Having a child in the US

[dbrook]

We had our first child in America (Doylestown, PA) and the cost 17 years ago was $8,000, but fortunately the company my husband worked for at the time paid our costs.

I need to look into my daugter getting American citizanship I guess before her 18th birthday. She wants to work in America, but as she is going into nursing as a career I don't think it would be too difficult for her to work there without the US citizenship anyway.

[andrewmckay5]

These comments are just for discussion and not meant to offend anyone, especially any US readers as obviously any country is justified in their own immigration policy and some may say trhe UK is too lax but that is definitely a different area. But I cannot understand the US mindset over these issues. Yes if you believe Americans are losing jobs to immigrants then stop the immigration. But if someone wants to retire to the US for exampleand can prove they are wealthy enough and won't be a drain, then why stop them coming in ? Surely its just bring cash into the US economy.
Just wondered what others thought.
andrew

[chrizzy100]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by dbrook
We had our first child in America (Doylestown, PA) and the cost 17 years ago was $8,000, but fortunately the company my husband worked for at the time paid our costs.

I need to look into my daugter getting American citizanship I guess before her 18th birthday. She wants to work in America, but as she is going into nursing as a career I don't think it would be too difficult for her to work there without the US citizenship anyway.


[/quote]

I have heard horror stories about costs if things go wrong....funny enough I watch a day time show about it not long ago.....I'd make sure I had full cover for childbirth before trying for a baby....and also make sure the new born is covered too......never just think that you have cover.....read everything.....a hospital stay is around $2500 a night just the stay nothing else....just think what it would be if your newborn was in a babycare unit.....millions were talked about in the show.....

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by dbrook
We had our first child in America (Doylestown, PA) and the cost 17 years ago was $8,000, but fortunately the company my husband worked for at the time paid our costs.
[/quote]

OMG and a half! Would you mind telling me what those charges were for? I mean, was it a straightforward birth or were there problems? Seems a awful lot to me for a FTND.

[blott]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by andrewmckay5
These comments are just for discussion and not meant to offend anyone, especially any US readers as obviously any country is justified in their own immigration policy and some may say trhe UK is too lax but that is definitely a different area. But I cannot understand the US mindset over these issues. Yes if you believe Americans are losing jobs to immigrants then stop the immigration. But if someone wants to retire to the US for exampleand can prove they are wealthy enough and won't be a drain, then why stop them coming in ? Surely its just bring cash into the US economy.
Just wondered what others thought.
andrew[/quote]Perhaps they don't want to be swamped in certain areas with a population boosted by loads of elderly people? Places like Florida are already retirement magnet havens for the rest of the USA and, whilst I'm not saying there wouldn't be room for everyone as that would be absurd, you do need facilities so, if you're running a government, it's presumably something that you need to bear in mind?

The main problem, it seems to me, is that anyone there 'temporarily' ie not a citizen, has no vote or say in what happens. Senators, etc obviously feel less inclined to bother about people who don't have votes as they're not the ones who will elect or keep them in office. No-one, therefore, will do anything about the situation as it's not going to 'pay' anything.

[Robert5988]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:These comments are just for discussion and not meant to offend anyone, especially any US readers as obviously any country is justified in their own immigration policy and some may say trhe UK is too lax but that is definitely a different area. But I cannot understand the US mindset over these issues. Yes if you believe Americans are losing jobs to immigrants then stop the immigration. But if someone wants to retire to the US for exampleand can prove they are wealthy enough and won't be a drain, then why stop them coming in ? Surely its just bring cash into the US economy.
Just wondered what others thought.
[/quote]

Andrew,
I couldn’t agree with you more.

America has droves of penniless illegal immigrants from Mexico, Cuba etc working in the USA who the authorities largely turn a blind eye to once they gain entry; and it looks very likely that many will be granted an amnesty and eventually US citizenship. – Well it helps to have the Hispanic vote in Florida!

On the other hand there is paranoia in UK about USA immigration policy. We have upstanding citizens worried about a UK court appearance for speeding restricting their entry, and arguments about how long you can remain on multiple visits under the Visa Waiver scheme. It is part of the British mentality to look at regulations and see if there is a way we can interpret them to our disadvantage.

Whilst I agree with you in principle about retiring, I think the problem with allowing citizens to retire in the USA permanently is in verifying that they are indeed wealthy enough. We are all aware that medical costs can reduce a millionaire to a pauper overnight. They might have medical insurance initially but would/could they renew it? It would not look good to deport the elderly and sick because they had run out of funds.

It is my contention that the regulations allow those, with the financial means, to (effectively) stay as long as they like under the terms of the Visa Waiver scheme. I personally think that the US authorities have no difficulty with this principle for the reasons you state – it supports the US economy. The requirement to leave and re-enter after a maximum of 3 months gives the US authorities control over the situation.

To hopefully forestall some responses to the last paragraph I re-iterate that I am giving an opinion. Quoting what some ‘jobsworth’ immigration officer reputedly said does not override the regulations. Neither does a ‘personal’ interpretation of what the regulations really mean, but don’t say.

Robert

[esprit]

Ok perhaps I would agree about the retirement visa, but the original topic was about E2 and having a child and the people on E2 are not retirees, we are not allowed to be, we invest hugely in the US economy both in money, taxes and the wages we pay US employees and yet even a e2 couple who have had a child born in the US who is a US citizen can still be sent home and a child brought out as a baby and spending 20 years in the country can still be sent back at 21. Problem is we have no vote, no lobbying power unlike the hispanics you mention, Robert, so who cares. Most Americans are not at all offended or take this as criticism, most are totally aghast that we dont have a green card and never will have, most cant believe it and cant comprehend why. I have had it said to me over and over.

[andrewmckay5]

"To hopefully forestall some responses to the last paragraph I re-iterate that I am giving an opinion. Quoting what some ‘jobsworth’ immigration officer reputedly said does not override the regulations. Neither does a ‘personal’ interpretation of what the regulations really mean, but don’t say."

Robert,
aswell as the Birtish mentality of seeing the disadvantages and inherently playing by the rules, I think you can now add our fear of offending anyone on the internet by stating an observation or opinion. We all seem to preface any comments with a disclaimer so nobody takes it the wrong way!
I see where you are coming from with the retirement issue and ongoing funds but the situation Esprit is in I just cannot understand; not why shes done it but why there is no progression to Green Card even if it was after a number of years just prove your committment and the ongoing investment.
So much for the "Special Relationship." I think it is very telling when she says most ordinary Americans are "totally aghast."

andrew

[E. Cosgrove]

No midwives to do the work for free!! [msnwink] <blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nostromo
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by dbrook
We had our first child in America (Doylestown, PA) and the cost 17 years ago was $8,000, but fortunately the company my husband worked for at the time paid our costs.
[/quote]

OMG and a half! Would you mind telling me what those charges were for? I mean, was it a straightforward birth or were there problems? Seems a awful lot to me for a FTND.
[/quote]

[blott]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by E. Cosgrove
No midwives to do the work for free!! [/quote]Don't UK midwives get a salary then? [msnoo][msnwink]