Challenges of Asian Immigrants in the USA - Assignment Example

Challenges of Asian Immigrants in USA The USA is well developed, and it attracts people from other countries to come to live, work or study in the country. The economic status of the country is way above many nations and hence it is a place of admiration by many people. The education system is splendid especially in crucial sectors such as medicine. Therefore, ambitious students will desire to study in the USA in order to be prolific in their careers. The living standards and the lifestyles of USA people are high, and it also draws people to living in USA. However, most people who come to the USA to live, work or study, experience many problems. This paper will discuss the problems experienced by Asian immigrants during their stay in USA. Being an immigrant in the USA, it is very hard to find a job even with good academic qualifications. The country has a culture of prioritizing the Native Americans and hence the immigrants find it hard to find a job. The job market is USA is flooded making many people unemployed. This situation makes it difficult for Asians to find jobs in USA. The expectations of the immigrants are very high due to the country’s economic position but in the end they feel very disappointed (Waters, Mary and Karl 429). Most of the employers will be reluctant to choose an immigrant over an American. The employers have a perception that the Americans are better than the Asian immigrants in all ways. To find a job, the Asians will have to obtain a work permit. Obtaining a work permit is very easy for Americans but very troublesome for the immigrant, the process that the immigrant is required to go through are very complex and most of them give up in the process. There is a lot of scrutinies and the requirements to obtain a permit are high. This is a discouraging factor to immigrant and most of them end up doing dirty jobs in order to survive. The interview I did on Kawon Kim Park who is an Asian immigrant proved that most Asian immigrants will want to study in the USA but not work in the USA. She was certain that after school she wouldn’t want to work in the USA due to the high competition especially for the Immigrants. According to a report by the AAPI initiative, the average poverty level of Asian immigrants in USA is 12.6 which is below the average USA poverty level (AAPI initiative retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/aapi/data/critical-issues). Such statistic creates an impression that life is difficult for Asian immigrants in the country. The statistics indicate that over 61% of the Asian immigrants are unemployed and hence their living standards are very low. The research done by the AAPI initiative showed that 31% of all the immigrants interviewed reported cases of employment discrimination (AAPI initiative retrieved from hardhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/aapi/data/critical-issues). The few Asians who are successful are those that have been in the country for a long time and have been converted to being Americans. The functionary language in USA is English, and it is used in schools and businesses. Most Asian immigrants have problem with speaking English since it is rarely used in Asian countries. The Immigrants are hence discriminated socially since they have an accent while pronouncing English words. Most of them are stigmatized over the issue and hence end up living unhappy social lives. Some Asians are forced to change their names to reduce the stigma. The performance of immigrant’s students is lower as considered to that of USA students. This is mainly induced by the language barrier which limits most immigrants from understanding many concepts. However, this cannot be generalized to all Asian immigrants since some of them spend time taking language classes before beginning their actual career programs. Inability to fluently speak in English not only limits the Asian students to low academic performance but also to job opportunities (Waters, Mary and Karl 439). Most jobs will require someone who will communicate well in English and hence the Asian immigrants are left out. Racism has been in the country since historic times. Despite the government efforts to reduce racism, it is still evident although in a disguised state. The government criticizes racism and yet it imposes heavy taxations on Asian immigrants that are a form of racial discrimination. Most universities in the USA limit the number of non-Americans that enroll in those universities. This means that the Asians and other immigrants have to compete over a limited number of slots available (Waters, Mary and Karl 431). Such discriminations prove that racism exists but in a disguised form. The low chances of an immigrant being allowed to work in the USA or even being employed indicate that racial discrimination is still evident. From the interview on Jenny, she was certain ha after school she did not want to work in the USA. She argued that the qualification she had placed her in a better position to be successful in her home country. This indicates that most immigrants have minimal chances of becoming successful in the USA. There are likely to be acknowledged more in their countries rather than in the USA. Therefore, one can conclude that USA is a good place to be as an immigrant, but it is not a favorable place for immigrants to work. Nevertheless, USA is still a favorable place for many immigrants. According to Kawon Kim Park, she feels that the environment in the USA is more conducive for her academics work as compared to the state in Korea. She argued that in Korea, students spend a lot of time in class, and yet it does not show significance based on the outcomes. This testifies that the education system in the USA is of high standards, and the system of teaching is favorable as compared to Asian countries. There are many religions in the USA, and hence the immigrants do not have religion problems or discrimination. Jenny ascertained that she was happy with her stay in the USA and hence it is clear that the environment is virtuous for the immigrants. In conclusion, Asian immigrant’s experience certain challenges that make their stay in USA very intriguing. Language barrier, racial discrimination, social discrimination, and racial employment discrimination are among the major challenges experienced by immigrants. However, the academic excellence in the USA academic institution places the immigrants at a better position to be successful in their countries. Some Asian immigrants also find it easy to adapt to life in the USA. References AAPI initiative. "Critical Issues Facing Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders." The White House. AAPI initiative, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014. Waters, Mary C., and Karl Eschbach. "Immigration and ethnic and racial inequality in the United States." Annual Review of Sociology (1995): 419-446. Read More