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Music and Art at the Ukrainian Institute of America
Posted by Tatiana Durbak on October 01, 2002 at 22:18:20:
In Reply to: Re: Caregiver or babysitter from Ukraine posted by Caregiver on September 30, 2002 at 15:11:28:
: : : Can anybody, please give me more information on the following: my friend wants to come to America to work as a caregiver or babysitter. What visa is she supposed to get and where should she look for openings? She is a single middle-aged woman, and I suspect she might have many problems getting visa. Can anybody help me here? Thank you!
: : You need to speak with a lawyer who works in the fiele of immigration law. Immigration law is a specialization, so make sure that you get someone who is truly knowledgeable. In general, it is most difficult to get a visa to work as a caregiver or as a babysitter. At times, it can be done, but it takes a while. Different procedures are followed for immigrant and nonimmigrant visas.
: : Anyone who comes on a visitor's visa and works is breaking status. This means that the person becomes illegally present and subject to deportation.
: Disregard the previous message from Mrs.Durbak.
: If you want to help your friend let her come here as a guest. It won’t be easy, but who knows? There are a lot of people in my area who came here to make some money, working as babysitters/house keepers. My friend, whom I invited, worked here for four years and has been a real blessing for a lonely old lady she took care of. I can give you at least half dozen of examples like this one from my own experience. No one was harmed (except the ”American Law”). No one had been caught and deported. You just should make a choice what is more important for you – your friend welfare or The Law?
: I always choose friends. As for Mrs.Durbak, it would be very useful for her to go to Ukraine and live there for couple of years without American lawyer’s salary. Let her try to survive on $50 per month.
It continues to amaze me why some of the people who write on this site have the need to be so unpleasant and to indulge in anonymous personal attacks. It's one thing to disagree with my point of view, and quite another to attack me personally.
And, by the way, I didn't say whether I think that people should come to the US as visitors and work. I only said that it was illegal for visitors for pleasure to work for pay. That's the law, not my personal opinion.
Many more people could be helped if those who invite their friends from Ukraine to work here illegally were to use their energy to work to change immigration law to have a visa for caregivers to enable them to work legally and be protected by labor laws.
It's true that many people who work here illegally do not get deported, but many unfortunately do. For those to whom this happens, it does not matter that it is a rare occurence.
Living in the US illegally is not pleasant or easy. Many of those who are present illegally work in terrible conditions for unpleasant, demanding bosses who pay them far less than they should and who take advantage of them. Children who come to this country with parents who lose their status, also lose status. Although those children are entitled by law to attend grade and high school, they often are not able to continue with their education after high school. A person who is present illegally must always worry that someone will turn her or him in, or that the next time they are on the road, the police will stop them and then call the INS. Since 9/11, it is very hard in many states for undocumented persons to get driver's licenses. Many who have used false Social Security numbers are losing their jobs, because employers are getting letters about this from Social Security.
What needs to happen is that the immigration law needs to be changed. It should be easier for people who perform needed jobs to work here legally. The current harsh law was enacted as the result of a relatively small but determined group of people who are anti-immigrant. The law constantly changes and can be changed again. I cannot understand why the Ukrainian American community is not working much more actively towards this end.