Immigrated to US, made my money, retired, sold all assets and went back to my home country where the $5M i have accumulated feels like $500M. America is the best country to make money but also not the cheapest when you are done working.
That is if u live below your means and dont go into spend like no tomorrow american philosophy I suggest my friends to earn in dollars abroad while living cheap there and within 10-15 years save so much that they can return and live comfortably forever
If you already have 5mil in the US why sell everything? Yeah you can buy that fancy house in your country but the value may not be as stabilized. Then there's also loosing the option of moving back into the US making. If the values of money is 100 more in your country than in the US why not rent out your assets and create an income stream for yourself to live comfortably.
My mom immigrated here in the 1980s before she even learned English and now look at us: she's an accountant with a home and a fully funded retirement fund, I'm a lawyer, and my sister is on her way to being a nurse. Nice job mom! Dad helped too of course haha.
If you don't mind me asking what is your law concentration, average work week and what would you rate being lawyer and studying law overall out of 10? Thanks, - any reply would be appreciated, kind regards.
" Welcome to America". The happiest place on earth" Your newly furnished house is ready to be moved in there's a BMW or MBZ in the driveway waiting in your choice of colors in addition for the next 5 years you have a choice of $5,000 to $10,000 a month welcoming government payments depending on size of your family with plenty of money to send back home.
@@Anonymoose66G most lawyers hate their jobs my best advice is to shadow the type of attorney you're considering to see if it's worth the torture and expense of law school and the bar -concentration: public defender aka I defend people who are accused of crimes and too poor to hire their own attorney -average work week: 40 hours/typical M-F 9-5. I'm usually in court in the mornings and doing depositions or jail visits or desk work in the afternoons. I work unpaid OT the night before trials, which are infrequent (about once every few months) -40 hours a week is typical for government lawyers and extremely low overall; lawyers usually work ~70 hours a week at haphazard hours -I love my job 9/10, which is common for public defenders and rare overall; lawyer is one of the professions with the lowest job satisfaction rate -law school sucked 3/10, but bar prep is 1/10 one of the worst things I've ever experienced. I was literally having panic attacks and got shingles at age 30 (usually only old people get it) because my immune system was obliterated from the stress
@@rafanadir6958 corporate lawyers generally make a lot of money, work a ton of hours, and hate their jobs. You won't be able to work in the US as a lawyer until you pass the bar in the jurisdiction you're planning to practice in, and that usually requires you to get a degree here in the US first Edit: oh yeah I forgot to mention, getting a job as a corporate lawyer is really difficult (lots of competition because of the pay). Generally you need to go to a top law school, or graduate top of your class at a mid tier law school, and/or have connections to someone at the firm
Origin and destination countries can significantly impact the immigrant experience. My parents migrated from Sri Lanka to Australia and it was a 20 year struggle to attain permanent residency. As an Australian citizen, migrating to the US was a breeze in comparison. Grateful for my folks’ tenacity to ensure my immigrant experience was so different to theirs.
Same for me, except with Canada. I think it took around three years to get citizenship. Coming to the US was very easy afterwards. Unlike Australia, I think we needed a TN visa which just required a lot of paperwork in order to get.
The challenge of getting a bank account is no joke. I immigrated from Canada at 26yrs old. I had US citizenship and an SSN thanks to my mom and I was shocked by how difficult it was to get a bank account, credit card, and place to rent without any employment history here. I can’t imagine how much more difficult it is if you come from dire circumstances in another country or have a language barrier. Immigrants are brave and valuable!
It could be worse if you are immigrating to a country that is highly incompetent. For example, in some cases, you may need a bank account to apply for permanent residency. Keep in mind that I already have permanent residency. The bank asked me to submit a copy of my residency on three occasions, and then they closed my bank account without informing me. According to them, I hadn't submitted my permanent residency, even though I had. Now, imagine someone who needs a bank account to take the first step in their immigration application, only for the bank to be incompetent in filing their paperwork with immigration. This could result in the application being denied, causing the person to lose both time and money. They would have to repeat the process all over again, and to make matters worse, immigration would not provide any explanation for the rejection. This has happened to a couple of my associates over the years, and it is just one of many possible scenarios.
Genuinely interested to learn more. I'm not an immigrant, never applied to be an immigrant, however I was able to open a bank account in exactly one day, for about $39.
Really? It was pretty easy for me to get a bank account and a regular credit card when I was in high school/college. And I didn't have much of an employment history. Maybe it depends on the bank or person you were speaking with. Some places are stricter than others.
exactly, Chase sucks at providing accurate information for immigrants to apply to ANY of their bank accounts ( two wasted trips and lots of wasted efforts). Wells Fargo is great at this though.
I’m a first gen immigrant, came here 10yrs ago with almost zero bank balance, Now having decent job, home, and two kids. One rule of thumb is, try to love what you are doing. I truely love this country and I have my little goal and mission to be done here, that enabled me to overcome all these struggling. It is hard, but if you love what you are doing, definetely it is worth it.
Of course Europian countries are great to live, many things are way better than North America. Just my preference, I love freedom over the quality of life. Many of my friends are exactly opposite, nobody is wrong. it’s all good.
What I mean is mostly cultural aspect. For example, forcing to wear a mask in pandemic is not a cultural norm here, whereas many Asian, Europian people don’t really resist to it. Individual freedom is obviously more here in America(New World) than Old World.
@@Anonymoose66G Nah, no guns = no freedom. It's easy to forget how fragile the social contract is but guess who gets to enforce it? People with power, notably the ones with guns who don't like you.
@@wonseoklee80 Wdym, Europeans and many Asians wear masks because they don't want to get sick and yes they don't care that much, what's wearing a mask for 5 minutes to go into a shop going to do. Also most Covid-19 restrictions have been restricted and where I'm from everything's back to normal, no masks Ect. Even in the height of the pandemic we weren't forced to wear them, nobody really cared, we mostly just wore masks if you were entering a business or public building. Also like I stated before wearing mask may actually give you more freedom, also asian cultures wear masks due to dense urban cities having toxic air causing lung issues, this is obvious is Mongolia, China ECT. So it was already established as a social and societal norm thus nobody really minded it. Obviously China and a few other countries reacted to the pandemic rather forcefully.
Immigrations is hella expensive and even worst when is done out of desperation no matter the destination... But based on the country is worth it, like I always say to my parents who ask me why I don't live in our home country since I will be living "like a king" with my income: "Safety is priceless"
@@rizz7273 USA has 6 times lower murder rates than my home country and if we go to specific cities then the number is even worst... Yeah, safety is priceless
Im a first gen Immigrant in US. Been through all these and US is one of the hardest countries to 'settle down' for first few years. The burden of facing all these all alone was exhausting and sometimes I thought of quitting too. But its worth it to survive this struggle for a long term goal.
@@jorgeriveramx I can share my XP for 4 countries I've studied when I was looking for a new place to "settle down" (US, Canada, Australia, Italy) and yes... US was the hardest one (and the most expensive), however, I agree with you. To immigrate to countries like Japan or North Korea might be even harder.
As an immigrant, I want give a shout out to St. John’s University (SJU). As mentioned in this video, new immigrants (international students in this case) find it hard to open bank accounts. SJU helped in this process by having agreements with the local banks in Queens making it easier to open an account.
@@xXRealXxif you are an illegal immigrant that means you don’t have a social security number and without that you can’t open a bank account. You also can’t get a credit card because obviously they rely on SS number to verify identity and credit score. But it’s not true, I live in nyc and all illegal immigrants have bank accounts and many are even getting credit cards now.
I knew a man who immigrated from Honduras and worked 70 hours a week at a local restaurant until he could afford to pay for his wife and kid to move here. I always thought that was quite admirable.
Yes, it was. It should not be that way, though. The rich are allowed to exploit most of the country, and it has greatly harmed society. The US is vastly different from the 70s, when I was a kid. Then it was decent, especially if you were white, and we were making racial progress. That country is long gone. Do not fall for the American dream. It is a delusional goal.
As an immigrant I can tell you the filing fees is MUCH more than just $1,000. To get the process started we had to file the I-130 and adjustment of status that each cost $535 and $1,225 respectively, I also had to go to a special civil surgeon for an exam that costed me $300 plus got some vaccines that I had to pay out of pocket for. Then when my green card was issued I only got conditional permanent resident status that means I have file the I-751 and to pay another $680 before it expires in 2 years… then to finally become a citizen file the N-400 that costs $725. And these are JUST the filing fees, so this isn’t taking into account any money you’d spend hiring a lawyer if you don’t want to navigate this process all by yourself. All in from entering the USA to becoming a U.S. citizen I’m looking at $3,165 in filing fees alone assuming I don’t hire a lawyer or do anything extra. And that’s just for one person (me)
Yep, exactly. The I-751 is such a grift, too. I’m a conditional permanent resident right now and we estimate it cost about $3500 to get me the green card.
@@slimboyd that’s only for the current filing fees. It doesn’t include the fact that the filing fees are going to increase any time now (take a look at the proposed increases - they’re ludicrous). It also doesn’t include fees for lawyers or anything else that could complicate your case. It’s very expensive to immigrate.
It's very considered you guys made this video. As an imigrant there's way too much to think about it that sometimes I even forget how hard it is for us, a lot of people say it's just about adaptation but it's more about a complex process filled with a lot of steps that need to be taken care of carefully, for starters you need the money to pay all the fees to have a legal status here in USA, and depending on the number of members it could be really costly and long process but it's way better than paying to someone to bring you here illegally becuase the legal cost could easily become 3X with no guarantees whatsoever, but don't be fooled, you still need another very important step in oreder to make it, you need to have the ENGLISH plus the physical and metal strenght to endure all the new process you are about to go through, be prepare to face rejection because of your accent, of how you look or just simply because you're different, be prepare to take a job that never in your wildest dreams you thought about because you need to start making the money ASAP in order to pay or start saving so eventually you can move on. We always need to start from literally ZERO, there are NO BANK, CARD, LEGAL, LABOR RECORDS at all, no friends sometimes, no own home, tight budgets and so on. TWO CENTS was one of those channels I discovered a little before I moved to USA from Ecuador back in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic (I forgot to add that) and let me tell you it's been really helpful in a lot of senses, it gave me a little more of education (which I already had) in how to build my credit, the not to do stuff with credit cards, the importance of the money and the one I remember the most THE BUDGET!!!!. I must say expreriences can vary in a lot of senses from people to people but as usual EDUCATION and information being spread correctly could become one of the most useful tools you have on hand, for you guys I wanna say thank you for spreading it and for all the inmmigrants trying to make it please don't give up, we have already taken a really hard step to have something better so you are at leat halfway there, I hope the best for all those who decided to go into this journey.
1st Generation American Here. The struggles are real. I work 78hrs to 90hrs a week. I aim for the future. Growing up 1 bedroom apt with 10 people. Now, I am 35, I own many cars and I have 2 homes and 3 properties. No government help. Not knowing any person or having no family. Don't buy things you don't need remember your family's sacrifices keep pushing. You will succeed. God Bless everyone and God Bless America
As someone who has come to the U.S. 10 years ago for college and masters on full scholarship, been working for a nonprofit for 4 years, who still doesn't have a green card and is going through numerous immigration hurdles without any financial safety net, I really appreciate this video. I feel like my struggles are recognized. Many thanks to the whole Two Cents team! (P.S. Currently H1B work visa costs around $7000 - if you are lucky in the annual randomized lottery, which has a 20% winning rate. Employment based green card costs $15,000 and takes at least 3 years).
Last point applied to me. I moved here 8 years ago and the 5 years I 100% focused on sending money to family and forgot myself by living on the edge as much as possible with zero savings, no investment, even took my 401k from my first job and helped them out. It's noble to help your family even though some of them didn't even appreciate it BUT it was wrong, I should put myself first then help when I stand on my feet. Last 4 years I focused 100% on me, bought home, doubled my income, now have 401k, saving and investments, and finishing my Master's degree as well. Made time for cooking all my meals because food in the US is super unhealthy and suck, lost weight, got in shape and I am happy and proud of myself over what I achieved.
Thank you guys for making this video. I've been an immigrant in Africa, Europe then US. It's not easy to leave your family behind for better education, safety and opportunity. Especially at a young age. Saying it's a hurdle race is an understatement. It's more like a lottery. The amount of sacrifice to do is unimaginable. Every time there's an economic crisis - which happened a lot for the last 20 years - fingers are pointed to immigrants, whatever they are legal or not. I recall uncomfortable debates in France especially when the far right was gaining momentum. My main argument was simple. I will just ask questions about the cost/tax revenue balance of immigration in the country? What are the precise jobs immigrants are being accused to "steal"? Why are no local going for those jobs? What is the rate of immigrants benefiting from the government aids compared to rest of the population (knowing that is a disadvantage for an immigrant to use it and it's so hard to get them that people just abandon the idea)? The adversary side will come very quickly to lacking serious argument. I salute all the immigrant which are doing their best to thrive. One thing I liked in the video, is the advice regarding building a safety net for yourself before helping others. It's a very hard thing to do but it's one of precious lessons learned in 16 years of being an immigrant and supporting my family. Well done @Two Cents
Loved it.. so true.. one thing that was not mentioned is that when competing for jobs you have to make extra efforts to compensate the employer for not being as fluent in the language, not being familiarized with a lot of things and situations common to the residents, sometimes you compensate with more experience, more education or simply dedicating more hours
First generation immigrant here! Thank you for this video! The hardest working people I have ever met have also been immigrants. There is something about appreciating the chance and opportunity of coming from Africa to such a wealthy country. Nothing is taken for granted, and you work harder so that what got you here was worth the pain, money, effort, interviews, fees, paperwork, sleepless nights, looming expiration dates, culture shock, ridicule, feeling like an outcast, and so much more! Here I am, a boy from Africa with paid-off cars, 3 houses, passive income, funded retirement, and no consumer debt. If I can do it, ANYBODY else can do it too! To anyone in the process of immigrating, thinking about it, or already did, hats off to you. It's not easy leaving home, but for the sake of your future and for your children if you have any, it has been worth the sweat and tears! Good luck out there!
Slightly related, I'm from a commonwealth country with many banks offering day to day banking for 'free'. When I worked in Canada, it was a shock that I had to maintain a balance of $2,000CAD to avoid paying a monthly account fee.
Immigrating to the USA is a costly endeavor. The significant, unaddressed aspect pertains to the experiences of myself and other Indians attempting to obtain a green card. Despite having resided in this wonderful country for the past 11 years, I have yet to receive my greencard. Indians face an extensive waiting list, so long that one would need to be reincarnated twice with the same petition number due to the country cap rule. While this may seem like a minor issue to those who haven't gone through it, in reality, it is a tremendous burden that surpasses mere financial concerns. I have numerous friends who were unable to travel to India for their parents' funerals due to the demanding paperwork and stamping requirements, and these feelings of regret will stay with us indefinitely. Additionally, if one loses their job and cannot secure new employment, they are compelled to deport themselves and often sell their possessions at a substantial loss or give them away. My point is, money is nothing before other burdens that we go through as first generation immigrants. My love and support to those who go through this battle. PS: I will not reply back to people who ask me to go back that is whole another topic.
A fellow Indian trying to make it here. Cost is nothing compared to the tremendous uphill battle that outsiders have to face to even get a chance to qualify for immigrations. This video starts with an assumption that you'll qualify then you'll have to pay for the fees, most of the us come on different visas that is a long shot to convert them to a green card. The social and the emotional pressure that this creates is unbearable and sometimes I just want to think that it's okay to leave this country if it comes to that. They have created and made it difficult to stay here systemically, I will continue trying but my priority will always be my family over making it big here.
@@aviator2060 Yea funny you mention that because the reason for leaving my home country was to have a better pay and benefits on equal grounds but the immigration process is anything but equal. I still chose to stay here because at least in the corporate world I can get a good job on the basis of merit, where my country of origin, race does not matter much or hinder in the wait times.
I’m so glad you guys made this video! I may have some advice to add, my two cents. I immigrated to the U.S. with my husband, who’s American. He couldn’t adapt to life in my native country, where I had a full career. So, I came here with my life’s savings, which turned out to be so little, given the high cost of living. I had to restart my career all over again, including going back to college. Our income is well below the median for our area, but we live well. However, there were always the incredibly expensive immigration fees. My total expenses were in the thousands of dollars just for myself. That’s not counting all the related expenses, like getting and printing paperwork, traveling to the nearest USCIS office, traveling to embassies, the opportunity cost of waiting MONTHS for your work authorization, etc. The saving grace is that you don’t need a lawyer to do all of this. I did all my immigration paperwork myself. You just have to read the government instruction well and be careful. There are tons of material online and forums where you’ll get information and support on how to apply. I always felt it was too complicated and like I didn’t want to mess things up, so we were thinking of hiring legal aid, but that would’ve added thousands more to our tight budget. It all worked out in the end by making use of all the wealth of information online. If your case is straightforward, you can definitely do it yourself!
I'm an immigrant (now a citizen), I worked 2-3 jobs from ages 18-30 and saved and invested aggressively. America has a lot of problems but I would have never achieved the financial success I've experienced in my home country.
As an immigrant I arrived to NYC with only 5 nights paid to a hotel and didnt know anybody. I had to find an apartment in those five days and the first thing I discovered is that nobody in NYC rents to "just arrived" immigrants unless these immigrants pay to "Insurent" a company that essentially tell the landlord "yeah this guy has money." the cost is two months rent on top of the deposit you have to pay to the landlord, just to get an apartment in five days in NYC. Thank god I found a landlord who asked me to give him the full three months rent in advance to him instead of paying to Insurent, so with that I had 3 months to find a job.
The people who need this video the most don't understand enough English to watch it. There's gotta be a way to add Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, etc. closed captions to it.
First gen immigrant. our residency training program set up a meeting with the local bank in our area in the first week so we get our direct deposit set up. i was fortunate that on arrival i had a very good salary for a "fresh off the boat" immigrant. when i started my J1 waiver, my employer paid for my lawyer fees, about 10K in '96, but due to the inefficiency and lack of progress with that lawyer( when i called for an update i discovered that the person working on my case had left the firm 6 months before), i changed lawyers and paid out of pocket myself for another 11K in 2000. fortunately we didn't have to pay everything at once. my first job i was underpaid compared to my peers even other immigrant doctors. it took 14 years to get my greencard as immigration laws kept changing with different administrations starting with Clinton as well as my slow lawyer. i had to pay for multiple immigration required doctor visits as they are only valid for a short time( i got vaccinated 3 times for measles, mumps rubella even if my serology from medical residency showed i already had titers for this just so the right box can be checked). early on, with a pending greencard application i drove to Toronto, Canada on the advice of my lawyer to get a new visa stamped, in case i had to go back home quickly as my mother was diagnosed with cancer. US embassy in Toronto handled it uneventfully. i had what is called a parole letter explaining the need to go out of the US for the visa and the newly stamped US visa but crossing back into MI where i lived, immigration guards held me back for a few hours, made fun of me as i explained what my lawyer had me do saying to the other guards " Hey listen to this guy explain immigration law to me while laughing amongst themselves" also kept asking me where i lived and refusing the address i gave them. they wanted me to say my address from when i left my home country and not caring that i haven't been there for 5 years. they eventually let me continue on my way but i vowed never to step outside the US till i got my greencard so as to never be subject to a powertripping border guard . once you get the greencard , you feel a big weight lifted off your shoulders. it is amazing how your future can rest on how a border guard's day is going or what he had for breakfast even if all your papers are in order.
I'm so sorry you had this experience, the people who came across you at the border sounded like they were on a power trip. Just horrible. I am glad everything is alright for you now.
@@novalinnhe it still grates at me to this day the way they were making fun of me. that was in 97 or 98. i got my greencard 2010 and citizenship a year or 2 later. a few years later, i remember not even considering going on a boat tour in upper MI as the boat may cross over to the Canadian side of the river even if it wasn't going to dock there. I never stepped off the US until i got my greencard. i achieved my American Dream and retired at 55 y/o 2 years ago and made it to above 97th percentile of household networth from nothing take that border guards. one of my most prized possessions are the small American flags they give you during the citizenship ceremony. i keep it in my safe and told my son to always keep it in the family.
Minimum account balance fees are pure evil. But the real nastiness are the overdraft fees: "Since you don't have money, every single day you will owe us additional $100 and you have to pay all at once in order to stop accumulating those." Not having money for a week costs $700 but they also charge interests on these.
I'm so happy you covered this topic! Immigrating to the US was an expensive experience for me too. A lot of the time people think that becoming a permanent resident or a US Citizen is just paperwork and a small fee, but it is a long and expensive process.
Thank you for talking about this topic. Immigration has so many layers and not just what the news and politicians talk about. Those fees and requirements are never addressed when talking about immigration. This information was a lot more than 2 cents !! Thank you !
(5:44) You remind me of what Arnold said in his Documentary, Pumping Iron. One of the reasons he became successful is because he had people supporting him when he first came to America.
I immigrated to the U.S. in 1982 and retired back to Jamaica in 2022. During that time I went to college and spent a career in financial services and the Army Reserve. I did not realize how American I have become, so now I will be buying a one room condo in the States so I can spend a few months of the year there. Jamaica is good, but I need to be in America every now and then.
I'm a first-generation Japanese immigrant. Fortunately, my immigration as a Japanese citizen was very smooth, and I managed to complete my American citizenship in just two years and bit, including my military service. The nationality of your country of origin and how good a lawyer you can get will determine the difficulty of immigrating to the United States.
I am also first generation immigrant, I joined military service to show my allegiance to the USA though it is optional. Before they sent me to war, they naturalized me so in case I died, I am an American! Though what you said is true, IF you need a lawyer while having military service... it is maybe because you are in those "cushy" military job? My experience tell me if you in military, you don't need your own lawyer, military will give you the lawyer you need to get it done. Like I said, before they send me out to harms way, I am already an American!
@@slothypunk Thank you for your experience and service! Before I enlisted, I used an immigration lawyer to get my green card! It made it easier and faster for me to actually receive my green card than other Japanese who applied for it on their own!
In just the couple first months it's a nightmare. 99% of the US is car centric. You have to immediately get a driving license and buy a car and/or Uber everywhere BEFORE getting a job. And I say BUY outright because you have no access to credit so it's cash only. That's thousands of dollars in upfront expenses. Then and only then you can look for employment to get some cash inflow, which will NEVER match your qualifications. It's minimum wage and temp if you're lucky and have your papers clear. And let's not even mention housing! Who rents to a foreigner who has no job yet, no credit history? It's a nightmare. If you don't have a solid chunk of cash and community contacts you're screwed. And if you fail and go back, you're out all those expenses anyway and probably in debt in your native country.
Thats why many Indian American pushing Indian Government for more rights as a non-resident Indian. According to Indian constitution dual citizenship is ban. But now they can nearly enjoy citizenship rights of India by various amendments and change of laws. Not to target any country, but they certainly know sooner or later they will kick out of that country if they are no longer useful for that particular country.
I’m working on getting my wife to immigrant from Thailand, and between having to pay for marriage costs, the wedding, immigration costs, and paying for other support to get her financially stable to come over here, we’ve spent about $30,000 already. And, that’s just us waiting for two years to get her marriage visa finally approved.
To be fair immigration into other industrialized countries is just as hard or harder. For example in Iceland your wage is heavily dependent on how long you have been a citizen NOT your skills or particular job this heavily decreasing immigration of all kinds.
I’m a U.S. citizen in England on a working visa, for three years it’s about £2300 which is about $3k. To get citizenship after another 2 years of this the total cost works out to about $10k
When I moved to Virginia I found it hard to get a drivers license as the DMV kept saying that all the paperwork I had from USCIS was not good enough to prove legal residency. I ended up getting my state representative involved what a pain
Thank you so much for this video! I worked briefly in tech in the US, and even with all of the ways they facilitated the process it was still stressful. To begin with, people migrating either have enough money to afford it, or are so desperate that are willing to do whatever it takes. I think I'm in a minority middle class that got everything sorted out. I didn't even know that an SSN is a thing until I arrived. My migration process was sspreaded across two summer internships and then working full time, I'd probably have had collapsed if that wasn't the case. I can also only imagine what it'd have taken if I wanted a gc. I'm incredibly thankful with this channel because it helped immensely with that adaptation process. Your work has real impact in real people, and I think you should know it and be proud of it.
This also needs to be shown to all of those who wonder why don't people just go "legally". Immigration shouldn't be about bureaucratic begging, no one deserves that.
The hardest part of being an immigrant is that even if you're doing well, you'll always consider to go back to your country because adapting its hard (right now things are a bit crazy everywhere). There is not a best way to immigrate and it takes a lot of sacrifice to be successful as a foreigner. One thing I definetly think that helps a lot is being educated. Talking from my experience, it is not easy and takes a lot of work to finally land on an secure job if you have a degree from an unknown university and the degree has a different name, but they will trust you and if you demonstrate your abilities, they will reward you. You can also make it without a degree but it would be harder. Try to study, apply to a public university and take a few courses a semester so you can work and study. It doesn't matter if it takes you more time.
these on top of the massive cost and difficulty of getting in or accepted. the only acceptable cost and speed for immigration is through marriage with an American citizen which is being exploited as the easiest path. this heavily penalizes the lawful/process of immigration but little cost to unlawful fixed marriage. imagine, some visa categories would take an applicant about twenty years of wait just to be eligible for citizens of Mexico and Philippines. In reality, most aspirants just want work in the US and send money to their home country. But no, not only it is difficult to get in for the first time in the US but also coming back which makes the option of a green card or citizenship likely the only path to permanent work in the US. Immigrants don't generally drive lower wages, it only drives lower wages for the basic and laborious jobs which Americans don't want anyway.
Great video. I was a Soldier stationed in Korea. I found my dream woman there and we were married in Korea. All told, we spent about $5000 before she immigrated. Most people don't realize the amount of paperwork that's necessary and the financial resources required. Our process was fairly efficient, as the State Department and INS do take good care of overseas military folks. I was also well familiar with government paperwork and had a good job. I can only imagine how difficult for someone who speaks minimal English, is unfamiliar with US government processes, has limited financial resources, and doesn't have US citizen sponsor who can help to navigate the bureaucracy.
If your college has an international office ask them as many questions as you can and try to get in contact with immigrant alumni. Shout out to the international office of Saint Mary's College of California (SMC) for helping me out through the immigration process.
It's been 9 years since I moved to the US and I finally got a high-paying job, good credit history, and I feel myself at home now. But, at the end of the day, my work authorization will expire in 3 months and I will have to leave the country. My green card application won't make it on time because of the enormous application backlog in USCIS, and my only bet was winning a lottery for a work visa (H1B), which I didn't win. I think the US gives enough opportunities to make money (as long as you are willing to put in some work). However, just to get all your papers right for good, you either need to be very lucky (win visa/green card lotteries or somehow get a green card before your student visa expires or just be born in the right country), or be an exceptional talent and hire exceptionally talented lawyers to get an O1 visa.
This is why it annoys me when it comes to illegal immigration and people that call it immigration. IT's not the same thing. I am a first gen Nigerian Immigrant and coming here legally was tough. It's even tougher now. Quit conflating the struggle of legal immigrants with illegal immigrants
Those who enter illegally are left with very little choice. They might not have the money you did. Yes both struggles are different, but both need to be addressed in the correct manner.
@@lunayen - It's false to say they are "left with very little choice." If they can't come in legally then they have to choice to remain rather than commit a crime. The ability to immigrate is a privilege. Not a right.
@@colin1818 It's not false. If you can't feed yourself, much less your family, you would also make the choice if it's the only one you have. If you don't want them to comit a crime, either maje migration more accessible or create financial incentives so people can have a better life in their home countries, starting with fair wages and good trade deals. The ability to migrate isn't a privilege or a right, but human instinct. Everyone does it, including you.
@@lunayen - The US already takes in more immigrants than the rest of the world combined. Stop defending criminality. I have zero issue whatsoever with people coming here to our wonderful country. Just do it the right way. Do it the legal way. I will not support your rejection of the rule of law.
1:18 That's not quite right. Once you get permanent residency, you don't really need to renew paper works anymore. So the period thereafter is actually more or less free, up until you apply for citizen ship. But there are long lines to get permanent residency and that's when you need to renew the paper works in the mean time and things can get very expensive. Now, there is a caveat, if you reside outside the US for extended period of time with few/infrequent returns, there are things that you need to file or your permanent residency will be revoked. That could cost a bit. But at the same time, if you need that, then there are serious questions about whether you are really looking to immigrate. Or, alternatively, you are only doing so due to job needs which generally should be more than enough to cover the fees or it's not sensible to take the position.
Lol... Someone coming to US for a better future is about 3 or 4 decades too late. Gone is the time when working hard for a year or two was enough to afford a house, etc.
The American dream is pretty much alive. I immigrated in 2017 from s communist country with barely 6k in my pocket, my life savings, no credit history of course. Finding a place to rent was cumbersome, had to pay 3 months in advanced, no car, etc. Anyway, long story short, I'm making nice 6fig, last year I became a citizen, bought my first house, got a nice used Honda CRV and I'm about to become a father. This is the greatest country on earth. Don't take it for granted.
A great video shedding light on costs a lot of families face. These costs really put a burden on my parents and our family growing up. Seeing my dad stressed about money growing up made me stressed about it from a young age and gave me a scarcity mindset. It’s taken years to shake it off and I’m still working on it over ten years later.
This is great, I think one of the largest hidden costs is not building up the support network. Biggest failure I see in some communities just don't follow the law of large numbers and invest together to increase their ROI. Other communities of immigrants use this to either become the 1 in 4 businesses to be created, or use this to get ever further!
Not understand why people still think that US is best country to move....... maybe for poor Mexicans, Guatemala is, but most of Europeans will never want to move to US. But what about US family moving to Portugal, Spain, Greece ?
When I came to the US, I only had two suitcases, and moved into an empty apartment. It was expensive to just get essentials! The first 3.5 years I lived in the US, I was only allowed to work on campus, up to 20h per week, which amounted to very little. My tuition was 4x as much as for US citizens. It’s expensive to immigrate!
Social mobility in the US is among the lowest in the OECD. So the American dream is more achievable in almost all developed countries that are not America.
Internal social mobility is unlikely for an immigrant, but that's not necessarily their goal. American salaries are some of the highest in the world and have enormous purchasing power in less developed countries
@@georgealiatimis7230that might be true for some, but not all immigrants come from poor countries and not all want to be stuck in a dead end job just because it pays a bit more. Cost of living used to be low in the US but has risen a lot by international standards in the last decade. Also there are many developed countries with higher social mobility.
Immigration is not only expensive but takes a toll on your mental, emotional and physical health. Trying to catch up with Americans while supporting a family back home is crazy! I am ready to go back home😢
I came here in 1988, I worked very hard and it was very tough initially to make ends meet. I didn't have credit but didn't give up until I found a credit card company that would give me a credit line and started building credit. I always say where there is a will there is a way. I didn't go to any predatory lenders, had a work visa, and a three month old baby, worked over 60 hours a week to help support a young family. I am grateful for the opportunity to come here, I am one of the one in four people that started a business.
Thank you so much for bringing awareness to this issue. I am a child of immigrants and I run a small business for translation services for the immigrant community. So many immigrant folks are at risk of getting scammed and losing thousands of dollars to predators who claim to be experts and are unauthorized to practice law. Thank you for showing in your video that there are non-profits vetted by the Department of Justice to provide immigration assistance.
As an international student from India to Canada, I can say that even $30,000 USD is less than required amount, it tolls up to 35k in total costs, but it's still worth it tbh
Im an immigrant living in usa for 3.5 years and i hate it already and i hope one day(after i make some money of course) go back to my country live happy and not depressed!!!
I was going to comment on the same. As a graduate international student (MD from abroad) there are too many things I would have done differently if I knew what I know now. It’s only worth it if you get a degree that gives a high return of your investment and use your time here to grow your network strategically. Also, learn how to cook, clean, groom yourself (i.e: manicure, wax, etc) and use the public transportation if it’s safe. All these will save you money.
Thank you for educating people in the matters that get systematically ignored here in the USA. This video and the video on how being poor is more expensive are gold
One other thing is unique to immigrating men. If you are under 26, you must apply for Selected Service. I think it is free to apply, but if you don’t the opportunity costs later can be steep! For example, you may not qualify for Federal jobs (e.g. postman) or Federal contracts The worst thing is this is not made clear when you first get here. I would say it is in the fine print, but I would be lying if I told you where you can find that print.
@@bishop51807 I see your point, but as you pointed out, and I agree, every male U.S. citizen must apply for Selective Service. This video was about those who immigrate to the U.S. Many, if not most immigrants are either adults or young adults who may not be aware that this is a requirement they need to abide by or that it is even relevant to them during their period as non-citizens.
Currently going through the immigration experience from the USA to the UK and it is extremely expensive and can be really difficult especially when nobody is sponsoring you. It's almost like they don't want you here unless you're rich or super highly skilled. Most people who are anti immigration and are calling for tougher immigration laws have no idea what the process is like and we have to go through.
100%. They also don’t understand that with very few avenues for immigration, people get more and more desperate and will resort to immigrating illegally. Having more opportunities and avenues results in less immigration fraud.
Respectfully an American here. It's hard for me to also save up for my own house and chase my goals too. However I firmly believe it's a fair process for immigrants. If I have to pay my share of burdens so do they. I am always welcoming of them as long as they aren't expecting a handout or freeloaders.
@@Jeffrey-s6g how much do you know about the immigration system? How many ways are there for people to come to the US, and how likely is each of the avenues to be successful? Do you know about the qualifications and exclusion criteria for immigrants? It seems like not.
I don't know that we could easily fix issues like being unbanked, but I think it's just stupid that our government puts so many obstacles in the way of immigration. Immigrants usually add more value to our economy than they take out, so I think that overall it's worthwhile to encourage immigration - especially the immigration of skilled workers.
Thank you for always bringing honesty and truth without politics involved. You're able to reach audiences that would otherwise ignore. You're one of the few places I can still trust, and I hope to see many years of content!
Even though some topics are not related to me or if I already know about it, I still watch all your videos, I just enjoy watching you both and explaining things, am I the only one?
I always found surprising that in the US, being a capitalist country, people really shy away of discussing money, earnings and financial challenges. It is like a taboo subject. People seem more eager to talk about their genitals than about finances and wages. Immigrants really have it hard since most folks will feel like you are nosy when all you want is to learn and understand the system. But no one cares, only other immigrants...
Because of my accent, I am always a target for scammers, like car mechanics or bankers. When I was buying a car, they wanted to charge me 21% interest rate even though my credit score was 759 and had no other loans. When asked why, they've said because I am an immigrant.
Wow, seeing this video makes me give myself some credit. I came here 7 years ago, I became a U.S. citizen the same day I became a home owner after 6 years in America. Two event in one single day. I worked my as* hard, I still do and I always will. I don’t know if I should call it “being lucky” or “being disciplined”. Maybe since Immigrants know what is like to live in a country with no many opportunities, once we made it in the US, we already have a master in how to play the life game.
I have been a permanent resident of Mexico for nearly 8 years. The process has been quite expensive, particularly in Mexico where there is a high level of inconsistency and often incompetence, even with the assistance of a lawyer. Any mistakes made by them still result in costs coming out of your own pocket. I would estimate that I have spent approximately six to $7,000 on paperwork during this time, only for it to be filed in their computer. Additionally, it is important to consider that the average salary of a Mexican is three to four hundred dollars a month, amounting to less than $5,000 per year. Now, factor in the expenses of an immigrant moving and working in Mexico.
Not to mention that immigrants pay MORE taxes than residents. You don't believe me? Try filing a 1040NR instead of the usual 1040 . Low income? You gotta pay for that too, no free filing for immigrants
I do find the Government a little odd. I worked a long time at a Company, on the 25th year of service I had to prove that I was a U.S. Citizen which I did. I really think they are not sure who's who in this Country.
The annoying thing is not that you have to jump through all these hoops. It's that in spite of that there are people here who think who are a drain on the system, consuming benefits and not paying taxes, without even making the effort to research a bit and learning that non-citizens don't qualify for receiving anything while we pay full taxes.
Wait-list for greencard for Indian is more than 12 years. If you have to change jobs you are ineligible because companies don't want to pay for the visa transfer fees which can be from $1700 - $6000, and most of us pay $2500 out of pocket for premium processing. So you'll have to spend $2500 just to change job
I don't mind paying so much... The most annoying thing is how inefficient USCIS is... Also, the most expensive part of all this is not what the government charges you, it's the attorney... They make triple of what the government makes from legal immigrants.
As a first gen I can’t even begin to explain to you how frustrating and annoying it is to try and talk about any of these issues with us born Americans or even first class immigrants (doctors, lawyers, etc…). Any time you run into an obstacle the response is “oh that’s easy just do this” “just apply for this” “just use this ID”. I’m not mad or upset with them as I know they don’t know better but it Rea is frustrating and very lonely.
Immigrated to US, made my money, retired, sold all assets and went back to my home country where the $5M i have accumulated feels like $500M. America is the best country to make money but also not the cheapest when you are done working.
Best plan ever! I’ll retire in Colombia or Costa Rica 😁
Am curious, did you renounce citizenship? Also, have you any obligations to IRS post relocation.
Did you become a US citizen in the process, or just worked with a green card?
That is if u live below your means and dont go into spend like no tomorrow american philosophy
I suggest my friends to earn in dollars abroad while living cheap there and within 10-15 years save so much that they can return and live comfortably forever
If you already have 5mil in the US why sell everything? Yeah you can buy that fancy house in your country but the value may not be as stabilized. Then there's also loosing the option of moving back into the US making. If the values of money is 100 more in your country than in the US why not rent out your assets and create an income stream for yourself to live comfortably.
My mom immigrated here in the 1980s before she even learned English and now look at us: she's an accountant with a home and a fully funded retirement fund, I'm a lawyer, and my sister is on her way to being a nurse. Nice job mom! Dad helped too of course haha.
If you don't mind me asking what is your law concentration, average work week and what would you rate being lawyer and studying law overall out of 10? Thanks,
- any reply would be appreciated, kind regards.
" Welcome to America". The happiest place on earth" Your newly furnished house is ready to be moved in there's a BMW or MBZ in the driveway waiting in your choice of colors in addition for the next 5 years you have a choice of $5,000 to $10,000 a month welcoming government payments depending on size of your family with plenty of money to send back home.
@@Anonymoose66G most lawyers hate their jobs my best advice is to shadow the type of attorney you're considering to see if it's worth the torture and expense of law school and the bar
-concentration: public defender aka I defend people who are accused of crimes and too poor to hire their own attorney
-average work week: 40 hours/typical M-F 9-5. I'm usually in court in the mornings and doing depositions or jail visits or desk work in the afternoons. I work unpaid OT the night before trials, which are infrequent (about once every few months)
-40 hours a week is typical for government lawyers and extremely low overall; lawyers usually work ~70 hours a week at haphazard hours
-I love my job 9/10, which is common for public defenders and rare overall; lawyer is one of the professions with the lowest job satisfaction rate
-law school sucked 3/10, but bar prep is 1/10 one of the worst things I've ever experienced. I was literally having panic attacks and got shingles at age 30 (usually only old people get it) because my immune system was obliterated from the stress
@@SidV101hat about a corporate lawyer? I'm in my last years in a law school in Europe and I'd like to go the US.
@@rafanadir6958 corporate lawyers generally make a lot of money, work a ton of hours, and hate their jobs. You won't be able to work in the US as a lawyer until you pass the bar in the jurisdiction you're planning to practice in, and that usually requires you to get a degree here in the US first
Edit: oh yeah I forgot to mention, getting a job as a corporate lawyer is really difficult (lots of competition because of the pay). Generally you need to go to a top law school, or graduate top of your class at a mid tier law school, and/or have connections to someone at the firm
Origin and destination countries can significantly impact the immigrant experience. My parents migrated from Sri Lanka to Australia and it was a 20 year struggle to attain permanent residency. As an Australian citizen, migrating to the US was a breeze in comparison. Grateful for my folks’ tenacity to ensure my immigrant experience was so different to theirs.
Sri Lankan is commenting here. Good luck for future endeavors ❤
Australians don't even need a visa to visit the USA.
20 years?!
That's just wrong 😢
I agree to a degree
Same for me, except with Canada. I think it took around three years to get citizenship. Coming to the US was very easy afterwards. Unlike Australia, I think we needed a TN visa which just required a lot of paperwork in order to get.
The challenge of getting a bank account is no joke. I immigrated from Canada at 26yrs old. I had US citizenship and an SSN thanks to my mom and I was shocked by how difficult it was to get a bank account, credit card, and place to rent without any employment history here. I can’t imagine how much more difficult it is if you come from dire circumstances in another country or have a language barrier. Immigrants are brave and valuable!
It could be worse if you are immigrating to a country that is highly incompetent. For example, in some cases, you may need a bank account to apply for permanent residency. Keep in mind that I already have permanent residency. The bank asked me to submit a copy of my residency on three occasions, and then they closed my bank account without informing me. According to them, I hadn't submitted my permanent residency, even though I had. Now, imagine someone who needs a bank account to take the first step in their immigration application, only for the bank to be incompetent in filing their paperwork with immigration. This could result in the application being denied, causing the person to lose both time and money. They would have to repeat the process all over again, and to make matters worse, immigration would not provide any explanation for the rejection. This has happened to a couple of my associates over the years, and it is just one of many possible scenarios.
Genuinely interested to learn more. I'm not an immigrant, never applied to be an immigrant, however I was able to open a bank account in exactly one day, for about $39.
Really? It was pretty easy for me to get a bank account and a regular credit card when I was in high school/college. And I didn't have much of an employment history. Maybe it depends on the bank or person you were speaking with. Some places are stricter than others.
exactly, Chase sucks at providing accurate information for immigrants to apply to ANY of their bank accounts ( two wasted trips and lots of wasted efforts). Wells Fargo is great at this though.
I’m a first gen immigrant, came here 10yrs ago with almost zero bank balance, Now having decent job, home, and two kids. One rule of thumb is, try to love what you are doing. I truely love this country and I have my little goal and mission to be done here, that enabled me to overcome all these struggling. It is hard, but if you love what you are doing, definetely it is worth it.
Of course Europian countries are great to live, many things are way better than North America. Just my preference, I love freedom over the quality of life. Many of my friends are exactly opposite, nobody is wrong. it’s all good.
What I mean is mostly cultural aspect. For example, forcing to wear a mask in pandemic is not a cultural norm here, whereas many Asian, Europian people don’t really resist to it. Individual freedom is obviously more here in America(New World) than Old World.
@@Anonymoose66G Nah, no guns = no freedom. It's easy to forget how fragile the social contract is but guess who gets to enforce it? People with power, notably the ones with guns who don't like you.
@@wonseoklee80 Wdym, Europeans and many Asians wear masks because they don't want to get sick and yes they don't care that much, what's wearing a mask for 5 minutes to go into a shop going to do. Also most Covid-19 restrictions have been restricted and where I'm from everything's back to normal, no masks Ect. Even in the height of the pandemic we weren't forced to wear them, nobody really cared, we mostly just wore masks if you were entering a business or public building. Also like I stated before wearing mask may actually give you more freedom, also asian cultures wear masks due to dense urban cities having toxic air causing lung issues, this is obvious is Mongolia, China ECT. So it was already established as a social and societal norm thus nobody really minded it. Obviously China and a few other countries reacted to the pandemic rather forcefully.
Immigrations is hella expensive and even worst when is done out of desperation no matter the destination... But based on the country is worth it, like I always say to my parents who ask me why I don't live in our home country since I will be living "like a king" with my income: "Safety is priceless"
Tell me you’re from No Cal without saying you’re from No Cal
Finances shouldn't be the main concern of immigrants, it should be the bigoted Republicans that aim to make their live miserable.
@@crazytrashman123 get better with those assumptions because you are missing those shots xD
@@HaimRich94USA ain't safe
@@rizz7273 USA has 6 times lower murder rates than my home country and if we go to specific cities then the number is even worst... Yeah, safety is priceless
Im a first gen Immigrant in US. Been through all these and US is one of the hardest countries to 'settle down' for first few years.
The burden of facing all these all alone was exhausting and sometimes I thought of quitting too. But its worth it to survive this struggle for a long term goal.
Good job! How old are you?
How do you know the US is one of the hardest countries to 'settle down'? How many countries have you attempted to become first gen immigrant?
@@jorgeriveramx I can share my XP for 4 countries I've studied when I was looking for a new place to "settle down" (US, Canada, Australia, Italy) and yes... US was the hardest one (and the most expensive), however, I agree with you. To immigrate to countries like Japan or North Korea might be even harder.
As an immigrant, I want give a shout out to St. John’s University (SJU). As mentioned in this video, new immigrants (international students in this case) find it hard to open bank accounts. SJU helped in this process by having agreements with the local banks in Queens making it easier to open an account.
What makes it harder to open bank accounts for foreigners/immigrants compared to the locals?
I was able to easily open an account at Bank of America with no involvement from my university
@@xXRealXxif you are an illegal immigrant that means you don’t have a social security number and without that you can’t open a bank account. You also can’t get a credit card because obviously they rely on SS number to verify identity and credit score. But it’s not true, I live in nyc and all illegal immigrants have bank accounts and many are even getting credit cards now.
I knew a man who immigrated from Honduras and worked 70 hours a week at a local restaurant until he could afford to pay for his wife and kid to move here. I always thought that was quite admirable.
Yes, it was. It should not be that way, though. The rich are allowed to exploit most of the country, and it has greatly harmed society. The US is vastly different from the 70s, when I was a kid. Then it was decent, especially if you were white, and we were making racial progress. That country is long gone. Do not fall for the American dream. It is a delusional goal.
As an immigrant I can tell you the filing fees is MUCH more than just $1,000. To get the process started we had to file the I-130 and adjustment of status that each cost $535 and $1,225 respectively, I also had to go to a special civil surgeon for an exam that costed me $300 plus got some vaccines that I had to pay out of pocket for. Then when my green card was issued I only got conditional permanent resident status that means I have file the I-751 and to pay another $680 before it expires in 2 years… then to finally become a citizen file the N-400 that costs $725. And these are JUST the filing fees, so this isn’t taking into account any money you’d spend hiring a lawyer if you don’t want to navigate this process all by yourself. All in from entering the USA to becoming a U.S. citizen I’m looking at $3,165 in filing fees alone assuming I don’t hire a lawyer or do anything extra. And that’s just for one person (me)
Just cross the Mexican border and yell racism. Then it’s free.
Yea I was going to comment it cost me close to $4k to get to citizenship
Yep, exactly. The I-751 is such a grift, too. I’m a conditional permanent resident right now and we estimate it cost about $3500 to get me the green card.
That's not so bad
@@slimboyd that’s only for the current filing fees. It doesn’t include the fact that the filing fees are going to increase any time now (take a look at the proposed increases - they’re ludicrous). It also doesn’t include fees for lawyers or anything else that could complicate your case. It’s very expensive to immigrate.
It's very considered you guys made this video. As an imigrant there's way too much to think about it that sometimes I even forget how hard it is for us, a lot of people say it's just about adaptation but it's more about a complex process filled with a lot of steps that need to be taken care of carefully, for starters you need the money to pay all the fees to have a legal status here in USA, and depending on the number of members it could be really costly and long process but it's way better than paying to someone to bring you here illegally becuase the legal cost could easily become 3X with no guarantees whatsoever, but don't be fooled, you still need another very important step in oreder to make it, you need to have the ENGLISH plus the physical and metal strenght to endure all the new process you are about to go through, be prepare to face rejection because of your accent, of how you look or just simply because you're different, be prepare to take a job that never in your wildest dreams you thought about because you need to start making the money ASAP in order to pay or start saving so eventually you can move on. We always need to start from literally ZERO, there are NO BANK, CARD, LEGAL, LABOR RECORDS at all, no friends sometimes, no own home, tight budgets and so on.
TWO CENTS was one of those channels I discovered a little before I moved to USA from Ecuador back in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic (I forgot to add that) and let me tell you it's been really helpful in a lot of senses, it gave me a little more of education (which I already had) in how to build my credit, the not to do stuff with credit cards, the importance of the money and the one I remember the most THE BUDGET!!!!.
I must say expreriences can vary in a lot of senses from people to people but as usual EDUCATION and information being spread correctly could become one of the most useful tools you have on hand, for you guys I wanna say thank you for spreading it and for all the inmmigrants trying to make it please don't give up, we have already taken a really hard step to have something better so you are at leat halfway there, I hope the best for all those who decided to go into this journey.
1st Generation American Here. The struggles are real. I work 78hrs to 90hrs a week. I aim for the future. Growing up 1 bedroom apt with 10 people. Now, I am 35, I own many cars and I have 2 homes and 3 properties. No government help. Not knowing any person or having no family. Don't buy things you don't need remember your family's sacrifices keep pushing. You will succeed. God Bless everyone and God Bless America
As someone who has come to the U.S. 10 years ago for college and masters on full scholarship, been working for a nonprofit for 4 years, who still doesn't have a green card and is going through numerous immigration hurdles without any financial safety net, I really appreciate this video. I feel like my struggles are recognized. Many thanks to the whole Two Cents team!
(P.S. Currently H1B work visa costs around $7000 - if you are lucky in the annual randomized lottery, which has a 20% winning rate. Employment based green card costs $15,000 and takes at least 3 years).
Last point applied to me. I moved here 8 years ago and the 5 years I 100% focused on sending money to family and forgot myself by living on the edge as much as possible with zero savings, no investment, even took my 401k from my first job and helped them out. It's noble to help your family even though some of them didn't even appreciate it BUT it was wrong, I should put myself first then help when I stand on my feet. Last 4 years I focused 100% on me, bought home, doubled my income, now have 401k, saving and investments, and finishing my Master's degree as well. Made time for cooking all my meals because food in the US is super unhealthy and suck, lost weight, got in shape and I am happy and proud of myself over what I achieved.
Keep it going. Glad to hear that!
@@anferneemorrigan7542 Thank you!
Thank you guys for making this video. I've been an immigrant in Africa, Europe then US. It's not easy to leave your family behind for better education, safety and opportunity. Especially at a young age. Saying it's a hurdle race is an understatement. It's more like a lottery. The amount of sacrifice to do is unimaginable.
Every time there's an economic crisis - which happened a lot for the last 20 years - fingers are pointed to immigrants, whatever they are legal or not. I recall uncomfortable debates in France especially when the far right was gaining momentum. My main argument was simple. I will just ask questions about the cost/tax revenue balance of immigration in the country? What are the precise jobs immigrants are being accused to "steal"? Why are no local going for those jobs? What is the rate of immigrants benefiting from the government aids compared to rest of the population (knowing that is a disadvantage for an immigrant to use it and it's so hard to get them that people just abandon the idea)? The adversary side will come very quickly to lacking serious argument.
I salute all the immigrant which are doing their best to thrive. One thing I liked in the video, is the advice regarding building a safety net for yourself before helping others. It's a very hard thing to do but it's one of precious lessons learned in 16 years of being an immigrant and supporting my family.
Well done @Two Cents
Loved it.. so true.. one thing that was not mentioned is that when competing for jobs you have to make extra efforts to compensate the employer for not being as fluent in the language, not being familiarized with a lot of things and situations common to the residents, sometimes you compensate with more experience, more education or simply dedicating more hours
First generation immigrant here! Thank you for this video! The hardest working people I have ever met have also been immigrants. There is something about appreciating the chance and opportunity of coming from Africa to such a wealthy country. Nothing is taken for granted, and you work harder so that what got you here was worth the pain, money, effort, interviews, fees, paperwork, sleepless nights, looming expiration dates, culture shock, ridicule, feeling like an outcast, and so much more!
Here I am, a boy from Africa with paid-off cars, 3 houses, passive income, funded retirement, and no consumer debt. If I can do it, ANYBODY else can do it too! To anyone in the process of immigrating, thinking about it, or already did, hats off to you. It's not easy leaving home, but for the sake of your future and for your children if you have any, it has been worth the sweat and tears! Good luck out there!
Slightly related, I'm from a commonwealth country with many banks offering day to day banking for 'free'. When I worked in Canada, it was a shock that I had to maintain a balance of $2,000CAD to avoid paying a monthly account fee.
Now it's like 5k or you need a mortgage with the bank unless you use one of the free banks with no branches.
Immigrating to the USA is a costly endeavor. The significant, unaddressed aspect pertains to the experiences of myself and other Indians attempting to obtain a green card. Despite having resided in this wonderful country for the past 11 years, I have yet to receive my greencard. Indians face an extensive waiting list, so long that one would need to be reincarnated twice with the same petition number due to the country cap rule. While this may seem like a minor issue to those who haven't gone through it, in reality, it is a tremendous burden that surpasses mere financial concerns. I have numerous friends who were unable to travel to India for their parents' funerals due to the demanding paperwork and stamping requirements, and these feelings of regret will stay with us indefinitely. Additionally, if one loses their job and cannot secure new employment, they are compelled to deport themselves and often sell their possessions at a substantial loss or give them away.
My point is, money is nothing before other burdens that we go through as first generation immigrants. My love and support to those who go through this battle.
PS: I will not reply back to people who ask me to go back that is whole another topic.
A fellow Indian trying to make it here. Cost is nothing compared to the tremendous uphill battle that outsiders have to face to even get a chance to qualify for immigrations. This video starts with an assumption that you'll qualify then you'll have to pay for the fees, most of the us come on different visas that is a long shot to convert them to a green card. The social and the emotional pressure that this creates is unbearable and sometimes I just want to think that it's okay to leave this country if it comes to that. They have created and made it difficult to stay here systemically, I will continue trying but my priority will always be my family over making it big here.
@@Kushpatel9047 💯%
I wish you all the very best!
Hopefully you've realized no one gave any rats, you chose to be here isn't it, it takes what it takes.
@@aviator2060 Yea funny you mention that because the reason for leaving my home country was to have a better pay and benefits on equal grounds but the immigration process is anything but equal. I still chose to stay here because at least in the corporate world I can get a good job on the basis of merit, where my country of origin, race does not matter much or hinder in the wait times.
@@Kushpatel9047 My answer still remains the same!!
I’m so glad you guys made this video! I may have some advice to add, my two cents.
I immigrated to the U.S. with my husband, who’s American. He couldn’t adapt to life in my native country, where I had a full career. So, I came here with my life’s savings, which turned out to be so little, given the high cost of living. I had to restart my career all over again, including going back to college. Our income is well below the median for our area, but we live well.
However, there were always the incredibly expensive immigration fees. My total expenses were in the thousands of dollars just for myself. That’s not counting all the related expenses, like getting and printing paperwork, traveling to the nearest USCIS office, traveling to embassies, the opportunity cost of waiting MONTHS for your work authorization, etc.
The saving grace is that you don’t need a lawyer to do all of this. I did all my immigration paperwork myself. You just have to read the government instruction well and be careful. There are tons of material online and forums where you’ll get information and support on how to apply. I always felt it was too complicated and like I didn’t want to mess things up, so we were thinking of hiring legal aid, but that would’ve added thousands more to our tight budget. It all worked out in the end by making use of all the wealth of information online. If your case is straightforward, you can definitely do it yourself!
I'm an immigrant (now a citizen), I worked 2-3 jobs from ages 18-30 and saved and invested aggressively. America has a lot of problems but I would have never achieved the financial success I've experienced in my home country.
From which country you are sir?
Proud to be a first gen immigrant
Nothing to be proud about pal.
As an immigrant I arrived to NYC with only 5 nights paid to a hotel and didnt know anybody. I had to find an apartment in those five days and the first thing I discovered is that nobody in NYC rents to "just arrived" immigrants unless these immigrants pay to "Insurent" a company that essentially tell the landlord "yeah this guy has money." the cost is two months rent on top of the deposit you have to pay to the landlord, just to get an apartment in five days in NYC.
Thank god I found a landlord who asked me to give him the full three months rent in advance to him instead of paying to Insurent, so with that I had 3 months to find a job.
The people who need this video the most don't understand enough English to watch it. There's gotta be a way to add Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, etc. closed captions to it.
First gen immigrant. our residency training program set up a meeting with the local bank in our area in the first week so we get our direct deposit set up. i was fortunate that on arrival i had a very good salary for a "fresh off the boat" immigrant. when i started my J1 waiver, my employer paid for my lawyer fees, about 10K in '96, but due to the inefficiency and lack of progress with that lawyer( when i called for an update i discovered that the person working on my case had left the firm 6 months before), i changed lawyers and paid out of pocket myself for another 11K in 2000. fortunately we didn't have to pay everything at once. my first job i was underpaid compared to my peers even other immigrant doctors. it took 14 years to get my greencard as immigration laws kept changing with different administrations starting with Clinton as well as my slow lawyer. i had to pay for multiple immigration required doctor visits as they are only valid for a short time( i got vaccinated 3 times for measles, mumps rubella even if my serology from medical residency showed i already had titers for this just so the right box can be checked). early on, with a pending greencard application i drove to Toronto, Canada on the advice of my lawyer to get a new visa stamped, in case i had to go back home quickly as my mother was diagnosed with cancer. US embassy in Toronto handled it uneventfully. i had what is called a parole letter explaining the need to go out of the US for the visa and the newly stamped US visa but crossing back into MI where i lived, immigration guards held me back for a few hours, made fun of me as i explained what my lawyer had me do saying to the other guards " Hey listen to this guy explain immigration law to me while laughing amongst themselves" also kept asking me where i lived and refusing the address i gave them. they wanted me to say my address from when i left my home country and not caring that i haven't been there for 5 years. they eventually let me continue on my way but i vowed never to step outside the US till i got my greencard so as to never be subject to a powertripping border guard . once you get the greencard , you feel a big weight lifted off your shoulders.
it is amazing how your future can rest on how a border guard's day is going or what he had for breakfast even if all your papers are in order.
I'm so sorry you had this experience, the people who came across you at the border sounded like they were on a power trip. Just horrible. I am glad everything is alright for you now.
@@novalinnhe it still grates at me to this day the way they were making fun of me. that was in 97 or 98. i got my greencard 2010 and citizenship a year or 2 later. a few years later, i remember not even considering going on a boat tour in upper MI as the boat may cross over to the Canadian side of the river even if it wasn't going to dock there. I never stepped off the US until i got my greencard. i achieved my American Dream and retired at 55 y/o 2 years ago and made it to above 97th percentile of household networth from nothing take that border guards. one of my most prized possessions are the small American flags they give you during the citizenship ceremony. i keep it in my safe and told my son to always keep it in the family.
As an Immigrant I have a full time job, drive for Uber Eats, have a Fans page and still is not enough money to save.
Minimum account balance fees are pure evil. But the real nastiness are the overdraft fees: "Since you don't have money, every single day you will owe us additional $100 and you have to pay all at once in order to stop accumulating those." Not having money for a week costs $700 but they also charge interests on these.
Don't spend money you don't have. Problem solved
I'm so happy you covered this topic! Immigrating to the US was an expensive experience for me too. A lot of the time people think that becoming a permanent resident or a US Citizen is just paperwork and a small fee, but it is a long and expensive process.
Thank you for talking about this topic. Immigration has so many layers and not just what the news and politicians talk about. Those fees and requirements are never addressed when talking about immigration. This information was a lot more than 2 cents !! Thank you !
Immigrating to Canada is way easier. You can do remote job and earn US Dollars and spend in CAD.
the person that I know emigrated to us through Mexico it cost him 20000$ but now he is already working in NewYork.
I’m proud being a naturalized US citizen. This is a land of freedom I’ve ever wished to stay here and contribute my patriotism
(5:44) You remind me of what Arnold said in his Documentary, Pumping Iron. One of the reasons he became successful is because he had people supporting him when he first came to America.
I immigrated to the U.S. in 1982 and retired back to Jamaica in 2022. During that time I went to college and spent a career in financial services and the Army Reserve. I did not realize how American I have become, so now I will be buying a one room condo in the States so I can spend a few months of the year there. Jamaica is good, but I need to be in America every now and then.
I'm a first-generation Japanese immigrant. Fortunately, my immigration as a Japanese citizen was very smooth, and I managed to complete my American citizenship in just two years and bit, including my military service.
The nationality of your country of origin and how good a lawyer you can get will determine the difficulty of immigrating to the United States.
I am also first generation immigrant, I joined military service to show my allegiance to the USA though it is optional. Before they sent me to war, they naturalized me so in case I died, I am an American! Though what you said is true, IF you need a lawyer while having military service... it is maybe because you are in those "cushy" military job? My experience tell me if you in military, you don't need your own lawyer, military will give you the lawyer you need to get it done. Like I said, before they send me out to harms way, I am already an American!
@@slothypunk Thank you for your experience and service!
Before I enlisted, I used an immigration lawyer to get my green card! It made it easier and faster for me to actually receive my green card than other Japanese who applied for it on their own!
I got my green card in 2022, when i has applied in 2013 for it. total estimated cost for all expenses is about 25k half of which was paid by employer.
In just the couple first months it's a nightmare. 99% of the US is car centric. You have to immediately get a driving license and buy a car and/or Uber everywhere BEFORE getting a job. And I say BUY outright because you have no access to credit so it's cash only. That's thousands of dollars in upfront expenses. Then and only then you can look for employment to get some cash inflow, which will NEVER match your qualifications. It's minimum wage and temp if you're lucky and have your papers clear. And let's not even mention housing! Who rents to a foreigner who has no job yet, no credit history? It's a nightmare.
If you don't have a solid chunk of cash and community contacts you're screwed. And if you fail and go back, you're out all those expenses anyway and probably in debt in your native country.
Thats why many Indian American pushing Indian Government for more rights as a non-resident Indian. According to Indian constitution dual citizenship is ban. But now they can nearly enjoy citizenship rights of India by various amendments and change of laws. Not to target any country, but they certainly know sooner or later they will kick out of that country if they are no longer useful for that particular country.
I’m working on getting my wife to immigrant from Thailand, and between having to pay for marriage costs, the wedding, immigration costs, and paying for other support to get her financially stable to come over here, we’ve spent about $30,000 already. And, that’s just us waiting for two years to get her marriage visa finally approved.
To be fair immigration into other industrialized countries is just as hard or harder. For example in Iceland your wage is heavily dependent on how long you have been a citizen NOT your skills or particular job this heavily decreasing immigration of all kinds.
I’m a U.S. citizen in England on a working visa, for three years it’s about £2300 which is about $3k. To get citizenship after another 2 years of this the total cost works out to about $10k
Two cents - *talk about permanent residence fees.*
Me - *Cries in H1B lottery*
When I moved to Virginia I found it hard to get a drivers license as the DMV kept saying that all the paperwork I had from USCIS was not good enough to prove legal residency.
I ended up getting my state representative involved what a pain
Thank you so much for this video! I worked briefly in tech in the US, and even with all of the ways they facilitated the process it was still stressful.
To begin with, people migrating either have enough money to afford it, or are so desperate that are willing to do whatever it takes. I think I'm in a minority middle class that got everything sorted out.
I didn't even know that an SSN is a thing until I arrived. My migration process was sspreaded across two summer internships and then working full time, I'd probably have had collapsed if that wasn't the case. I can also only imagine what it'd have taken if I wanted a gc.
I'm incredibly thankful with this channel because it helped immensely with that adaptation process. Your work has real impact in real people, and I think you should know it and be proud of it.
This also needs to be shown to all of those who wonder why don't people just go "legally". Immigration shouldn't be about bureaucratic begging, no one deserves that.
The hardest part of being an immigrant is that even if you're doing well, you'll always consider to go back to your country because adapting its hard (right now things are a bit crazy everywhere).
There is not a best way to immigrate and it takes a lot of sacrifice to be successful as a foreigner. One thing I definetly think that helps a lot is being educated.
Talking from my experience, it is not easy and takes a lot of work to finally land on an secure job if you have a degree from an unknown university and the degree has a different name, but they will trust you and if you demonstrate your abilities, they will reward you. You can also make it without a degree but it would be harder. Try to study, apply to a public university and take a few courses a semester so you can work and study. It doesn't matter if it takes you more time.
these on top of the massive cost and difficulty of getting in or accepted. the only acceptable cost and speed for immigration is through marriage with an American citizen which is being exploited as the easiest path. this heavily penalizes the lawful/process of immigration but little cost to unlawful fixed marriage. imagine, some visa categories would take an applicant about twenty years of wait just to be eligible for citizens of Mexico and Philippines. In reality, most aspirants just want work in the US and send money to their home country. But no, not only it is difficult to get in for the first time in the US but also coming back which makes the option of a green card or citizenship likely the only path to permanent work in the US.
Immigrants don't generally drive lower wages, it only drives lower wages for the basic and laborious jobs which Americans don't want anyway.
Great video. I was a Soldier stationed in Korea. I found my dream woman there and we were married in Korea. All told, we spent about $5000 before she immigrated. Most people don't realize the amount of paperwork that's necessary and the financial resources required. Our process was fairly efficient, as the State Department and INS do take good care of overseas military folks. I was also well familiar with government paperwork and had a good job. I can only imagine how difficult for someone who speaks minimal English, is unfamiliar with US government processes, has limited financial resources, and doesn't have US citizen sponsor who can help to navigate the bureaucracy.
God bless these non profit organizations
What are some reputable ones?
Immigrants (first gen) are superhuman
If your college has an international office ask them as many questions as you can and try to get in contact with immigrant alumni.
Shout out to the international office of Saint Mary's College of California (SMC) for helping me out through the immigration process.
It's been 9 years since I moved to the US and I finally got a high-paying job, good credit history, and I feel myself at home now. But, at the end of the day, my work authorization will expire in 3 months and I will have to leave the country. My green card application won't make it on time because of the enormous application backlog in USCIS, and my only bet was winning a lottery for a work visa (H1B), which I didn't win.
I think the US gives enough opportunities to make money (as long as you are willing to put in some work). However, just to get all your papers right for good, you either need to be very lucky (win visa/green card lotteries or somehow get a green card before your student visa expires or just be born in the right country), or be an exceptional talent and hire exceptionally talented lawyers to get an O1 visa.
This is why it annoys me when it comes to illegal immigration and people that call it immigration. IT's not the same thing. I am a first gen Nigerian Immigrant and coming here legally was tough. It's even tougher now. Quit conflating the struggle of legal immigrants with illegal immigrants
Exactly! People that went through the process the right way should be upset with people that just want to cheat their way through a tough system.
Those who enter illegally are left with very little choice. They might not have the money you did. Yes both struggles are different, but both need to be addressed in the correct manner.
@@lunayen - It's false to say they are "left with very little choice." If they can't come in legally then they have to choice to remain rather than commit a crime.
The ability to immigrate is a privilege. Not a right.
@@colin1818
It's not false. If you can't feed yourself, much less your family, you would also make the choice if it's the only one you have. If you don't want them to comit a crime, either maje migration more accessible or create financial incentives so people can have a better life in their home countries, starting with fair wages and good trade deals. The ability to migrate isn't a privilege or a right, but human instinct. Everyone does it, including you.
@@lunayen - The US already takes in more immigrants than the rest of the world combined.
Stop defending criminality. I have zero issue whatsoever with people coming here to our wonderful country. Just do it the right way. Do it the legal way.
I will not support your rejection of the rule of law.
1:18 That's not quite right. Once you get permanent residency, you don't really need to renew paper works anymore. So the period thereafter is actually more or less free, up until you apply for citizen ship. But there are long lines to get permanent residency and that's when you need to renew the paper works in the mean time and things can get very expensive.
Now, there is a caveat, if you reside outside the US for extended period of time with few/infrequent returns, there are things that you need to file or your permanent residency will be revoked. That could cost a bit. But at the same time, if you need that, then there are serious questions about whether you are really looking to immigrate. Or, alternatively, you are only doing so due to job needs which generally should be more than enough to cover the fees or it's not sensible to take the position.
Lol... Someone coming to US for a better future is about 3 or 4 decades too late. Gone is the time when working hard for a year or two was enough to afford a house, etc.
That was not true then and the house was not what you think of as a house
You can still afford a much better quality of life in the USA then you can with a typical job in most other countries
Thats why they work save up and build the house over there because they see that ship has sailed long ago
Bro I come from Argentina, you have it way to easy, trust me. just don't vote more populism, thanks.
The American dream is pretty much alive. I immigrated in 2017 from s communist country with barely 6k in my pocket, my life savings, no credit history of course. Finding a place to rent was cumbersome, had to pay 3 months in advanced, no car, etc.
Anyway, long story short, I'm making nice 6fig, last year I became a citizen, bought my first house, got a nice used Honda CRV and I'm about to become a father. This is the greatest country on earth. Don't take it for granted.
A great video shedding light on costs a lot of families face. These costs really put a burden on my parents and our family growing up.
Seeing my dad stressed about money growing up made me stressed about it from a young age and gave me a scarcity mindset. It’s taken years to shake it off and I’m still working on it over ten years later.
This is great, I think one of the largest hidden costs is not building up the support network. Biggest failure I see in some communities just don't follow the law of large numbers and invest together to increase their ROI. Other communities of immigrants use this to either become the 1 in 4 businesses to be created, or use this to get ever further!
Not understand why people still think that US is best country to move....... maybe for poor Mexicans, Guatemala is, but most of Europeans will never want to move to US.
But what about US family moving to Portugal, Spain, Greece ?
wealth shouldn't be the biggest priority it should be to live free from religious or political persecution
Exactly
When I came to the US, I only had two suitcases, and moved into an empty apartment. It was expensive to just get essentials!
The first 3.5 years I lived in the US, I was only allowed to work on campus, up to 20h per week, which amounted to very little.
My tuition was 4x as much as for US citizens.
It’s expensive to immigrate!
Social mobility in the US is among the lowest in the OECD. So the American dream is more achievable in almost all developed countries that are not America.
Internal social mobility is unlikely for an immigrant, but that's not necessarily their goal. American salaries are some of the highest in the world and have enormous purchasing power in less developed countries
@@georgealiatimis7230that might be true for some, but not all immigrants come from poor countries and not all want to be stuck in a dead end job just because it pays a bit more. Cost of living used to be low in the US but has risen a lot by international standards in the last decade. Also there are many developed countries with higher social mobility.
Immigration is not only expensive but takes a toll on your mental, emotional and physical health. Trying to catch up with Americans while supporting a family back home is crazy! I am ready to go back home😢
I came here in 1988, I worked very hard and it was very tough initially to make ends meet. I didn't have credit but didn't give up until I found a credit card company that would give me a credit line and started building credit. I always say where there is a will there is a way. I didn't go to any predatory lenders, had a work visa, and a three month old baby, worked over 60 hours a week to help support a young family. I am grateful for the opportunity to come here, I am one of the one in four people that started a business.
Thank you so much for bringing awareness to this issue. I am a child of immigrants and I run a small business for translation services for the immigrant community. So many immigrant folks are at risk of getting scammed and losing thousands of dollars to predators who claim to be experts and are unauthorized to practice law. Thank you for showing in your video that there are non-profits vetted by the Department of Justice to provide immigration assistance.
In Japan you pay an $80 stamp for PR after acceptance and you are good to go. Naturalization costs $0.
USCIS is founded by it's fees, and not tax dollars. Other government agencies don't have such constraints for the fees for other services are minimal
As an international student from India to Canada, I can say that even $30,000 USD is less than required amount, it tolls up to 35k in total costs, but it's still worth it tbh
Yeah people don’t know how bad it is in india
As a first generation American and I'm new to the whole system this video is SO much helpful and informative.
Thank you two cents.
Im an immigrant living in usa for 3.5 years and i hate it already and i hope one day(after i make some money of course) go back to my country live happy and not depressed!!!
I'd suggest a follow up video on international students. The financial shackles are far worse for them.
I was going to comment on the same. As a graduate international student (MD from abroad) there are too many things I would have done differently if I knew what I know now. It’s only worth it if you get a degree that gives a high return of your investment and use your time here to grow your network strategically. Also, learn how to cook, clean, groom yourself (i.e: manicure, wax, etc) and use the public transportation if it’s safe. All these will save you money.
Thank you for educating people in the matters that get systematically ignored here in the USA. This video and the video on how being poor is more expensive are gold
One other thing is unique to immigrating men. If you are under 26, you must apply for Selected Service. I think it is free to apply, but if you don’t the opportunity costs later can be steep! For example, you may not qualify for Federal jobs (e.g. postman) or Federal contracts The worst thing is this is not made clear when you first get here. I would say it is in the fine print, but I would be lying if I told you where you can find that print.
That's not really unique every male born citizen 18 must apply for Selective services before getting much of anything.
@@bishop51807 his point is that no one explains this to you or the potential repercussions. as a legal immigrant , you keep deferring to your lawyer.
@@bishop51807 I see your point, but as you pointed out, and I agree, every male U.S. citizen must apply for Selective Service. This video was about those who immigrate to the U.S. Many, if not most immigrants are either adults or young adults who may not be aware that this is a requirement they need to abide by or that it is even relevant to them during their period as non-citizens.
Currently going through the immigration experience from the USA to the UK and it is extremely expensive and can be really difficult especially when nobody is sponsoring you. It's almost like they don't want you here unless you're rich or super highly skilled. Most people who are anti immigration and are calling for tougher immigration laws have no idea what the process is like and we have to go through.
It’s easier for the ones that come over on boats everyday from countries in africa and middle east and asia.
100%. They also don’t understand that with very few avenues for immigration, people get more and more desperate and will resort to immigrating illegally. Having more opportunities and avenues results in less immigration fraud.
Respectfully an American here. It's hard for me to also save up for my own house and chase my goals too. However I firmly believe it's a fair process for immigrants. If I have to pay my share of burdens so do they. I am always welcoming of them as long as they aren't expecting a handout or freeloaders.
@@Jeffrey-s6g how much do you know about the immigration system? How many ways are there for people to come to the US, and how likely is each of the avenues to be successful? Do you know about the qualifications and exclusion criteria for immigrants? It seems like not.
@Nurse-Laura welcome to life. It's not fair sweetheart. They have to pay their way like everyone else.
I don't know that we could easily fix issues like being unbanked, but I think it's just stupid that our government puts so many obstacles in the way of immigration. Immigrants usually add more value to our economy than they take out, so I think that overall it's worthwhile to encourage immigration - especially the immigration of skilled workers.
Just stumbled upon this channel today, wanted to let you know how appreciative i am for this type of content.
Thank you for always bringing honesty and truth without politics involved. You're able to reach audiences that would otherwise ignore. You're one of the few places I can still trust, and I hope to see many years of content!
Couldn’t do it without the support network..
Even though some topics are not related to me or if I already know about it, I still watch all your videos, I just enjoy watching you both and explaining things, am I the only one?
I am not an American and I have no intention to immigrate but I still enjoy their videos
I always found surprising that in the US, being a capitalist country, people really shy away of discussing money, earnings and financial challenges. It is like a taboo subject. People seem more eager to talk about their genitals than about finances and wages. Immigrants really have it hard since most folks will feel like you are nosy when all you want is to learn and understand the system. But no one cares, only other immigrants...
Because of my accent, I am always a target for scammers, like car mechanics or bankers. When I was buying a car, they wanted to charge me 21% interest rate even though my credit score was 759 and had no other loans. When asked why, they've said because I am an immigrant.
Wow, seeing this video makes me give myself some credit.
I came here 7 years ago, I became a U.S. citizen the same day I became a home owner after 6 years in America. Two event in one single day. I worked my as* hard, I still do and I always will. I don’t know if I should call it “being lucky” or “being disciplined”.
Maybe since Immigrants know what is like to live in a country with no many opportunities, once we made it in the US, we already have a master in how to play the life game.
I have been a permanent resident of Mexico for nearly 8 years. The process has been quite expensive, particularly in Mexico where there is a high level of inconsistency and often incompetence, even with the assistance of a lawyer. Any mistakes made by them still result in costs coming out of your own pocket. I would estimate that I have spent approximately six to $7,000 on paperwork during this time, only for it to be filed in their computer. Additionally, it is important to consider that the average salary of a Mexican is three to four hundred dollars a month, amounting to less than $5,000 per year. Now, factor in the expenses of an immigrant moving and working in Mexico.
Absolutely spot on. Thanks for making this video
Not to mention that immigrants pay MORE taxes than residents. You don't believe me? Try filing a 1040NR instead of the usual 1040 . Low income? You gotta pay for that too, no free filing for immigrants
Wish we had y'all on the strapped-down CRT when I was growing up in school 🙌
Always look forward to these, thanks!
Such an important video! Thank you for getting this information out there ❤
1:00 $3,950 is, as you say, "over a thousand dollars," but I still feel you're understating the case.
5:07 What are these organizations?
Don't forget the cost of leaving the USA again, charging people who recend citizenship is disturbing
Amazing video!! Thank you for talking about it
Another thing is most immigrants do pay FICA taxes without getting anything out of it, even if they do not earn enough to qualify for FICA.
For safety???? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I can't stop laughing after hearing that word.... Who will go to US to be shot by a random guy 😂😂😂
I do find the Government a little odd. I worked a long time at a Company, on the 25th year of service I had to prove that I was a U.S. Citizen which I did.
I really think they are not sure who's who in this Country.
Why would Homeland Security deny one's own US citizenship if they used a public service? That's very bizarre to hear about.
On the other hand, there is a hefty mental and social 'price' tag.
The annoying thing is not that you have to jump through all these hoops. It's that in spite of that there are people here who think who are a drain on the system, consuming benefits and not paying taxes, without even making the effort to research a bit and learning that non-citizens don't qualify for receiving anything while we pay full taxes.
Wait-list for greencard for Indian is more than 12 years. If you have to change jobs you are ineligible because companies don't want to pay for the visa transfer fees which can be from $1700 - $6000, and most of us pay $2500 out of pocket for premium processing. So you'll have to spend $2500 just to change job
I don't mind paying so much... The most annoying thing is how inefficient USCIS is...
Also, the most expensive part of all this is not what the government charges you, it's the attorney... They make triple of what the government makes from legal immigrants.
Thank you for that video!!!
As a first gen I can’t even begin to explain to you how frustrating and annoying it is to try and talk about any of these issues with us born Americans or even first class immigrants (doctors, lawyers, etc…). Any time you run into an obstacle the response is “oh that’s easy just do this” “just apply for this” “just use this ID”. I’m not mad or upset with them as I know they don’t know better but it Rea is frustrating and very lonely.
Loving the Rosie the Reviter look!
People comparing the Mexican immigrants who moves to US vs Americans who moves to Mexico "Expats" it’s just stupid, and this is an example.