10 year GC is useless, don't you agree?

Bye. Have a nice trip home.

Besides the psychological comfort of knowing you're finally barely:D legal, without citizenship the 10 yrs GC is virtually useless. Reasons being..

1. You can't vote
2. You can't join any exciting organization like the CIA or NSA
3. You can't even get into stinking UK with its crummy weather and dirty river Thames full of druggie needles of all places without a visa if you have a second or "third world" passport. The only ones you can get into are one or two Caribbean ones and Canada; a place nobody likes except ice hockey fans and H1-b's whose GCs didn't come through who had no other choice except to trudge north to the coldest, most desolate, most terrible country in the Northern hemisphere.
4. It will take you like 30 years to import a relative, by the time their GC is ready they (or you) might already be dead.
5. You have to keep it on your arse wherever you go and it can be scanned and read from a distance, with all your info revealed to all, by any low tech RFID reader whenever you pull it out of its sheath.
6. If you as much as crap the wrong way in terms of breaking even the flimsiest of laws you are on the next plane smoking to Timbuctoo, Kerala, Sao Paolo, Beijing or wherever the heck you come from.
7. If you got your stack of degrees before you got PR you are screwed in terms of Pell Grants, State Scholarships and other freebies given to lesser mortals of dubious academic capacity.
8. You not only had to pay hefty fees for the conditional one, but also for the 10YR GC yet in most cases you will only hold on to it for a few freaking months before you have to pay more hefty fees ($680 to be exact); not counting flight, hotel and "entertainment expenses" during your trip to your N-400 interview location.
9. You can't run for office
10. It doesn't help you with the "foreign" chicks, for some reason they tend to like USC holders only.

Agree or disagree?

Once you return home, visit an embassy and file a form I-407 to divest yourself of that cursed albatross known as a greencard.

Don't let the door hit YOU in the "arse" on your way out.
 
Without the GC, where would you be? Back in "Timbuctoo, Kerala, Sao Paolo, Beijing or wherever the heck you come from", right? So it's not useless, unless you prefer to live in those places anyway.
 
The GC is much more secure than those visas, and you know it. Of course, the next logical step is USC, but let's not be pompous about the benefits of a GC. There's no need to be flag-waving patriotic about it (as this is something I have come to despise), but you're being quite unfair to LPR status.
 
Besides the psychological comfort of knowing you're finally barely:D legal, without citizenship the 10 yrs GC is virtually useless. Reasons being..

1. You can't vote
2. You can't join any exciting organization like the CIA or NSA
3. You can't even get into stinking UK with its crummy weather and dirty river Thames full of druggie needles of all places without a visa if you have a second or "third world" passport. The only ones you can get into are one or two Caribbean ones and Canada; a place nobody likes except ice hockey fans and H1-b's whose GCs didn't come through who had no other choice except to trudge north to the coldest, most desolate, most terrible country in the Northern hemisphere.
4. It will take you like 30 years to import a relative, by the time their GC is ready they (or you) might already be dead.
5. You have to keep it on your arse wherever you go and it can be scanned and read from a distance, with all your info revealed to all, by any low tech RFID reader whenever you pull it out of its sheath.
6. If you as much as crap the wrong way in terms of breaking even the flimsiest of laws you are on the next plane smoking to Timbuctoo, Kerala, Sao Paolo, Beijing or wherever the heck you come from.
7. If you got your stack of degrees before you got PR you are screwed in terms of Pell Grants, State Scholarships and other freebies given to lesser mortals of dubious academic capacity.
8. You not only had to pay hefty fees for the conditional one, but also for the 10YR GC yet in most cases you will only hold on to it for a few freaking months before you have to pay more hefty fees ($680 to be exact); not counting flight, hotel and "entertainment expenses" during your trip to your N-400 interview location.
9. You can't run for office
10. It doesn't help you with the "foreign" chicks, for some reason they tend to like USC holders only.

Agree or disagree?

It really depends and is very subjective. Some prefer to stay as permanent residents forever since their original country does not allow dual citizenship. Or some do not feel it right to change citizenship. And some, like me, think that since you live, work and pay taxes here, you should have the right to vote and all other rights for citizens. So it is really a personal choice and I totally understand if one stays as permanent resident forever, or if one becomes a citizen at the very first opportunity.
 
;);) Without it I would still be here riding the F-1, OPT, H-1B wave and have 99% of the same privileges as a 10 Year GC holder during all that time. 10 yr GC is overrated I can't wait to get USC so I can start getting some real things done.

It's a rocking sense of humor. So, why don't you give up the green card and switch back to F-1, OPT, H1-B, so you have a chance to really appreciate the green card? :) ... or may be to prove your point? :) I'd be interested to read your blog ;)
 
Besides the psychological comfort of knowing you're finally barely:D legal, without citizenship the 10 yrs GC is virtually useless. Reasons being..

1. You can't vote
2. You can't join any exciting organization like the CIA or NSA
3. You can't even get into stinking UK with its crummy weather and dirty river Thames full of druggie needles of all places without a visa if you have a second or "third world" passport. The only ones you can get into are one or two Caribbean ones and Canada; a place nobody likes except ice hockey fans and H1-b's whose GCs didn't come through who had no other choice except to trudge north to the coldest, most desolate, most terrible country in the Northern hemisphere.
4. It will take you like 30 years to import a relative, by the time their GC is ready they (or you) might already be dead.
5. You have to keep it on your arse wherever you go and it can be scanned and read from a distance, with all your info revealed to all, by any low tech RFID reader whenever you pull it out of its sheath.
6. If you as much as crap the wrong way in terms of breaking even the flimsiest of laws you are on the next plane smoking to Timbuctoo, Kerala, Sao Paolo, Beijing or wherever the heck you come from.
7. If you got your stack of degrees before you got PR you are screwed in terms of Pell Grants, State Scholarships and other freebies given to lesser mortals of dubious academic capacity.
8. You not only had to pay hefty fees for the conditional one, but also for the 10YR GC yet in most cases you will only hold on to it for a few freaking months before you have to pay more hefty fees ($680 to be exact); not counting flight, hotel and "entertainment expenses" during your trip to your N-400 interview location.
9. You can't run for office
10. It doesn't help you with the "foreign" chicks, for some reason they tend to like USC holders only.

Agree or disagree?

very funny and true ..but not so much about GC but rather regarding a reason to emigrate to US at all
lets be frank and admit that US don't offer same benefits to recent immigrants as before in the past in say 50s and 60s even 80s ..looks like those days are over and would never come back
even US born citizens are having very tough time in their country and very hard life (very very hard !!) in general even n the best if time living standard is way lower than in some other 1st world countries ...of course f you come from SA or AFRICA it still might look tad better but if you are from EUROPE ( yes crisis and all) or Asia /Australia I don't think you will find US as a place to be
 
in general even n the best if time living standard is way lower than in some other 1st world countries ...of course f you come from SA or AFRICA it still might look tad better but if you are from EUROPE ( yes crisis and all) or Asia /Australia I don't think you will find US as a place to be

I have a lot of friends living in Europe. In general, if you are poor and make your living out of welfare and depend on the government benefits a lot, then Europe is like a heaven for you. Contrary, if you work (and work hard), you'd be much better off in the states. Lower taxes, lower prices, much better economy, a way more opportunities...

Personally, I came over here from Canada (not a native born, though) ,but still consider the U.S. is much better for me.
YMMV, of course :)
 
I have a lot of friends living in Europe. In general, if you are poor and make your living out of welfare and depend on the government benefits a lot, then Europe is like a heaven for you. Contrary, if you work (and work hard), you'd be much better off in the states. Lower taxes, lower prices, much better economy, a way more opportunities...

Personally, I came over here from Canada (not a native born, though) ,but still consider the U.S. is much better for me.
YMMV, of course :)


..not true ..you can work in Europe and make money any way you want -just one example -rent a truck and go buy fruits in spain and re sell in france (one day trip ) -on every trip you can double your money !
..or say invest 500 000 dollars in slovakia and their government will match your investment capital 1:1 in effect giving you the money to employ their workers
taxes are in general lower than in the US in almost all east european countries and you have so many tax breaks to start a business there which US can not match -again example of slovakia which makes more cars than detroit and has total (as a country ) less people than that US city

one more example ..I as an artist was exempt from taxes up to 40 000 dollars earned during one year in my country -in the US I had to pay 37% on GROSS INCOME

etc

abut costs of living -food is way more expensive in US than europe in general ..food is about 6x more expensive than in eastern europe on average -even tropical fruits grown in us are more expensive in the us than in continental europe
gas is cheaper in us but distance and lack of public transport makes hard for someone with low income in the usa to actually take advantage of it -mobility of us working force has decreased -its a well known fact

to rent a property is also on average way more expensive in us than europe (except say paris/london)
average salary -minimum wage is higher in europe
social programs /health care way superior in europe than in us

residual income higher in europe than us for low income families

individual debt 3-4 times lower in europe than us



hard work as you described in the US does not pay no matter how much you work if you work for someone else (and these days there is no jobs anyways )...only if you work for yourself you might get ahead with lots of luck
 
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..not true ..you can work in Europe and make money any way you want -just one example -rent a truck and go buy fruits in spain and re sell in france (one day trip ) -on every trip you can double your money !
..or say invest 500 000 dollars in slovakia and their government will match your investment capital 1:1 in effect giving you the money to employ their workers
taxes are in general lower than in the US in almost all east european countries and you have so many tax breaks to start a business there which US can not match -again example of slovakia which makes more cars than detroit and has total (as a country ) less people than that US city

one more example ..I as an artist was exempt from taxes up to 40 000 dollars earned during one year in my country -in the US I had to pay 37% on GROSS INCOME

etc

abut costs of living -food is way more expensive in US than europe in general ..food is about 6x more expensive than in eastern europe on average -even tropical fruits grown in us are more expensive in the us than in continental europe
gas is cheaper in us but distance and lack of public transport makes hard for someone with low income in the usa to actually take advantage of it -mobility of us working force has decreased -its a well known fact

to rent a property is also on average way more expensive in us than europe (except say paris/london)
average salary -minimum wage is higher in europe
social programs /health care way superior in europe than in us

residual income higher in europe than us for low income families

individual debt 3-4 times lower in europe than us



hard work as you described in the US does not pay no matter how much you work if you work for someone else (and these days there is no jobs anyways )...only if you work for yourself you might get ahead with lots of luck

Based on your statements, the US is a socioeconomic hell. Assuming that you live in the US (after all, why else would you participate in this forum?), why would you leave the greener pastures of Europe to live here?

I've come across many European expatriates who complain about how bad the US is, and how much better everything is in Europe. If this is indeed the case, paradise is only a flight away. Just hop on a plane and go back.

By the way, I am not trying to disparage you in any way, shape, or form. It's just that I always wonder why people leave what they consider to be a better place to live in what they consider to be economically/socially inferior conditions. Other than belonging to the Peace Corps, I can't think of a single reason why.
 
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All of this depends on what type of work you do, and which part of the country or continent you are in. I've heard arguments about Europe and the US that are both convincing, so I'm sure the answer is not as easy as everyone thinks.
 
one more example ..I as an artist was exempt from taxes up to 40 000 dollars earned during one year in my country -in the US I had to pay 37% on GROSS INCOME

This is merely proof that whoever does your taxes is an idiot, or it's untrue. Your comments about food are quite interesting; I've found food in the US to be cheaper than Canada and FAR cheaper than anywhere in Europe.

I don't disagree that it is better to be poor in Europe than America. Then again, I didn't come here to be poor.
 
Shit food is cheap in the States, but even here in Amsterdam, where thing are not always that cheap, decent groceries aren't that bad. When I was in PRAHA and other places in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia, they were even cheaper.

If you want high fructose corn syrup, the USA is the best place to be. Otherwise, you're going to have to pay a little more, especially in the cities.
 
..not true ..you can work in Europe and make money any way you want -just one example -rent a truck and go buy fruits in spain and re sell in france (one day trip ) -on every trip you can double your money !
Get a truck, go to Mexico, buy it there, sell in U.S. You will be MUCH better off.

..or say invest 500 000 dollars in slovakia and their government will match your investment capital 1:1 in effect giving you the money to employ their workers
LOL. I was born and lived in Eastern Europe. I can tell you plenty of stories, how you will end up, trying to do business... In short, you don't have "ties", you are toast.
taxes are in general lower than in the US in almost all east european countries
Yeah... Tell Germans about it... Or Frenches. They'll rip their asses laughing. Well, there is an exception though... Greece... Wanna start business there? :)


Ok, tired to argue. You and I live on different planets. :)
 
Onentsne trod

Get a truck, go to Mexico, buy it there, sell in U.S. You will be MUCH better off.

LOL. I was born and lived in Eastern Europe. I can tell you plenty of stories, how you will end up, trying to do business... In short, you don't have "ties", you are toast.
Yeah... Tell Germans about it... Or Frenches. They'll rip their asses laughing. Well, there is an exception though... Greece... Wanna start business there? :)


Ok, tired to argue. You and I live on different planets. :)

ok I live by offering investors opportunities to invest and do business in EE
my clients are not connected or have any "ties" in EE

I found opportunity for a american client in Hungary -we had same talks as Im having with some forum members here -he was very very skeptical to invest money in Hungary citing problems with "mafia" not being "connected " or not knowing the language etc..he feared that he would lose all of his money just by putting in the bank there (lol)
after loosing money on ALL of his business in the US for 3 straight years finally he came around and after 9 moths of negotiations he finally took my advise and invested money in one heavy crane (100 tons ) -we bought it in germany and within 2 weeks he started a business in Hungary ( south east )..he is making now around 1500 euros a day just by renting it out - his insurance is 10X less than in the US ,work force (2 employees ) cost 4X less than in the US and he GOT NON SECURED LOAN FROM SMALL BUSINESS ADM IN HUNGARY to but 2 MORE CRANES and employ another 8 people + TAX BREAK FOR 5 YEARS !!-find that kind of deal in the US if you can !!
basically THEY CAME TO HIM AND MADE AN OFFER FOR A LOAN !!
now hes ONLY REGRET is that he did not start the whole thing earlier
second story is about a investor from INDIA ..almost the same thing but this client was well educated and traveled around EUROPE and studied for a year in GERMANY so it did not took much to convince him to give it a shoot and do business in EE
he originaly wanted to splash almost 700 000 dollars on some franchise crap in US (subway and such )
we went to slovenia and within a moth he started small manufacture of hunting rifles -investment was only about 80 000 dollars ;;to cut a long a story short -he is now exporting those rifles to US with clean profit of 150 000 dollars a year

I have tons of stories mike that ..EE has changed my friend since you lived there
bad things are slowly but surely fading away ...
 
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