Myths about immigration law abound. The problem is under a microscope because of the Arizona debates, where immigrant rights are being questioned. Whether you side with those who believe immigrants hurt our economy or those who say they help, we might all agree that there are many myths which seem to take a life of their own. Some of these myths are debatable, but debate is good. Let’s go over some common myths on immigration law.

Immigrants Take Jobs
Immigrants account for about 12 percent of the population, and take about 15 percent of our jobs. However, this number can be confusing. In a recent editorial on the Washington Post by Dorris Meissner, the point is made that many Americans are simply not in the work force, more than at any point in our history. First off, many of us are getting older, approaching retirement age. The numbers of immigrant jobs being taken is not entirely hurting us, though it can seem so in a tough economy. These same immigrants are also spending millions of dollars in the U.S., creating new jobs, and the jobs they take tend to be on the lower end. The amount of money immigrants pour into our economy is important, and these new jobs are helping us. On the other hand, most of the jobs taken are not college level jobs; these are minimum wage and other unskilled positions where 1st and 2nd generation immigrants can create opportunities for themselves. The myth has some basis for truth in that immigrants do take positions, but most are not educated, and most of the money they make is both taxed and goes back into the economy.

Most Immigrants Come Illegally
There are about 30 million immigrants currently in the U.S., and about 20 million of these immigrants actually are citizens or hold green cards. Many who are here illegally actually came legally and overstayed their visas. In other words, most immigrants come legally, stay legally, and follow all laws.

Immigrants Aren’t Integrating
This is another myth with some basis in fact. The problem is that immigrants have rarely integrated entirely in the 1st generation, and many current immigrants are 1st or 2nd generation. It takes time to learn English, to master U.S. laws, and to understand how our job system works. Almost all immigrants eventually integrate and learn how our society works. They learn English. They get educations. They hold skilled jobs. They follow laws. And they pay taxes.

Immigration Lawyers Can’t Help
Immigration lawyers can get a bad name. Well, there are only about 7,500 practicing in the U.S., and there are more who call themselves “immigration consultants,” where much of the myth is based. Immigration consultants hold no legal degree, often break immigration laws, and quite often lie to their clients. Experienced immigration lawyers, on the other hand, can help you get a green card, follow U.S. immigration laws, and become naturalized U.S. citizens.

Throughout its history, millions of immigrants have landed at America’s shores. Their practical contributions are still felt in every field of endeavor including agriculture, industry, and the service trades, but within the great immigrant migration to America there also came gutsy and talented individualists, artists, and dreamers. Many of these exceptional talents have gone on to win worldly renown, and their names have lived on in history.

Ellis Island’s Famous Immigrants tells the story of some of the best known of these legendary characters and records their actual immigration experience at Ellis Island. Celebrities featured within Ellis Island’s records include such entrepreneurs as Max Factor, Charles Atlas, and Etorre Boiardi; painters Arshile Gorky and Joseph Stella; authors Isaac Asimov and Ludwig Bemelmans; spiritual figures Father Flanagan and Krishnamurti; Hollywood actors Claudette Colbert, Rudolph Valentino, and Bob Hope; sports figures Knute Rockne and Johnny Weissmuller; and Supreme Court jurist Felix Frankfurter. The United States no longer processes immigrants through Ellis Island, but there probably has never been a more famous immigrant to come to the United States than Arnold Schwarzeneggar.

Arnold Schwarzeneggar was born in a small village of Austria in 1947 where his father was the local chief of police. Raised in a strict Roman Catholic household, it is common public knowledge that Schwarzeneggar never got along with his father or older brother. Seeking a better life for himself, he took to body building where he quickly excelled at an early age being the youngest ever to win Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia bodybuilding titles. To this day, he has remained a prominent face in the bodybuilding sport long after his retirement, and has written several books and numerous articles on the sport. After winning the Mr. Universe contest for the first time, he immigrated to the United States where he eventually won four more Mr. Universe and seven Mr. Olympia titles. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1983.

After one of the most storied bodybuilding careers ever, Schwarzeneggar moved on to realize his life long ambition of starring in the movies where he has been the lead role in over thirty. Probably his most famous roles have been in the “Terminator” movies. For a couple of his movie roles, he was nominated twice to receive awards from the Golden Globes, but never won.

After his movie career, Arnold chose to enter the political arena. Choosing to be an active Republican ever since he was naturalized a citizen, Schwarzeneggar came to public light politically in the late 1980′s. In 2003, he ran for California Governor in a special recall election winning handily, and was re-elected in 2006 where he remains Governor to this day. Along the way during these three successful careers, Arnold put himself through college via correspondence, learned English, and entered into many successful business relationships making himself a millionaire by age 30, long before his Hollywood career.

Since the Ellis Island years, the immigration laws have changed, and it is much harder to immigrate to America today than it was in the days of the famous Ellis Island immigrants mentioned in this story. Whether you live in Sacramento, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange County, or any of their surrounding areas in California, you may be interested in becoming a permanent resident, or becoming one of its citizens. You may also be outside the United States and in a place where you know someone who has had a difficult time immigrating to the United States, becoming a permanent resident, or a citizen. If you or your acquaintances do not understand our immigration laws, you should probably seek legal counsel. Contact us at www.immigrationlawstation.com, and we will help you find an immigration attorney in your area who will answer any legal questions you may have about immigration law.

America is known as the land of opportunity. Arnold Schwarzeneggar new that fact about America and seized his opportunity. Who knows, maybe you, your relative, or someone you know who wants to be a legal resident in the United States will get the opportunity to immigrate just like Arnold Schwarzeneggar. So, seize the opportunity and contact us today!