What it’s like to be (highly-skilled female) immigrant

I lived as an immigrant in 6 countries (Norway, Sweden, France, Austria, USA and Germany), and without exception there always have been moments where I was treated as lesser human. That is not to complain, but to say that this is the life of an immigrant, and no country is perfect.

Systemic discrimination

Many issues are systemic and not related to bigotry, but rather to laws. Like orientation sessions where you are reminded that if you ever ask for any social benefits from the government, it can lead to denial of residency extension. Or not recognizing your passport as a valid identity document, limiting your access to services like bank accounts or postal services (like package pick-up from the post office). Even in cases like German unemployment: when employed, we pay contribution to Unemployment insurance, which then allows one to claim unemployment benefits for up to a year. But if you claim that money as an immigrant, even if you paid for it from your salary, that might prevent you applying for German citizenship in the future.

Treatment by official institutions

Other times, it’s the attitude of immigration or border control officers, demanding that we should be grateful (kinda reminded me the attitude of JD Vance towards Zelensky), telling us to get out if we can’t speak local language (even if we just arrived), hanging up on us when we call in desperation for help when our livelihood depends on their decision.

Financial abuse

Oftentimes, it’s local businesses taking advantage of the vulnerable position of an immigrant, knowing that we are too afraid to call authorities or seek legal protection. Like taking our rent deposits without a cause, charging extra-large fees for faulty services, firing us with immediate effects without any faults in our work, or inviting us to move from abroad and then telling us that the offer is not there anymore because their big client churned — all real legal cases that happened to me and all were decided in my favor in court.

Being a female married immigrant

And just a special mention to the treatment of immigrant women: it is often assumed that I immigrated because I followed my husband, inexplicitly suggesting that I wouldn’t be able to get residency based solely on my own merit. From job interview questions (“So why do you want to move to … . Is it because of your husband?”… Yes, exactly phrased like that), to my company’s negotiations (“So what brought you to Germany… Was it for personal reasons?”), to bureaucratic processes requiring my husband’s signatures and being files under my husband’s last name. I even had a job offer withdrawn because I refused to disclose my martial status before my salary negotiations (common practice for academic positions in Germany is to first make an offer, then gather the questionnaires, then set the salary level). I had an immigration official yell and hang up on me, but when my husband called, he was given a direct line to a decision maker to discuss my case. I now believe that marriage is the the top career killer for women — not the partnership and love that marriage is supposed to represent, but as an institution it exists solely to suppress women.

Coping with it all

Over the years and counties, I developed some strategies to mitigate some of these effects. I have learned to always find a local ally who could come to immigration offices with me, and that always changed the tones of the conversations. When there is no specific local person, an immigration lawyer is a great alternative, maybe even more effective, although expensive. Those who know me also know that I am a fighter, with a strong sense of fairness and justice. I never run away from a fight, and over the years I learned to be comfortable to bring a lawyer to my defense when calls for reason and decency fail.

But most immigrants don’t have financial means or mental or emotional capacity to fight. We come from countries where legal systems are rigged towards the rich, we are scared that if we defend ourselves, our residency will be denied, and we will be deported, separating us from our families and loved ones. So we are driven to desperation, feelings of helplessness, depression and mental distress and illness. We allow mistreatment, verbal abuse, financial abuse, all for the sake of getting that piece of paper or a card that we can stay here, work, contribute to the society and pay taxes. But it is naive to think that that type of treatment doesn’t leave a mark on a mental state of any person.

Many of supporters of anti-immigration policies will argue that they don’t mean immigrants like me — they mean “other” immigrants. But the line between those who came on a blue card and those who came as a refugee is blurrier that it seems, and it leads to policies and attitudes that hurt all of us. I came here on a blue card, and when I became an entrepreneur I switched to a family reunion residency (blue card doesn’t allow self-employment), and now my country is under Russian occupation and it’s not safe for me to go home, and I might have to switch to a refugee status (or some other status… I don’t know) because my passport will loose validity. After I finished my PhD, I spend a few months waiting for my job offer to be sorted — receiving unemployment support during that time allowed me to continue working on my research until official papers arrived. But that simple social benefit that many Austrians take for granted would have costed me ability to be accepted as a citizen, and maybe even cost me a residency with the raise of far-right.

So what can you and your governments do?

In my eyes the very first step is to acknowledge that the person with the highest stakes here are the immigrants. They have the most to loose, and therefore, more than anyone else, THEY want to legalize, work, pay taxes and play by the rules.

• Make English language a requirement for immigration office workers.

This is one of the most puzzling things for me: immigration office workers almost never speak English (especially in Germany, France and Austria). I think speaking English, and maybe even one more language, should be a requirement for such position.

• Change immigration offices moto from “I decide whether you live or die” to “I am here to help you through this process”

Immigration officers (like any profession that deals with people) needs to have a training in compassionate communication.

• Create transparency and tracking system for our documents

Nothing is more devastating than waiting for your work permit for months or years, calling the immigration office to ask when will the decision be made, and hearing “I don’t know”. Not “within X weeks/months/years”. Just “I don’t know”. Having information about the timelines allows people to adjust their expectations and plan their lives.

• Create integration programs that don’t look like a classroom!

Integration programs could be a wonderful thing, but the way they are implemented now is a derogatory joke! A class of adults that are schooled like children by the teacher on how great their country is. In Germany is it especially idiotic as only people who come on a family reunion visa have to do it, but their spouses don’t have to.

Conclusion

There are many things that can be done, but they all boil down to one major thing: give people their dignity back! Recognize that we all want to integrate, but if you are unwilling to accept our effort and help us along the way, then it’s not our failure to become part of your society — it is your failure to accept our most well-intentioned efforts.