[lbo-talk] Europeans migrate south as continent drifts deeper into crisis

[Wendy Lyon]

The US is definitely less of a draw to the emigrating Irish these days, but I think it's mainly a visa issue. It's much harder to get work visas there than to Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and the undocumented Irish aren't tolerated the way they used to be in the pre-9/11 days (obviously they still have it better than a lot of other people, but everyone knows someone with a Homeland Security horror story, which didn't used to be the case). I am pretty sure that if the US government was putting on job fairs in Ireland the way the Aussies and Canadians have, the demand would be just as great.

Sent from my iPhone

On 21 Dec 2011, at 15:12, Wojtek S <wsoko52 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> [WS:]  It is interesting that the Etats Unis are not on this list.
> When I was in a similar situation some 30 years ago, my first and only
> choice was the Etats Unis.  I spent some time in refugee facilities in
> Austria, and based on my observations Australia & Canada were the top
> destinations back then.  The most often quoted reasons included job
> opportunities and ease of getting immigrant visas.  I was among very
> few who wanted to emigrate the  Etats Unis.  My choice was based
> mainly on my perceptions of the pre-Reagan era - as a land of hippies
> and free thinking liberals. It looked like a cool place to be.   I had
> a rude awakening when I ended in Grand Rapids, MI, and in the
> hindsight Canada was probably a more prudent option, but this is
> another story.
> 
> Based on my conversations with outsiders, the allure of the Etats Unis
> as emigration destination decreased considerably during the past
> years, even among the unskilled and the poor.  I wonder is this is
> just my experience or others made similar observations.