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You can apply for Swiss citizenship when you've lived there for 12 years. In the US you have to have been a Legal permanent resident (living here on a non-immigrant visa-even if it has "dual intent" ie you can apply for LPR whilst in the US doesn't count) for 5 years.
Many people live or work and live in the US on non-immigrant visas for in excess of 12 years before they get LPR status. Their LPR petition may have been approved, but they're stuck in retrogression so have to keep renewing their non-immigrant visa.
Switzerland is part of the EU and therefore far easier or EU citizens to live and work there than in the US.
Do you know how many LPR or Green cards the US issues per year to people whose first language isn't English- indeed many of whom can't even speak English?
I tried to look at the 2010 US census data for stats re people whose first language isn't English - but the whole system is down because of the Govt shutdown
I did find birthrates per race for 2010 and almost a quarter of live births in the US in 2010 were to the hispanic population. They had the highest birth rate after non-Hispanic white- almost 1,000,000 live births to the Hispanic population compared to a little over 2,000,000 live births to white non-Hispanics.
Looking at life expectancy Latinos and Asians have higher life expectancy too.
LocationWhiteAfrican-AmericanLatinoAsian-AmericanNative AmericanUnited States78.974.682.886.576.9
Switzerland is NOT part of the EU. It's very difficult to get Swiss citizenship, not only because of the 12 years, but because of the exams to get the citizenship and the requiered voting of your neighbours about your citizenship.
A requirement for English as first language would be just a little onerous, don't you think?
Did I say that? I asked if the poster was aware of the annual number of LPR given to such people.
FYI it's around 900,000. Plus then you have might want to add the number of non-immigrant visas which is about 3,000,000 (excluding all visa waiver and visitor visas)
Switzerland is NOT part of the EU. It's very difficult to get Swiss citizenship, not only because of the 12 years, but because of the exams to get the citizenship and the requiered voting of your neighbours about your citizenship.
I apologise. It signed up for the Freedom of Movt rules in 1999- although this year it's put a limit on the numbers coming in from other EU countries, because they were concerned they were getting too many "poor" people. God forbid that "poor" people should have the same chances as others.
You just repeated what the other poster said re 12 years- and I pointed out that 12 years was no longer than people in the US wait, plus any years spent in Switzerland between the ages of 10 and 20 count for double years.
I have now read about the "voting" .
Seems Switzerland is may not be somewhere I would like to live, except maybe for the euthanasia laws ,but for the majority who really want to become Swiss citizens I'm not sure it's any more difficult than other countries.
Once you become Swiss you got thousand of benefits than you don't have in the USA.
2 years unemployment wages.
Social security like retirement.
5 weeks paid vacations
No tax to pay to Switzerland if no resident.
Driver license for life
No fear to go to jail or be arrested at the Swiss custom. (they don't even check my passport anymore )
In Switzerland we are free, we are the government. Government can not do anything without Swiss votes.
Red passport worth more than a blue passport. Ask Tina Turner.
Where do you get a fantastic country like Switzerland on earth?
There was a time USA was good to live, now USA really became a police country...
When people go to USA, they are all scared... Even USA citizen. You Could be arrested on the spot because you forgot 1 $ on an irs form.
Once you become Swiss you got thousand of benefits than you don't have in the USA.
2 years unemployment wages.
Social security like retirement.
5 weeks paid vacations
No tax to pay to Switzerland if no resident.
Driver license for life
No fear to go to jail or be arrested at the Swiss custom. (they don't even check my passport anymore )
In Switzerland we are free, we are the government. Government can not do anything without Swiss votes.
Red passport worth more than a blue passport. Ask Tina Turner.
Where do you get a fantastic country like Switzerland on earth?
There was a time USA was good to live, now USA really became a police country...
When people go to USA, they are all scared... Even USA citizen. You Could be arrested on the spot because you forgot 1 $ on an irs form.
Check fbar and fatca to know more.
Did I say it was part of CEE?
And FYI
USA has social security retirement pensions- you start accruing benefits once you've paid contributions for 5 years-even as a non-citizen
Many people in USA do get 5 weeks paid vacation -without being a US citizen or even LPR-my husband does and many other "professionals" do.
You only pay tax in the USA OR your country of residence -not both, and the tax system is far more in favor of families than in the UK- don't know about Switzerland.
As for the US being a police country-that's BS- Americans are always shouting about protecting their rights. No speed cameras in many states. Right to carry arms etc etc.
Yes it s a police state or becoming one( it starts when I cross USA borders, all is based on intimidation ) . You could be arrested under the patriotic act and put in jail for weeks without seeing lawyer.
They can take your house, car,...
They have people in jail for years now, still waiting to see a judge... (Guantanamo)
I don't think you will keep your freedom very long. Gov want take everything from you, especially your USA constitution.
Yes it s a police state or becoming one( it starts when I cross USA borders, all is based on intimidation ) . You could be arrested under the patriotic act and put in jail for weeks without seeing lawyer.
They can take your house, car,...
They have people in jail for years now, still waiting to see a judge... (Guantanamo)
I don't think you will keep your freedom very long. Gov want take everything from you, especially your USA constitution.
The phrases first world, second world and third world developed after the Cold War. The meaning of the terms have changed since the phrases were developed. We are in the now. I am speaking in the now. So I am using the terms according to contemporary definitions. First World refers to industrialized, capitalist economies. Third World refers to developing economies. Second World refers to Communist countries. Developing countries are Third World. You can talk all you want till your mouth rots. Eastern Europe is third world and together with Russia, supplies many of the whores overseas in places like Dubai and Hong Kong.
Please refer to " Half of the continent belongs to the Third World and the other half is in decline. The top 2 economies in the world after the US are neither in Europe nor North America. First world my f**t."
I am talking about NOW. NOW. NOW. That is a problem that afflicts Europeans. They are stuck on the past, still fixated on past colonial glories of the yesteryear. This is said to be one of the causes of their rapid decline in the last two decades, along with socialism.
Europe is a sunset continent. Even your own politicians have been known to denigrate it. I remember one famous US defense secretary famously calling the sunset continent derisively "Old Europe".
I wouldn't have brought up age of civilization if you did not. You said development of culture takes hundreds of years, and not just a result of having money. It is only then that I said European culture is hardly the oldest civilization!!!!! Which is true.
Its neither the oldest civilization. Neither is it thriving or leading now.
The heyday of Europe was in the Renaissance period a few centuries ago. Europe was finished and US took the lead since the start of the 20th century. I do have respect for one European country - Germany. And the Italians are so nice.
The only people who still hold on to "Old Europe" delusions are 1) a small number of Europeans themselves and 2) a small percentage of racist white Americans who tug their ancestries under their pillows and still idealize some foreign land that looks nothing like America and is nothing like America. But many are cynical and jaded. My last trip to Italy and Spain I spent talking to many of the youths on the train. Most of them dream of being able to live in the United States. Many try to get American girlfriends out of exchange students and au pairs. Many feel grim about the future and don't believe in the longevity of the trading bloc.
The funniest thing? Just as many people in Europe are full of hatred for the USA and even more so online because of anonymity, many Europeans feel free to say what they really think about the US and Americans, calling Americans fat, stupid, uncultured, war-mongering and accuse Americans of not knowing anything outside of the US and having poor geography (actually the truth is Europeans are more ignorant about world affairs in terms of scholarship and reading compared to Americans, and their claim to being better traveled than Americans is train rides around Europe because their countries are small).
I've been to Europe many times and spent three years in the UK doing my first degree so I know many European countries well. The ranters against the US can't speak or write proper and understandable English (but I do know the average non Brit European can speak 2-3 European languages including English at a non native level) and have never been out of Europe.
Of course all the Americans who idolize their ancestral homelands (closeted racists) and think they and "Old Europeans" are all brothers because 250 years ago they came from the same "village" have no freaking clue about Europeans' disdain for them.
Most of the immigrants are Middle Eastern and South Indians. There are other ethnicities, I never said they all came from only Middle East and South Indians. We all know the largest immigrant population is Muslims and Arabs, as well as some Africans. In fact Netherlands is on track to be a Muslim country by 2020.
Chinese immigration to Europe is very minuscule in both overall percentage of immigrants as well as when compared to Chinese immigration to the USA and Canada.
I've traveled to a handful of countries in Europe over several trips in the last 5 years because I love the food and architecture of the continent. The continent has a lot to offer to me as a tourist because of the old structures which can't be found in US (young country) or East Asia (all bombed, demolished and rebuilt) anymore. And through my travels, I talked to many Europeans who are so nice and lovely and touched me in many ways. Whatever I have said is not a personal statement about people. Because people are people. And people don't choose where they were born. The Somali didn't choose to be born there instead of in the US as a child of African-Americans. A Yemeni didn't get to choose between being born in Yemen or the USA.
People are people and I don't judge people as individuals based on something as lame as the country they were born in or now reside. Everybody in the world just wants to be happy.. We're disputing statements about economy and countries.
There are undisputed facts about Western Europe's decline, Eastern European countries are not advanced economies, and I spoke up because there was a handful of broad strokes (which as a minority living in the US, I know are likely seen through racial lenses) in that post by TyrannosaurusZack that do not tally to economic reports and who we know are the leading producers of ubiquitous everyday electronics and other goods used globally by the world population.
Ironic isn't it? I'm a South Asian Muslim American...yet look at how Muslims, Asians, Indians, Eastern Europeans, who are more educated and weller off than your traditional white anglo-saxon groups are treated in Europe?
So when Europeans migrate...they are 'expats' but when brown people migrate to Europe...they are
Fix your immigration laws before blaming ethnic people...the same ethnicities are far more successful in America than Europe should give you a hint that banning burqas shouldn't be on your priority list.
50% of the doctors are Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi or Egyptian background in the US. That's like .5% of the total population pulling out half the doctors in the US.
Ironic isn't it? I'm a South Asian Muslim American...yet look at how Muslims, Asians, Indians, Eastern Europeans, who are more educated and weller off than your traditional white anglo-saxon groups are treated in Europe?
So when Europeans migrate...they are 'expats' but when brown people migrate to Europe...they are
Fix your immigration laws before blaming ethnic people...the same ethnicities are far more successful in America than Europe should give you a hint that banning burqas shouldn't be on your priority list.
50% of the doctors are Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi or Egyptian background in the US. That's like .5% of the total population pulling out half the doctors in the US.
Europeans can show some humility
So basically you are saying : "I am rich and successful, so everyone must suck up to me".
Right?
There are other things than success that is required for acceptance in your host society: appreciating the local culture (not rejecting and openly despising it like most Asians do), trying to fit in, trying to understand the local humour, don't treat every stranger as your enemy... At least pretend that you like it here.
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