Top Issues Facing Immigrants

For the next few weeks we will begin discussing the top issues facing immigrants. Our goal with this blog is not to discourage anyone from immigrating, it is to educate and inform to help make it easier to settle down.

According to research prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson foundation and conducted by Lake Snell Perry Mermin, these are the top issues facing immigrants. While there may not be one solution that fits all, our goal is to point to the resources available to help people dealing with the following issues

1. Legal status (lack of legal documentation)
2. Language—lack of proficiency with English
3. Exploitation and Discrimination
4. Stress
5. Undiagnosed and untreated mental health conditions
6. Problems with the schools
7. Lack of job mobility and low-paying jobs
8. Lack of transportation and physical isolation (especially for women)
9. Safety

The researchers in this study found that though immigrants come from such diverse backgrounds with different cultures, they all share similar challenges. You may not be experiencing all of these challenges or even any of these challenges right now but having the information may help you become a connector in your community for immigrant families coming to your area. Keep reading this week as we tackle the very complex issue of legal status.

To start learning more about how to handle immigration issues read Immigration Attorney-Christina Cruddens's blog. Here are some of the titles of her tops posts

• Getting ready for your first immigration court hearing
• Tips for writing a compelling asylum affidavit

• What if you have already been ordered deported or removed?

• Marriage Fraud: What it is, and what it's not
• What if I entered illegally?

If there are other issues that top your list, please post a comment or email us at themakutilounge@gmail.com.