Anything related to immigration, e.g. green card lottery, visas, passports, etc.
A theme I come across often in Facebook posts, is where people, after moving abroad, say that they are surprised by the weather/taxes/how people live, etc., in their new countries.
Research is SO important. I understand that you can google temperatures and weather and still be blindsided by what it really feels like. And I know that there are things you never consider because they’re simply not within your “realm of normal”. I get that.
BUT, a lot of surprises can be avoided by doing research.
Medicare is the primary government health insurance program for U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents age 65 and over. Most seniors are very happy with their Medicare insurance coverage; it covers hospital care, most outpatient doctor visits, diagnostic tests, and therapy, and there is a separate Medicare prescription drug plan to help pay for your medications.
If you are a new U.S. citizen, or permanent legal resident hoping to apply for citizenship soon, here’s what you need to know about the Medicare insurance program.
South Africa is a country in turmoil. Many people are making plans to emigrate. They don’t see a future for themselves there.
Immigration can be difficult though… especially to the USA!
This difficulty to immigrate to the US creates a problem. People become desperate. And when they become desperate, they become prime targets for immigration fraud and visa scams. The result can be that such people end up out of money, out of luck, or even in prison.
Here’s how to reduce your chances of becoming a victim of immigration fraud…
From the many email inquiries that we receive at SA-Austin.com, one thing is clear… emigration is a topic that comes up in many South African households.
This is not a new trend. South Africans have been moving to other countries in droves for at least a couple of decades. Politicsweb published an article that put the number of South African emigrants at more than 588,000 in 2010.
People have many reasons for wanting to leave South Africa, and it is typically thought that such a step will remove those issues from their lives. Depending on which country they go to, for the most part, that is true.
Over the past 20 years, hundreds of thousands of people, and by some estimations, more than a million people have been leaving South Africa and settling in other countries.
Some might say, “So what? People have migrated for thousands of years and will continue to do so in the future!”
Many of us (South Africans living in the US) get green cards that eventually lead to qualifying for US citizenship.
Once you reach that point, the question becomes, “Do I give up my South African citizenship, or do I go for dual-citizenship?”
There are some issues with both options…
Many South Africans that come to the US obtain green cards at some point, and after a period of time, usually 5 years, they are eligible for US citizenship.
Then the questions arise: Should we give up our South African citizenship? Can we even be dual citizens of South Africa and the US? What are the implications of this? What are the requirements for obtaining dual citizenship? (There was some confusion about this last one!)
I will attempt to answer those questions here…