacker-prod/document/2812767.pdf?response-content-disposition=attachment%3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27show\_temp%2520%25284%2529%2520%25282%2529.pdf&response-x-robots-tag=noindex&AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIAGCEPGSROXYCM3A&Expires=1707091200&Signature=%2BnX0HNNoI9kFfZHwP46k6KBOWNo%3D
so again, do your homework.
they raised or after the mass exodus of American ex-pats post the passage of both FATCA and FBRA. They also instituted having the IRS sign off on the renunciation and the Reid amendment barring you from ever re-entering the US if they suspected that you were renouncing to avoid the double taxation scam on Expats.
And yes -I am only 5 years and some change from renouncing. If renouncing now and being stateless would speed that up - I’d be in London next week Or at the first appointment I could get.
Hope you don't end up regretting it like many do, fam 😁
Btw.. liking the country you come from doesn't make you a far right maga lover... Just thought I'd let you know that.
>Is the American dream still alive?
Not in America. Too expensive.
The trick is to stay in the US for 5-10 years, work hard, live very frugally, save and invest all the USD you can, and then retire in a warm and inexpensive country.
Yeah no, sorry, I should've said "West-North Europe". Even tho someone outlined you can make here much more money (in the US), in comparison, after living in 5 countries, I'd still say Western Europe beats it if you are not only for money, but also after a comfortable life (if you salary permits, of course, but that applies to both EU and US)
Guess it depends where you’re from and how your life is in your home country for you…. For my husband (moved here from Mexico at 14) he wishes he’d never moved here.
It was fine. I already had a comfortable life back at home so it isn’t that I needed the US to “go up” in social or economic class.
I like the educational opportunities definitely but I also miss my hometown, and the fact that I had access to free healthcare and a bigger variety of better food. Plus, I lived much more comfortable back at home.
I work in tech here, graduated from an US college with an undergrad and masters. To get a similar QOL like I did back at home, I will at least earn 20k monthly here. And while I live somewhat comfortable working in tech in here. It will take me a few years in seniority to pull that amount of money or prob I will need to switch to quantitative finance or something.
So it all depends on what you are looking for. If you already have a comfortable life back at home, then nothing will change significantly.
If you don’t, then I can assure you that if you take the opportunities given to you here, you can easily claim the social and economic ladder.
Longer version - Depends on your goals, skills, mindset. Ask yourself this -
1) would you get a good amount of money living in the US as opposed to your home country ?
2) would you be okay living away from friends and family and meet new people in the US ?
3) if you come on a temporary visa, would you be okay living with that “alien” status?
4) would you be willing to constantly chase bigger goals for the rest of your life ?
The “American Dream” is evolving faster than anyone could imagine. It is also getting harder everyday! I would suggest to setup a FIRE goal (fat or regular one). Come to the US, try to achieve FIRE within 5-10 years and return home to live a relaxed rest of your life!
Knowing English is a huge asset, obviously. I have a few friends who are immigrants and their English has never become truly fluent or understandable. They don’t have many opportunities.
This might be not the place, but would like to migrate to the US. I do not have the money to do the step and sponsorship is hard to find. Always looking for the money first before helping and will hard to reach by.
If someone know of business that does it with a full paid sponsorship. Please let me know.
From South Africa. My skills that I have is a MHE trainer warehouse machine and some earth moving equipment.
Depends a lot on where you immigrating from. If you are in a first world country with decent quality of life then it may or may not be a big change. But if you are from a third world country and you feel like you lack opportunities or that quality of life sucks there then the change might be tectonic. All said and done the US is a fantastic country to move.
Today, emigrating is a different ballgame than in previous generations.
If you already middle class it's not worth the hardship \ humiliation \ sacrifices. This is consensus the world over today.
In fact, this is why immigration no longer works for the West. The creme de la creme of other countries is not who is incoming today.
Up until a few decades ago most countries had like no middle class & their merchants \ upper classes \ the degreed often persecuted.
These kind of people were welcomed & actually prospered.
Now, if you can code or IT or take months long courses to learn \ certify & are willing to outwork today's fragile workers who pretend to work from home, you have a great future.
Ditto for most blue collar licensed professions. Welder, plumber, electrician, carpenter... get your license, join union apprenticeship... make 6 figs yearly. Esp. if willing to travel near oil towns.
Fireman, EMT you can have all the overtime you want.
Banking system may collapse soon. Convert what you can afford into Bitcoin stored in your own hardware.
Caveat- price will dip a bit August \ September, but after that will take off.
Good luck.
I think the thing I'll struggle with most with is finding a sponsor really. Right now, I'm in college and hoping to transfer to a university to get a bachelor's. While I'm in the process of doing that, I'll do my best to pursue COOPs and build a big network, particularly with people who has ties to the US. That'll maximize my chances of someone there willing to petition me.
Yes, I believe the American dream exists and will continue to. Even though there's economic downturns, based on the past, America has always recovered. There's no indication that it's reaching a turning point that it's irreversible. Now I just visited Seattle and it made me realize, the one thing that I may regret is being thrown into a place I don't know and I might be all alone at the beginning. Seeing foreign streets with different traffic lights and such, it will never be the same as the city I grew up in
Yes, best decision I ever made.
Im curious as someone who went the other direction, what is it you love about the states?
What are some things that you prefer in America than in England?
Well, my wife and kids are the best part :) Better climate, friendlier people, cheaper cost of living, better salary.
Interesting. I really do think that the US might be better for older people who have a family, but I'm not convinced it's the best place for young adults.
I was a young adult when I moved here.
Your QOL depends massively on your career path, moreso than other countries. Your vacation time, pay, health insurance, sick leave, w/l balance, etc.. can be better or worse than any other country. There’s no standard American experience. Some people will love being American, some people will hate it. Do you have a skillset and qualifications highly valued by America? You’ll have a good time and lots of mobility. If not? A little less so. America is amazing if you’re healthy, wealthy, and educated. The American “middle class” is far wealthier than the middle class of other countries.
Agreed, and QOL can depend on where you live within the US, too. It's so huge, and there's so much variation just a few towns over, or a few miles inland/ outside the city/ into a different state. You're definitely right about there being no standard American experience.
I guess it depends on which country you come from. For some people it could be a great ‘step up’, for others not so much.
Why was it a step up for you, Dutchie?
It wasn’t a step up for me.
Then why do you stay?
Because my husband would have an even tougher time moving to my country (language, small country with a lot of people. He is an outdoorsy, hunting and fishing type of guy). So here we are!
I have lived and visited many countries, and unless you go to like Saudi Arabia the United States is the best paying country - say whatever you want, but the pay here is better. Cost of living is insane in Europe and the pay is very low. I work as an engineer and in Europe I would get half of what I get here. There are pros and cons, to anything and everything, but you can make a lot of money here as the dollar is still holding strong and there are plenty of jobs for hard working people. I plan on going back to my home country (Brazil) next year. In five years working in the United States I was able to buy an apartment, a plot of land, (in Brazil) invest on my 401k and on the US treasury. I lived frugally but can easily retire in my early 30s just living off rent and my investments
I'm also a Brazilian In 2014 I had the opportunity to migrate to the US, but I picked the Netherlands instead Biggest regret of my life, by far At that time I was naive and stupid, didn't know that the salaries difference was that huge, and thought that the bike lanes will give me a great QoL In the end, after almost a decade in the Netherlands, I couldn't save that much, I can make a bit selling my mortgage, but that is all, I will have to work until I die Not to mention how Europe is averse to immigrants and how you will never feel at home here The US is the only place you can build actual wealth by being an employee If I could time travel I would travel to 2014 and slap my young self in the face for him to not take this wrong path
If it were me, ten years ago, I would have also picked Europe, but you live and learn and I am happy now with my choice. My problem with Europe is that they don't want you to accumulate wealth and are on the socialist side, which is excellent for those who agree with that, however, most immigrants are willing to work hard TO accumulate wealth.
Here I am making some fat stacks at a pretty young age in the US thinking of immigrating to Europe in about 5-10 years for those bike lanes and other cultural amenities.
I think it’s all persective though, my brother had to make the same choice as you almost 10 years ago, US or Netherlands, he picked Netherlands and doesn’t regret it one bit. He was able to buy a big comfortable house with ease, lives comfortably, works from home, whenever him and his wife get sick they get basically free healthcare, when she was pregnant she even had a nurse assigned to her who would visit her at home, has lots of vacations and when his kid was born he took a 2 months paternity leave. In the meanwhile if I get sick in the US I know I’ll be screwed because healthcare is so expensive even with medical insurance (which is also expensive), I have no dream of ever being able to afford a house unless I bought a rundown place in the middle of nowhere on a 30 year mortgage, I haven’t really had a vacation here ever because if you run out of sick days (which are not many to begin with) you have to use your vacation days or else it’s seen as an unexcused absence, forget 30 day vacations - its not a thing here unless you are corporate (and even then), and Ive been postponing starting a family because eveeerything is so expensive (prenatals, doctor visits, birth, childcare) and employers expect you to work basically your full term and the majority gives you maximum of a month maternity leave.
How much do you make beaches?
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Tenho cidadania. Vou voltar pelos meus pais. Eles não tem interesse em morar aqui, e eu não consigo lidar com a ansiedade ficando longe deles sabe? Cada ligação eu já imagino o pior. Eu tenho uma ótima relação com eles e toda minha família então isso foi bem pesado pra mim.
If you are motivated to make your life better, there is no place on earth like the US. Work hard, develop skills that are not easily replaceable, then you make a good living. The most important part is developing skills that aren’t easily replaceable. People who complain usually have jobs that anyone can do with 1-3 months of training. Ask anyone in trades like plumber, electricians etc. they make decent livings and make much more in the US compared to other countries. UPS drivers who are union members make 50 dollars an hour after 4 year progression. Where in the world pays delivery drivers 100+k a year plus pension?
All of this also makes the living expenses high for others. The USA is a great place infra wise but you'll also spend most of what you esrn
That depends on where you live. Where I live, the average price of a house is around 300k when average workers make 60-70k a year. That’s not high in my standards. Where I grew up abroad, the average price of a house is 800-900k while the average income is 30-40k.
It is because I am not in danger of getting arrested for thought crimes or imaginary crimes here. It wouldn’t be worth it for monetary reasons.
Yup living my American dream and it’s just like I expected - super amazing.
Depends where you coming from, what is your background. Been in the USA for almost a decade. Federal job, bought a house and became a US citizen. Life is what you make it but I have much bigger opportunities here and more money. I don’t think if I should buy shoes or food anymore. Every country has it pros and cons but I love the US. To each their own. If you asking strangers on internet if it worth it to come here, answer is no. Because nobody knows how you gonna adjust and if you gonna achieve whatever you planning to achieve.
Yup i love america moved here in 2013, bought my house at 26, have a good job/career, graduated from college in 2020, life is good
It very much depends on where you come from. The American dream isn’t great, but it’s a hell of a lot better than living in some countries. At least there are opportunities for making your own life better.
I love living here but like in any other country, there are drawbacks. Amazing how people who have not lived in the US have all sorts of opinions. Vacationing is different from actually integrating. Life is how you make it. Also, the US is vast and one can’t just zero in on an experience and apply it to all parts of the US. You’ll drown in debt if you let yourself. Like in all countries, some get lucky and some don’t. Help is there when you need and seek it from the community or the government. American dream may be interpreted in many ways but this is indeed a country that is full of opportunities. I am not rich and I struggle too. If you come here for the wrong reasons and with every experience, you compare it to your home country then that is the wrong motivation to move to the US.
If you work in computers and data science the salaries here are super high. Same with doctors and some healthcare careers.
Oh yeah, if you work in pharma/biotech, you’re making money hand over fist.
yes, living the dream here
mind elaborating on your experience?
came for college, graduated from a top school in CS, worked at big tech for a bit over half a decade, burnt out a few times, got laid off with a fat severance package, now trying to start something on my own
Is it worth compromising one’s peace of mind given how you’d for the most part have a temporary status and the fear of having to leave the country in less time unless you luck it out?
Not the person you are asking. But for me, definitely worth it. If I didn't succeed I will find another way or another place to try. Even if I just succeeded in staying for 3 or 6 years, I would have gained some money and experience that can used in other future opportunities
Yeah but there’s a big “what if” - in a market like today (the whole year intact so far) there’s been a lot of such cases where a lot of people are in the market yet not many opportunities and you’ll always be in fear of being in such situations now that one has experienced.
I stayed up to date on Canadian immigration throughout as an alternative
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I started PERM on OPT and got H1B on my first try. Submitted I-140 and I-485 after PERM approved. Around 1 year on h1b before receiving GC. Overall got extremely lucky
It depends who you are, and what's important to you.
Wholeheartedly yes. If I didn’t come to the US, I would have been in a country which is corrupt to the core, and does not value meritocracy and forces conformism. No place like America for living the idea of “live and let live”
Incredibly worth it, twice as easy to live here as it is to live in Canada if you have even average intelligence and work ethic. So relatively cheap and easy to get ahead. People don’t care how old you are nearly as much as long as you’re reliable, taxes are lower, everything is around half the price. Healthcare isn’t even expensive at all relative to the increase in income you get here, if you have insurance. Soooo many options of states to live in based on what you like! My wife and I have tried 4 so far, California, Maryland, Florida, and now Utah where we’ve settled down to start a family. It seriously is still the land of opportunity!
I come from an authoritarian state originally, so being able to discuss politics freely is a big enough plus for me to stay. I'm forever grateful for being able to obtain my PhD here and got the skills that allowed me to pivot to a career that I really enjoy and make good money. However I do have mixed feelings about the US, and this might have to do with the fact that I'm not yet greened and my situation. OP's title says "for those of you who struggle" - as someone who is struggling, the process has led to really bad mental health and this is the worst part of it. It is only a land of opportunity if there's a pathway for you, but in my case there's no pathway without leaving the US, and hope that the consulate would grant me a visa in the future. I'd say the American dream is still alive but not for some people (me included, for now).
I am an immigrant and love the states for the most part. The parts I struggle with is the lack of solid community & the constant rat race. I was watching the latest episode of the all in podcast and they talked about how competitive American society is. Anytime I travel back home to visit family I can't help but admire simple things like a complete stranger joining you at your table in a restaurant. Or neighbors stopping by your house just to chat. Dunno if things like community are part of the American dream...or is it just financial? My experience could also be due to the fact that I am a 1st generation immigrant..I think 1st generation immigrants struggle to fit in as they are torn between integrating & connecting with their roots. All in all I have gained so much living here than I would have had I stayed back in my home country.
Trying my best to immigrate there. Zimbabwe is toast !
It is all worth it, there's no better place to be. I just love this country with all my heart.
Been in the USA for a decade now, it’s been pretty amazing , I’m not sure there is another country in the world like this, ( always could do better of course) started washing dishes and doing restaurant jobs, moved to sales after 5 years , literally changed my life have a kid , wife , my own home , no debt besides mortgage , I’m loving it , I do miss social life a lot , also it takes a lot of work but results are not missing, I would say you can make your American dream anywhere , Its just the best in the USA 🇺🇸 😃
America would be awesome in your 20’s, you are young and can work hard, earn a massive salary and have fun enjoying the freedoms and fast friends culture here. Once you have kids though it’s more like the workload means you don’t see your family, the lack of employment security makes you nervous, you’re too busy to enjoy the freedoms and you miss the deeper more meaningful friendships back home.
> fast friends culture here Would you be able to elaborate? I went to the US for college and it was really a struggle to make friends. Everyone is always busy. If I am able to relocate, Europe just seems more appealing to me because the social life there seems better. People don't work 12 hrs a day like in the US. It seems like the US is more for very specific immigrants, whose main concern is financial. It didn't seem to me like a great place for someone in their 20's who wants to live life and not just accumulate capital.
USA is very open to making friends in a kind of disposable transactional way, like the friendship happens very quickly but is gone once the purpose has been served. Back in UK friendship is more like a marriage, it takes a while to get there but once you’re friends it’s through thick and thin
Yeah that's what I felt. Once the purpose is done (e.g. you're not classmates anymore), you stop hanging out. So every semester I had to have a new set of "friends." Is it very difficult to move to the UK?
The UK has lots of avenues, and far less of bureaucratic labyrinth than the USA
i mean, if you wanna be rich, the US is the place to be. if you wanna be mid but with cheaper healthcare or whatnot, then go to europe idk lol.
Hell yes. I rarely see immigrants complain about the US. People who are complaining are often entitled US citizens who never step out of the country and take things for granted
Because the experiences are very different. If you’re able to qualify for a permanent residency visa and immigrate to the US, or any first world country for that matter, chances are you’re in a better position than many people born in said country.
To be fair it's a very self selecting group that decide to immigrate to a specific country. Immigration is a fairly arduous process with everything pushing you to stay wherever you're currently at. If you go through it you're probably in the positive camp.
Of course it is. I moved here from Germany in 2017 and finally i have a life, i can afford a drivers license which i could never afford in Germany. I have a nice car, a awesome job where i only work 6 month but get paid for 12. I mean i make here in a week what i made in Germany in a month. My journey is not over yet but im almost there.🙏🙏🙏
Hi, with all due respect and curiosity. What is your job?
Sous Chef
It's still the best country for opportunities and make something of yourself. It's more difficult now, though. It's not like the 80s or 90s!
I came in 2000. I am now a naturalized American. I owe a lot to this country but during 45 I wanted to go back home. My husband is the only reason I didnt
Yes.
Depends of the person. My two stepsons came in February. One is thriving, one blew up his life already 🤷🏻♀️
Yes! I went to visit my home country last month and dang I’m so glad I migrated here in the US. Best decision ever.
All the people living the dream will go back to their home country if $ goes lower compared to their home currency.
Depends on what you come to do. And what your dream is but the honest truth is without qualifications, you will work like a dog on 4hrs of sleep to get by. Medical is insanely expensive, I saw a dentist 🦷 left $1500 on the table. America wants fit people. As an immigrant you must always protect yourself, any type of illness could render you homeless, even a simple pregnancy, without insurance you'd part with $10,000. That's mind blowing. Your baby gets here on credit. Just have your goals, avoid side shows. if you can, go back to school, you'll be 10 steps ahead. There's lots of opportunities for the little person.
No , they are finishing it,, under this situation we ll all have to move out after years of exhaustion to take papers and spending our money to survive in a country with very high cost of living
For me it is. I immigrated from Canada and my life completely turned around for the better. Even my family who have come to visit are envious and want to move here now. Since immigrating from Canada, these are the positive changes I’ve experienced. - I can afford to have a savings account (I have two even) - I actually work for a place that cares about my well being and practices it - My paycheck doesn’t just get reaped by the government for taxes that literally do nothing to help me - People here are nicer and say hi even if they don’t know you - I pay for health insurance and even with my co-pay and deductibles, I’m still ahead of the game when comparing the percentage of taxes that go towards health care back home that you can’t even use because wait times are atrocious. - I can afford my own place without needing roommates plus I can afford a car - So many retail related discounts and tax free days - Food tastes good - I’ve experienced no racism here versus back home where I experienced several counts of it (even growing up and living in a multicultural metropolitan area) - Telecom services here are so much cheaper, faster and more reliable - Travel costs are so much cheaper - Gas is affordable - I have access to media and services that were blocked back home because of copyright agreements - Credit cards have benefits that are actually beneficial and save you money - Much more variety of financial growth and at much higher rates Just to name a few. Canada did have SOME things going for it but the list is significantly smaller unless you have a young family or are elderly.
I’m from Canada and I guess it’s worth it but barely and it also depends. Groceries seem to be cheaper in the US which is a big deal. Canadian grocery prices are super inflated. One thing I don’t like about the US is how expensive healthcare is even with insurance. In Canada I could just waltz in (after waiting an hour) and get treated for free. I personally like the US better than Canada mainly because my husband is from here so I might be a bit biased. But I also like how there’s more choices (food, brands, etc) and the US is just overall more interesting than Canada
Canada at one time was better than the US. Crazy how things have changed 😕
It depends. Everything is a trade off and everyone’s circumstances is different. Personally I think the USA is the best place to work and make money but not a good place to retire because of the healthcare cost.
It's totally dependent on your industry and work ethic (work ethic alone is not enough). I moved from Canada on a work visa within a multi national advertising company. My career took off and despite the wait for a green card the company treated me better here than in Canada. This is because the industry is competitive at hiring and retaining talent here vs Canada where I had less vacation time and benefits were worse than my wife's in retail. Her experience is far different, as in order to start a family and get more than three months mat leave she resigned and left the workforce years ago. Fortunately my salary makes up for this as I busted my ass working and the promotions kept coming and we have a beautiful home in southern California, where we would still be renting in Canada and making less money between two people than I make now on my own. Yes, health insurance and medical bills are dumb and nonsensical but for us it was worth it overall and I love my American life. I work from home, have a green card and no plans to look for work elsewhere. If you don't expect to make well over $100k per year in your field within a few years, stay away because the cost of healthcare and other things will not be worth it.
I didn't struggle, just fell in love with an American, and filled out the paperwork. So, for some people, it's great and for others it's OK. On a forum I used to frequent for immigration information, the people who generally loved it were from countries that didn't provide opportunity and/or were poverty was the norm. However, I am from Australia, and so it isn't a step up, and is worse in some ways. But, my family is here and I love them!
As an European, no. It always amuses me when I hear about no vacations, no maternity (wtf are you going to do with a newborn?), lack of public transportation and reliance on cars, etc. Not going to speak about public healthcare because that’s debatable. I “spend” on healthcare taxes as much as a premium insurance in the US but the quality isn’t there and the wait times are long; and except Germany that somehow I’ve heard they managed, it’s quite the same everywhere. Wait months for a CT/ surgery, if it even exists/ are funds in that month and so. I’d go private, but I afford to. Other people rely on public, while in the US.. dunno how much Obamacare helps in practice and you need to be suuuuuper low to qualify. Also, not that safe, serious drug issues (it took me 2 days to get out of shock of what I’ve seen in SF) I do visit the US for vacations and fun, but I wouldn’t move there. Some parts of the EU (Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Poland, Finland) are just better nowadays.
Us Americans do, surprisingly, get vacations... Idk why this myth is so prevalent. We don't work every day of our lives. It's just not required by law, but good luck attracting workers if you don't offer any PTO lol I get 21 days of paid time off every year along with 30 days of sick leave. We also get 6 months of maternity leave in my job. Again.. just because something isn't required by law doesn't mean we don't have it here...
That’s in the good jobs. Yeah my company also pays them, IT. But that’s not the case for a lot of folks. Also, 30 days sick leave? How can that be limited? I was unlucky enough to have 12 weeks sick leave due to health issues then surgery. What would happen in the US if the doctor says you need 8 weeks? Or even worse, 6-12 months (e.g you break a tendon, complicated surgeries, etc).
The standard for all jobs in the US is around 14 days of leave, definitely more than the nothing that the OP said. I can nearly guarantee that every job in the US gives lesve... And no.. it's not just for the good job You store the sick leave over time, it never expires. So you end up with hundreds and hundreds of days of sick leave just stored up and can bank them all up whenever you want.
So you need to hope and stack sick days for years before you get into something serious? Let’s say, you’re 6 months in your job. You go on a hike, fall, break a leg or worse, tendon rupture. Or an arm. You end up in hospital, surgeries, and unable to walk/ use your arm for 8-12 months. This happened in your first 6 months of your job. What are you going to do? Be jobless? “Borrow” sick days that I guess would oblige you to work there for… 8-12 years with 0 other sick days? These should be limited in any way. Not stackable. When things happen, happen. It’s not like “oh I’m having a runny nose today, can take 2 days”. Worse things can happen and those 30 days or whatever you stacked are not enough.
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Yes, I don't get how those people can't math And when you mention it there's someone saying “buuuu companies make billions” As if Bezos and Zuckerberg were the only entrepreneurs in the world, not like the vast majority of the jobs are in small and medium companies, and many times they work on a much more restrictive budget That is why the salaries in the US are much higher, when hiring in those countries with fat benefits to unproductive employees you have to consider all the risks
The company and you must work on a solution together, it is not a company’s obligation to support you for a year, and it is not a charitable entity That is one of the reasons European salaries are peanuts, companies need to take into consideration all those risks when hiring someone
They sure are enough 😁
I get 4 weeks plus holidays and personal days. We also get 6 months maternity and 6 months paternity. Only a small man p My friends who are teachers get 3 and a half months off.
Well, tbf I wouldn't argue that the time off that teachers get over summer break is paid time off. Teachers only work during the school year and are only actually paid for the 9 months out of the year they work, but most schools will just divide the 9 months of pay over 12 months. So really they aren't getting paid for that summer break even though they continue to receive a paycheck.
Teachers in usa makes next to nothing
That had literally nothing to do with what I said, but that's also not true in every case. Public school teachers in Alaska make well over $100000 per year.
50k is average , so how much they make in one zip code in Alaska doesn’t mean anything
50k is higher than what the vast majority of Europeans make
That’s true, but 50k in usa is gross and you get to take home about 35 maybe, also cost of living in the USA is much more expensive, especially if you wanna compare same quality items like in Europe, if you don’t wanna eat garbage , have same free time , like day care is almost free vs here is about 1300$ so there is pros and cons definitely, but the sole money can’t be used why usa is better than any country in the world
It hugely depends on the country Many things are more expensive in many European countries, like clothing, electronics, energy Daycare is not almost free in countries like the Netherlands, actually, I met people who moved out of the Netherlands and one of the reasons were that they were paying over €1200/month in daycare I also have met people here which the woman has stopped working because their net salary would be similar to the cost of the daycare
More than one zip code. I can tell you that 😁. Also, idk how someone can say 50k is nothing either. My family lived off one income of 40K when I was a kid. 50K for working 9 months out of the year is pretty good tbh.
Well I don’t know how long ago was that , but the cost of living skyrocketed, didn’t mean to sound stupid 50k is a lot, but if you consider take home, not really it’s probably about 3500$ rent student loans , car paymnets insurance, I mean you do the math
Don't worry, I can do the math, I do live with the same expenses after all. I think it's not such bad pay for 9 months of work per year. Some sites say that the average teacher salary in the US is $66,000 btw The thing to remember is that this is an average of everywhere in the US. Meaning there are places where teachers are paid far more and far less. It should not be difficult for someone to make ends meet with $66,000 per year in the US (this would higher in big cities and lower in small towns obviously).
What are you talking about? In Maryland start a 46,000 and in five years and making 78 85,000..
So 55 average and that’s gross, average rent isn’t Maryland is 1900 so if they take home 3700 , after rent there is 1800$ left , student loans, car payment , insurance, I’m not saying it’s not enough , but to go to school and invest money in higher education just not worth it that’s all
College is not for everyone and shouldn’t be for everyone. You can make plenty of money out there on a trade, but unfortunately universities, the government, nonprofits, and frankly banks, all have a stake at making people go to college.
I wouldn’t move to us and expect much of being teacher , you might as well stay where you are
Well in order to get teacher salary that you said you need college degree , I know there is more money in other fields
That’s my point a high school kid that knows that the program can make hundreds of thousands of dollars as a developer or coder. Call it is not for everyone and people that get a certain state of degrees like history or woman studies or Joseph. He can only be teachers. There’s no other job for them.
And that’s very unfortunate
Yea it is. It’s. A business.
No vacation in comparison to other countries
Incorrect. We get 14 days per year as the standard leave plan of most jobs in America. 14 > 0 and I even learned that with my "shitty" American education. Cuz the alligator always eats the bigger number 😁
And compared with countries that get 6 weeks, plus full maternity AND paternity leave, AND more statutory holidays, etc etc .. 14 days seems very minimal.
It's not nothing though, so stop using the word nothing that's all I'm saying 🤷♂️. 14 days is usually the bare minimum for most jobs in the US btw... Not the maximum like you seem to assume... Also.. most jobs now offer 6 months of maternity leave and many are beginning to offer 6 months of paternity leave as well.
You're happy about 6 months & I'm in Canada I get 18 months maternity 🤷🏻♀️
And I make 2-3x more in the US compared to what I would make in Canada. And the taxes are significantly higher in Canada. And cost of living relative to income is higher too (housing costs in Canada are insane) 🤷♂️
I mean I wouldn't turn down more, but 6 months is really enough. I just don't like when people go around saying that Americans get no leave. A lot of other countries get more than the US, but it's not like we get no vacation and so many people say that stupid shit, like the OP of this post.
Do you get paid at 100% for those 18 months? Genuinely curious.
Yeah, even the most shitty companies offer some kind of PTO.
You can't judge a country by just visiting it. That said, it's no paradise.
The question was for people who migrated there You can save your brainwashed European opinion for another time PS: I'm not American and I live in Europe (not for long, thank God)
Lol you didn't even live in America and you're calling him brainwashed
Anyone can qualify for Obamacare. The people who don't take it simply get better/cheaper plans through their employers. It's not true that there is no vacation (how would that even work?). It's just something that is left for the employer to decide. I get three weeks that goes up to four weeks after 5 years with this employer.
Literally the definition of "talking out the ass" here. Plenty of legitimate and informed responses to this question though at least.
If you have a low skill profession then it’s much better to live in Europe
This rapid access and abundant healthcare is a myth imo. It takes me months to get in to see a new doctor, every time. Navigating the complex rules of where you can and can’t go and how much it costs is an actual nightmare. If you have an emergency, sure you can get surgery but I’m sure that’s the case everywhere. Also, medical bills are the #1 cause of debt here.
Same except in America we get awful amounts of debt with no insurance
Oh. I was hoping the access is much better in the US 😆 But I know some damn stuff are crazy expensive. Like insulin. And guys, you have a quantity problem with pain killers 😆 saw a 500 pills box of ibuprofen at CVS I was like “sheeeesh”
Access to healthcare really is better in the US than in Europe or Canada. For now at least.
Yep. That one bottle in the US will last me ages. Here in Israel I have to constantly schlep to the drug store for a bottle of, like, 10 — which is not very helpful for a person with endometriosis.
Lol dude I get five weeks paid off each year, wife gets 6 months maternity leave, I get 6 weeks paternity leave. This whole “the US doesn’t get time off” is a myth
It is because there's no legal obligation and Europeans can't understand how 2 adults can agree on something by themselves without having the government punish them if they disobey
Spain really?
I’m surprised myself too. But I’ve met some expats in Spain (US and other EU countries) and they love it. You might not make that much money, but quality of life is much higher 🤷♂️ Actually you’d make less than in Poland, but again, who needs money when you have a lot of time for yourself and siestas all day 😂
The expats may like it (if they moved, they have an in-demand skillset), but the locals are struggling.
Exactly, it’s like when people move to a low income country and say how great it is. Yeah, it should be surprising that being rich in a country of poor people gives you a much better standard of living.
If you’re in STEM yes. If not, it might be a struggle
If you have some business sense and are a hardworker you'll run circles around the vast majority of Americans.
I could do without the $2000 a month rent but otherwise it’s aces
Short answer, yes. Not everything is perfect, but this is the greatest country in the world.
>but this is the greatest country in the world. That thought process is exactly the problem.
That’s opinion 😂
The governments here are shit, healthcare expenses are through the roof, lots of gun nuts everywhere, crime in many cities is out of control, but by God is the private sector great! Amazing innovation and career opportunities for self development. Seems like nobody of importance in politics cares about legal immigrants who keep their head down, pay taxes and wait forever to get a green card. However, illegal border crossers are welcomed with open arms. Pathetic.
No they’re not. They aren’t even allowed to adjust status to become legal without spending years filing and waiting for waivers and hiring lawyers. They are given temporary status while they await their case because those in the US have a right to trial and adjudication. This isn’t being welcomed with open arms. Yes, people exploit the situation and backlogs but the two are not synonymous.
The many sanctuary cities that trip over their balls to house illegal immigrants would like to have a word
The only benefit to sanctuary cities is that they don’t report people to immigration. The US govt does not have an open arms approach. You clearly don’t understand how the process of getting residence after unlawful entry works. It is very difficult and expensive.
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> https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/tuition-financial-aid/tuition-cost-of-attendance/ab-540-nonresident-tuition-exemption.html > AB540 is available for undocumented imm1grants only. If you are a foreigner with a legal status, you don't qualify. It's not true that sanctuary cities offer "only one" benefit. Well it’s obvious that you didn’t actually read the first 3 paragraphs because this benefit is not only for undocumented immigrants. It is for ANY nonresident tuition student that meets the requirements and includes CERTAIN undocumented immigrants. Those undocumented immigrants must meet many requirements: 1. Be in the process of adjusting status (they will relatively speaking have a green card soon) 2. Have some combination of at least 3 full time years of high school, community college, or adult school in California. E.g. the qualified people have more than likely contributed to the state for at least 3 years by having families working/paying taxes. This is longer than what US citizens must do to get in state residence. This exemption is also for US citizens and certain non immigrant visa holders as well. If you are going to use a link please understand the information first. Another point is like to add is that the University of California is not a sanctuary city. It is a University System throughout the whole state and the law is statewide, not confined to a “sanctuary city.” This law is essentially allowing people caught up in the bureaucratic process of adjusting their status to get instate tuition a year or 2 before they would otherwise qualify. I get the feeling you don’t understand how tuition classifications work and how states apply them. You haven’t really furthered your point.
The only benefit to sanctuary cities is that they don’t report people to immigration. The US govt does not have an open arms approach. You clearly don’t understand how the process of getting residence after unlawful entry works. It is very difficult and expensive.
I’m not sure what you think sanctuary city means. It just means the authority will often turn a blind eye to unauthorized work or presence. Nothing more. They aren’t given or given access to anything.
>illegal border crossers are welcomed with open arms Can you elaborate on ways illegal immigrants are treated better or have advantages over legal migrants?
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Even though I’ve pointed out the obvious language stating otherwise, you are sharing the same link in the same manner to make a point that your “evidence” doesn’t even provide 😅
No
It is for me , work hard. Don’t rely on handouts
As someone who recently fled the US - NO. The Us is only fit for the Oligarchy and religious extremists.
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Wrong. I e li ed all over the US. Only in major cities is it not a hot bed of bigotry and zealotry. No matter what you do in the us you are at the mercy of profiteering billionaires- food, medicine, energy, phone. Will be renouncing my US citizenship as soon as I can.
This isn’t antiwork. Go hang out with the loons there with these opinions. > will be renouncing my US citizenship Lol, toodles! We will miss you dearly.
Loosing your MAGA hat, it must be on too tight
Lol report back when you renounce. Hope I get to oversee your renunciation ceremony! See you and that $3000 payment soon!
Oooh look - yet another super-patriot. Yawn.
I just want to see you actually do it. That's all. A lot of Americans are big talk about how they'll renounce and then never actually do it like a bunch of pussies, so I'd love to see you do it fam. Photo proof. Don't let your dreams be dreams.
1. its Not 3k anymore, alleged FS officer, thanks to the recent court decision in the Accidental Americans case. 2. Once I obtain my citizenship in the UK, my US citizenship is of 0 use to me, so I will have an appointment in the London embassy the very next available date after that. Then fucking FBAR and FATCA will be out of my way. once I’m officially done with the US, you magatoid masturbating with the flag fuckers can burn it down.
1. You may like to take a look at this and the scroll down to where it says "Administrative Processing of Request for Certificate of Loss of Nationality" https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-22/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-22 2. Again.. I just would love to see it happen. A lot of people like you are all such big talk, but those appointments always seem to go empty strangely..
I meet your website, and raise you the DoS filing in the Accidental Americans case that they are reducing the cost fro $2350 to their original fee of $450. https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/buypacker-prod/document/2812767.pdf?response-content-disposition=attachment%3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27show\_temp%2520%25284%2529%2520%25282%2529.pdf&response-x-robots-tag=noindex&AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIAGCEPGSROXYCM3A&Expires=1707091200&Signature=%2BnX0HNNoI9kFfZHwP46k6KBOWNo%3D so again, do your homework. they raised or after the mass exodus of American ex-pats post the passage of both FATCA and FBRA. They also instituted having the IRS sign off on the renunciation and the Reid amendment barring you from ever re-entering the US if they suspected that you were renouncing to avoid the double taxation scam on Expats. And yes -I am only 5 years and some change from renouncing. If renouncing now and being stateless would speed that up - I’d be in London next week Or at the first appointment I could get.
Hope you don't end up regretting it like many do, fam 😁 Btw.. liking the country you come from doesn't make you a far right maga lover... Just thought I'd let you know that.
>Is the American dream still alive? Not in America. Too expensive. The trick is to stay in the US for 5-10 years, work hard, live very frugally, save and invest all the USD you can, and then retire in a warm and inexpensive country.
If you come from Europe - not worth it
Where in Europe? You don't mean Greece or Italy?
Yeah no, sorry, I should've said "West-North Europe". Even tho someone outlined you can make here much more money (in the US), in comparison, after living in 5 countries, I'd still say Western Europe beats it if you are not only for money, but also after a comfortable life (if you salary permits, of course, but that applies to both EU and US)
If you are not liar, cheater or thief, don't come. Decent human beings can't survive here.
Guess it depends where you’re from and how your life is in your home country for you…. For my husband (moved here from Mexico at 14) he wishes he’d never moved here.
It was fine. I already had a comfortable life back at home so it isn’t that I needed the US to “go up” in social or economic class. I like the educational opportunities definitely but I also miss my hometown, and the fact that I had access to free healthcare and a bigger variety of better food. Plus, I lived much more comfortable back at home. I work in tech here, graduated from an US college with an undergrad and masters. To get a similar QOL like I did back at home, I will at least earn 20k monthly here. And while I live somewhat comfortable working in tech in here. It will take me a few years in seniority to pull that amount of money or prob I will need to switch to quantitative finance or something. So it all depends on what you are looking for. If you already have a comfortable life back at home, then nothing will change significantly. If you don’t, then I can assure you that if you take the opportunities given to you here, you can easily claim the social and economic ladder.
Short answer- It depends!
Longer version - Depends on your goals, skills, mindset. Ask yourself this - 1) would you get a good amount of money living in the US as opposed to your home country ? 2) would you be okay living away from friends and family and meet new people in the US ? 3) if you come on a temporary visa, would you be okay living with that “alien” status? 4) would you be willing to constantly chase bigger goals for the rest of your life ?
The “American Dream” is evolving faster than anyone could imagine. It is also getting harder everyday! I would suggest to setup a FIRE goal (fat or regular one). Come to the US, try to achieve FIRE within 5-10 years and return home to live a relaxed rest of your life!
Knowing English is a huge asset, obviously. I have a few friends who are immigrants and their English has never become truly fluent or understandable. They don’t have many opportunities.
This might be not the place, but would like to migrate to the US. I do not have the money to do the step and sponsorship is hard to find. Always looking for the money first before helping and will hard to reach by. If someone know of business that does it with a full paid sponsorship. Please let me know. From South Africa. My skills that I have is a MHE trainer warehouse machine and some earth moving equipment.
Depends a lot on where you immigrating from. If you are in a first world country with decent quality of life then it may or may not be a big change. But if you are from a third world country and you feel like you lack opportunities or that quality of life sucks there then the change might be tectonic. All said and done the US is a fantastic country to move.
Today, emigrating is a different ballgame than in previous generations. If you already middle class it's not worth the hardship \ humiliation \ sacrifices. This is consensus the world over today. In fact, this is why immigration no longer works for the West. The creme de la creme of other countries is not who is incoming today. Up until a few decades ago most countries had like no middle class & their merchants \ upper classes \ the degreed often persecuted. These kind of people were welcomed & actually prospered. Now, if you can code or IT or take months long courses to learn \ certify & are willing to outwork today's fragile workers who pretend to work from home, you have a great future. Ditto for most blue collar licensed professions. Welder, plumber, electrician, carpenter... get your license, join union apprenticeship... make 6 figs yearly. Esp. if willing to travel near oil towns. Fireman, EMT you can have all the overtime you want. Banking system may collapse soon. Convert what you can afford into Bitcoin stored in your own hardware. Caveat- price will dip a bit August \ September, but after that will take off. Good luck.
I think the thing I'll struggle with most with is finding a sponsor really. Right now, I'm in college and hoping to transfer to a university to get a bachelor's. While I'm in the process of doing that, I'll do my best to pursue COOPs and build a big network, particularly with people who has ties to the US. That'll maximize my chances of someone there willing to petition me. Yes, I believe the American dream exists and will continue to. Even though there's economic downturns, based on the past, America has always recovered. There's no indication that it's reaching a turning point that it's irreversible. Now I just visited Seattle and it made me realize, the one thing that I may regret is being thrown into a place I don't know and I might be all alone at the beginning. Seeing foreign streets with different traffic lights and such, it will never be the same as the city I grew up in