Most people in the United States are either immigrants or descended from immigrants. That, however, does not mean they have all faced the same challenges and difficulties.
Think back a few generations, to when people were flocking to the young United States on boats, landing at Ellis Island and other ports. In those days, the mere act of physically arriving on U.S. soil was the toughest part of the process. Many people could not find transportation or could not afford it. If they did, they knew they could quickly enter the country and start a new life here, but they couldn’t always make that happen.
Certainly, immigrants today still run into transportation issues, but the bigger challenges often exist when arriving at the U.S. border. The days of open immigration for all are well behind us. The process today requires paperwork, interviews, tests, background checks and a lot of red tape. Many people get to the U.S., only to be denied entry. Others get in themselves and then spend years trying to bring their families over. Still others get in on a temporary basis and then have to work hard to make it permanent.
That does not mean that it’s impossible, not by a long shot. But it’s important to think about how things have changed and what that means in 2020 and beyond. Families who want a fresh start in the U.S. must know about all of the legal steps they need to take. It can often help to work with an experienced legal team that knows the ropes.