Running head: IMMIGRANT INTERVIEW

Immigrant Interview
Rachel Swenson
College of Southern Nevada
Apri1 13, 2016

IMMIGRANT INTERVIEW

For my immigrant interview I sat down with Linda. Her main country of origin
is Germany and she speaks German but talks good English. Germany is the central part
of Europe bordering Austria. Linda told me about her culture, we are considered to be
master planners in our culture. When I worked in Germany my day was planned out in
time frames. If I did not plan my day properly than I must stay at work after normal
closing time of the business to catch up with my work. She said if this happens than
it indicates that you did not plan out your day properly. (European Americans place
importance on time, cleanliness, hard work, material comforts and material wealth and an
orientation towards work and the future. Page 148) Linda told me that her culture
believes that maintain clear lines of demarcation people, places and things is the surest
way to lead a structured and ordered life there in Germany. (European Americans
comprise numerous subcultures that vary by country and language, economic status,
generation in the United States, religious affiliation and a host of other factors. Page
147)
Linda said, her life in Germany was good. She took great pride in her family
home. There were many unwritten rules in Germany surrounding the outward
maintenance of their homes and property. Common areas such as the pavement,
sidewalks, corridors and steps had to be kept clean at all times. Linda worked a fulltime
job as a real-estate personal assistant in an office in Berlin, Germany. She said the pay
for an personal assistant in real-estate was pretty good. I would go show homes to my
clients to see if they would like to purchase the home for their family. Linda told me

IMMIGRANT INTERVIEW

a lot about the homes in Berlin, Germany. Most of Lindas family lives in Germany and
some of them live in Poland. Poland is not far away from Berlin where she lived.
Linda spent her whole life living in Germany before taking that leap of faith to
move to the U.S. to be closer to her distance family there. Her kids and her husband
boarded a plane and flew to the U.S. in hopes of a better future for themselves. Before
moving to the U.S. her husband worked at a water recycling plant. They have been
saving money for years to be able to travel to the promise land of freedom. (According
to the U.S. Census Bureau, during 2005, approximately 46,500 Europeans entered the
United States as permanent residents. Page 146) That is what Linda called the United
States the land of dreams. On their arrival to the U.S. they made their stop in New
York. Lindas distance family was waiting for them at the airport because it has been
years since they saw each other. Her aunt Alice had a great apartment in the city so
Lindas family could stay with her aunt until they got their own place to stay. Linda
told her aunt Alice traveling to the U.S. was a little scary for her Linda has never
traveled to the states before now. (Parents feel that some emotions such as uncertainty,
anxiety, and fear, are weaknesses that should be hidden from their children. Page 151)
Her expectations for living in the U.S. were being able to be free to do anything she
pleased such as going to the park to just relax while her kids would play on the
swings. She wanted that feeling that her family was safe from harm. (Wifes main task
continue to focus on the house and the family. Page 151) Linda said, she liked having
her freedom and the economy is better here in the states. She said. one of the most
difficult things to leave behind in Germany is the rest of her family. Linda sounded so
happy to be here in the United States.

IMMIGRANT INTERVIEW

A visa is available for immediate relatives of the U.S. citizen and it is determined
by your priority date, preference category you are immigrating under and the country the
visa will be charged to. The Department of State is the government agency that controls
the visa numbers. When a visa is an available than you will have to file form I-485
Application to Register Permanent Residence.
The green card has some requirements such as being eligible for one of the
immigrant categories in the immigration and nationality act (INA), Having a qualifying
immigrant pension filed and approved for yourself, getting an immigrant visa right
away/available and be admissible to the United States. On the family based visa some
relatives of the U.S. Citizens do not have to wait for a visa to become available. This
has no limit of numbers of visas can be utilized in this category in a year. The
immediate relative include, the parents of a U.S. Citizen, spouses of a U.S. citizen and
unmarried children under the age of 21 of a U.S. Citizen.