Why do people migrate ? And, of all the 200 plus countries in the world, why do people migrate to the USA?
Whether you are from a well-off country in Europe, or from a developing country in Asia and Africa, chances are, you may have considered migrating to the United States of America.
Maybe you want a change in scenery or you long to run away from wherever and whatever it is that you are fleeing from: There is more than one reason why the USA is the top choice to start your new life.
Find out the most common reasons why the USA is a magnet for people.
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THIS POST BELOW IS ABOUT THE MOST COMMON REASONS TO WHY PEOPLE MIGRATE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
People Migrate To The US To Escape From Troubled Relationships / Society
While you were still in your native country, there have been points in your life when you want to start anew.
You may be in toxic love relationships. Or, in the middle of a fallout with business partners. Or you may be an outcast from the rest of your family or society at large.
Whether it is just a “change of scenery“, or your life is in danger, you just want to be away from where you were.
Leaving one’s native land is not a decision made on a whim. It usually comes after some time. Possibly a proverbial straw hit you and you just wanted out of there. You want a new life, and the most ideal environment you can think of is the United States.
The US offers many avenues to help you start anew and heal.
For one, the country is so vast that someone who may be out searching for you has to cover a lot of ground to find you.
Another thing, mental health is very much valued here and going to professionals is encouraged and not stigmatized – a perfect place for healing hearts and tortured geniuses.
People Migrate To The US To Escape From National Or Regional Conflicts
You may come from Ukraine, Syria, Myanmar, Libya, Mali, or another war-tor country (as of this writing).
It doesn’t matter if the conflict is national or regional, political or a turf-war between provinces and clans and ethnicities.
You just want to be out of there. AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
Here are some data from TRAC.SYR.EDU on the growing US Asylum backlog:
Here are some data from STATISTA.COM on the refugee admissions in the U.S. FY 1990-2022.
When you start thinking about what country is far away from all this suffering and one that is open for asylum seekers – USA always comes to mind.
A direct quote from ImmigrationFamilyLawyer.com: The primary difference between a refugee and an asylee is that a refugee is granted refugee status while still outside the United States; an asylum seeker is granted asylee status after entering the country or while seeking admission at a port of entry.
Like refugees, asylees have the right to remain in the United States for an indefinite period until it is safe for them to return to their home country. As a practical matter, a safe return is not possible for most refugees and asylees.
Unlike refugees, asylees must apply for employment authorization once their application for asylum is improved. Under certain circumstances, they may be able to apply for a work permit while their application is still pending. Asylees may apply for a green card one year after the approval of their application for asylum and may apply for citizenship four years later.
People Migrate To The US To Reunite With Family
You may have family members who have been in the US, and they want you to join them here.
They could petition you for a Green Card for Family Preference Immigrants visa to be able to join them here.
Another way is the circuitous approach: Have your family (or friends) help you scout for job opportunities that sponsor your immigration to the US.
An EB visa (employment-based visa) sponsored by an employer can even be faster than most family reunification visas. When you get here even if it is an EB visa, you also get reunited with your family if you have family here.
GURFINKLE.COM: An F1 immigrant visa allows a United States Citizen to petition their unmarried son or daughter 21 years old or older to immigrate to the U.S. Aside from F1, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has different categories for family preference visas that allow you (a legal permanent resident or United States Citizen) to petition a qualifying relative to immigrate to the United States.
People Migrate To The US To Be Free From Conformity And Restrictions
Some lifestyles and preferences are not permissible in many countries and some of their citizens may long for a place to practice them or simply have them.
For example, gay and lesbian marriages and openly gay lifestyles are celebrated in the US and that is a reason for many to migrate here.
In restrictive societies, even simple things like beards and hair can be reasons to attract the ire of law enforcers.
In Iran, for example, certain hairstyles like the mohawk, the mullet and the spike are banned by the government “in an attempt to preserve the culture of the country and combat cultural imperialism”.
FROM RADIOFREEEUROPE RADIO LIBERTY: No Country For Bearded Young Men: Only ‘Well-Groomed’ Tajiks Getting Passports
FROM THE GUARDIAN.COM– Beards are discouraged by the government for most men in Tajikistan in an effort to battle radicalism. Only clean-shaven men can apply for a passport. Beards are often forcibly shaved off by police officers.
FROM ALJAZEERA: Tajikistan shaves 13,000 beards in ‘radicalism’ battle
People Migrate To The US To Have More Income Opportunities And Improve Quality Of Life
People migrate to the US to better provide for themselves and their families.
If “TIME” (working hours) is the only variable, someone who works in a country like the US, with its US dollar, clearly earns more and has more buying power than someone in a country with a lower monetary value.
For example, you are a seamstress in Cambodia who gets paid for about $140 for 250 working hours. Your wage is about $.056 (56 cents) per hour of work.
Take the same job in Alabama where the lowest minimum wage, as of this writing, is $7.25/hour and you would have earned $1,812.50 for those 250 hours of work.
Take the same exact job in California where the minimum wage is $14/hour (as of January 1, 2022), the paycheck is at $3,500 for the same number of hours.
Of course, the cost of living in each of these mentioned locations differ wildly from each other. California for example, is known for high rent and high cost of living and one may argue that the “huge” paycheck will nullify the expenses.
But for this topic, if you are going to take into consideration the following:
- one person’s lifetime
- number of hours in a day
- same level of skill
- same effort/patience
- same tiredness at the end of the day
...so why not get paid more and have better buying power, right?
That is why people migrate to where the pay is more for the same level of job for the same length of time. People who are daring and valiant will strategize their way into how they are going to save and afford to live in the area they are in.
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People Migrate To The US To Have Freedom To Practice Religion (Or None At All)
There had been countries that were divided based solely on differences in beliefs like Pakistan and India, Ireland, and Northern Ireland, etc.
There are a few more areas in the world where religion (and even ethnicity) is a big wedge that prevents people from working and living harmoniously together. One side considers itself more righteous and truer than the other.
The United States offers a big and tempting contrast to these countries in that regard.
The US Constitution ensures that everyone has the right to practice his/her religion or no religion at all. This includes the right to change beliefs at any point in time.
NOLO.COM … the “religion” ground of persecution might qualify an applicant for asylum in the United States. The freedom of religion (the freedom to have, not to have, to practice, or not to practice any religion) is a fundamental right—under both the U.S. constitution and international law.
People Migrate To The US To Acquire Material Wealth And More Buying Power
This reason is tied closely to the OPPORTUNITY TO EARN MORE (above) but is distinct from it because of the availability and access to the material being bought.
Meaning, while you can have money in your country, and you want to buy internationally recognized brands (as a symbol of success and wealth), you will be relying on imports.
Imported goods, especially luxury brands, are horrendously expensive because they are priced with additional fees like customs fees, taxes, shipping, and handling.
So, only if you are rich and famous can you be able to afford the luxury items in your country.
In direct contrast, here in the US, you can buy internationally recognized brands even on a retail cashier’s wages.
Yes, you can buy a Coach satchel in the US for $200 at the nearby mall. On your lunch time.
If you factor in the price of the item plus custom fees and taxes, that same exact purse may represent 75% of a full-time government employee’s one month salary in the Philippines. And the person still has to travel far to get it because reputable stores that sells an authentic Coach items are usually in the big cities.
Most times in developing countries, only those who are gainfully employed and those who are moneyed can have nice things.
Therefore, one cannot blame people for dreaming of working and/or living somewhere, like the United States, where the currency has more buying power.
People Migrate To The US To Gain Experience And Knowledge Through Travel
This has something to do with the geography of the US and the power of the of the dollar in relation to the world.
The US is so vast that it seems there are too many places to go to yet too little time to do them all.
To travel domestically in the US alone is already varied and wide-ranging and very educational – the number of state and national parks that are so magnificent and mind-blowing. One can go from a glorious desert experience to a winter wonderland and everything in between.
And the different seasons multiply the already diverse array of choices. You come back to the same area in a different season and you will be amazed how different the sights and sounds are.
And the best thing is IT DOES NOT COST MUCH to travel domestically in the United States. There are affordable ways!
The US is also a jump-off point to many international travels that you do not have to travel extensively to reach several countries.
For example, US shares borders with Canada and Mexico. South America, Cuba and the Caribbean islands are relatively nearby.
Many US immigrants have traveled more extensively to many countries than before they were immigrants. This is largely because of the US dollar’s buying power and the availability of logistics for travel and the relative proximity of the destinations.
Filipinos can finally tour their own country, the PHILIPPINES. Yes!!!
Prior to being US immigrants, many Filipinos have not traveled around their own native country (of at least 7,100 islands). Many also did prior to coming over but not as extensively as they would have wanted when they were still there.
When Filipinos migrate to another country for work (OFW – Overseas Filipino Workers) or for permanent residency (as immigrants) they can have access to more finances that they have never had before.
Money, coupled with nostalgia, the Filipino becomes a BALIKBAYAN (someone who travels back to native land) and finally visits and discover their beautiful islands.
People Migrate To The US To Get The Chance To Live Like "The Americans"
It cannot be denied that the myth and legend of “America” has circled the globe many times.
America’s influence and might came in the form its ACTUAL and PERCEIVED political and military might and economic power.
Even the American media, music, arts, and pop culture are consumed indiscriminately and in huge volumes all over the globe.
American music and movies made in and about America are marketed worldwide, thanks to its use of “universal language” – the American English.
As these products generate ticket sales and become blockbusters and earn multi-platinum statuses, the “American culture” these products relay to the audience is absorbed almost by osmosis by many people, especially the young.
Famous personalities like the American singers, actors, and athletes (and by extension, even their families) are loved and revered. The brands and the lifestyle these celebrities create and endorse are coveted by the masses. Many buy these goods and brands despite their high price.
For example, yoga and specialty diets have been practiced for many years. But it is only when they were attached to American products, fueled by celebrity endorsements do their existence gets magnified through movies, media, and popular culture.
This tendency to want to experience America can be encapsulated in one sentence meme (supposedly as a reply by someone being interviewed at an overseas US embassy): “Because I just want to visit Disneyland.”
People Migrate To The US To Make The Impossible Dream Possible
The United States of America is home to many prestigious universities and scientific institutions. Many people come here to study, to do research, collaborate and work under or alongside respected people in their fields.
The US abounds in various opportunities, be it academic, entrepreneurial, creative, financial, scientific, or technological pursuit. America has it all and is there for you to take.
Just be there to actually take it. Not thousands of miles away in another country.
You must be here to actually make the dream more reachable.
One of our friends’ nephews, a new immigrant, got a job as a barista at the Youtube in San Bruno, CA. He lives less than 5 miles from his workplace. (Yes, the same one we see on our phones and laptops. That Youtube.)
If that was “THE DREAM” (getting a job at Youtube), then he has achieved it already. One thing for sure, it counts as a bragging badge back in the old country. (I WORK AT YOUTUBE, BRUH.)
My point is, if someone, from a faraway nation, dreams of working in any other US based company, the odds are not in their favor as much as in someone who can go for a job interview right away.
Another example: Did you notice how many people come to the US from other countries just to participate in American Idol, America’s Got Talent, The Voice and similar contests?
The American Dream favors whoever is present and nearby and willing to take the challenge.
People Migrate To The US To Take A Shot At The Abundance Of Available Jobs
As an incoming immigrant to the United States, you may have heard someone say that there is no shortage of jobs for anyone who is willing to work.
The perception of the “abundance of jobs” in the US that are available to immigrants is largely because there is no age discrimination: One can apply for and be accepted to work if the person is willing and capable to do the job.
In contrast, in the Philippines for example, it is common to see a certain age bracket stated as “required” in hiring notices. Sometimes, 35 is already considered “old” for an entry level corporate job.
Also, in the Philippines, even when you are age-qualified, there are not enough vacancy to accommodate all graduates every year. Because of this, it is not uncommon for a nursing graduate to be employed as a bank teller, or an engineer employed working the front desk at a hotel.
In America, there is always a need for agricultural workers, construction laborers, handyman jobs, maids and housecleaners. Retail jobs are almost always available. The healthcare industry always has spots for food servers, custodians in hospitals, nurse aides, patient transporters, and nurses.
Here in the US, the elderly can even earn minimal income when they do volunteer work such as being a FOSTER GRANDPARENT to kids and teens.
There are some occupations and tasks that many do not consider or prefer not to do: Like being fulltime caregivers or custodian for example.
So, in case whatever happens, and you will have a bad break somewhere in your migration journey, there are many jobs available if the you are not picky.
Unique, Weird But Cool Bachelors Degree Majors in the USA: Biomimicry, Cannabis Biology and Chemistry, Bagpiping, Ecogastronomy, Farrier Science, Puppet Arts, Race Track Industry, and many more.
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So, there you have them – the 11 most common reasons why people from all over the globe choose the Unites States of America to start their new life.
Is yours listed here? Let us know in the comments section and we may add it here.
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Thank you!
Maria is just a chatterbox (on a mission.😋)
NO ONE AUTHORIZED her to spew all this MOMSENSE, but she is a complicated cat and so she feels that she must. Be advised and take a spoonful of salt for every opinionated post you read here. And please, please consult a professional for individualized advice on life-altering decisions.
Maria is just a chatterbox (on a mission.😋) NO ONE AUTHORIZED her to spew all these MOMSENSE, but she is a complicated cat and so she feels that she must. Be advised, and take a spoonful of salt for every opinionated post you read here. And please, please consult a professional for individualized advice on life-altering decisions.
THE POST ABOVE IS ABOUT THE MOST COMMON REASONS TO WHY PEOPLE MIGRATE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
