How soon my spouse will get the Canada PR?

I assume you mean that your spouse will be PR too.

I was married to 2 asian woman before. THe later one is still my wife Here are the 2 imigration storries.

The first one was from China and i lived 2 years with her together in China prior the marriage. After we married , we filed the application. I am PR since over 25 years here in Canada. Her immigration went so smooth. Not even an interview. It took 8 months to complete.

For the second one, which by the way had better credentials than the first one, even had money and several houses in China the story went like this:

We applied and even did the health check prior it was requested to save processing time. One day , about 9 months after we applied we got invited to an interview at the Hon Kong consulate.

We went there, not really knowing what to expect. That officer woman, after seeing that my wife’s English skills are not that great, after about 3 minutes flat out decided that my wife is fake and only married me to gain access to Canada.

I was speechless. Clearly that was a full show stopper. I received a letter with the reasons why they refused her. Stating that no communication between me and her would be possible and therefore she declares the marriage as fake.

I do not have to speak English with my wife because I speak Chinese and she , at that time was about to get the A1 German language certificate. So we usually communicate either in Chinese (i lived 15 years in China and sure picked up some language skills during that time) or if we wanted could also communicate in German and of course in English or a mix of all 3 languages. Until today we always got the point across and we are still married.

What followed was an appeal and 100s of angry letters to the government, immigration and so on. — No USE and a lot of money wasted.

So we took a rest with this. 7 years later we applied again. Forms, sponsorship app and so on. The whole game again and again we were invited to the consulate for an interview. Point for point we took the first refusal letter apart and delivered proof that my wife was not fake. From pictures to letters of friends that stated that our marriage was not fake.

After hour the officer decided that we are not fake and we won.

My lesson learned from that, if they refuse you, dont spend money on lawyers and appeals. No use ! Go gather evidence and apply again. Important is tht you can supply them as many documents in the interview as possible to proof your case.

As to the time line, at the website of immigration Canada you can see an approximate time frame which differs from consulate to consulate. It is just an approximate time line and best guess from them I assume.

Every question they have, every document missing that they have to request from you will so stall your application. Therefore make triple sure that you have everything they request and do not forget to SIGN THE PAPERS !

Simple things like that will add easily 1 or 2 months to the processing time. IN general, immigration applications can at best take 8 months, at worst - well there are people that waiting for over 10 years !!! and the outcome is like playing lottery. AS you see on my case, even that you are married, does not mean that they will let your wife in.

I know one case of a friend where a woman (china) and husband (Canada) applied. During the application process she became pregnant. What a game changer that was. She informed the immigration department from the fact, since of course they would need PR status for the child too after it is born.

She was advised that she should wait until the child is there. So she did and in the interview she was asked to supply DNA test results that the child is from her husband. What an insult that was. She was married for several years and both wanted a child. Since reliable DNA tests can be only done after the child reaches an age of 3 years, their immigration application came to a delay until she could supply that requested test results.

At times i ask myself if it is worth all that hassle. In 1960 you married, take the marriage certificate to your countries government and get a passport for the spouse. End of story. These days, it is unbelievable where we are heading.

Governmental cancer. Governments grow and grow but the population is not growing. Today vs. 1960s we have computers to handle a 1000 times more workload than the people in the 60s could been handling .. but … it appears that this does not happen.

When is the right time to immigrate to Canada?

The short answer is, immigrate now if you’re younger than 30 years old. The immigration system in Canada is based on points, and you’re penalized for being over 30 years old (subtract 5 points for each year after 29). There are some ways around this though. See below.

Other than that, there are a number of factors to consider.

• Have you just finished undergrad (younger than 30) and want to pursue higher education? Go to Canada instead of going to the USA! The US immigration system will stress you out for decades before you might manage to somehow get a green card. By the time you get a green card, you’ll be saddled with debt, child-care, healthcare costs etc. Forget about becoming an entrepreneur or changing careers at any point in the US. You’re stuck to jobs which are related to your degree because your visa and green card application are based on your field of education.
• If you have decided to go to Canada for your master’s (younger than 30), make sure you work in the field of your undergrad degree for 12 months before you start your master’s. That will push your points really high because Canada wants people who have both Canadian as well as international experience. You’ll be able to get your Permanent Residence within a few months of completing your master’s degree if you do this. If you don’t, you’ll have to wait till you have 12 months of Canadian experience in the field of your undergrad or your master’s before you can apply. You should have your PR within 18 months of graduation either way (approval or rejection happens within 180 days of submission of application).
• If you’ve already completed your Master’s/PhD in another country and have 1–3 years experience in the field of one of your degrees, set up your profile and apply now.
• If you’re older than 30, you could still get through the PR process if you have a master’s/PhD and 1–3 years of experience in the same field as one of your degrees. However, if you’re way older than 30 (39+), you’re better off applying for a Provincial Nomination before you apply for Permanent Residence. One of Canada’s 10 Provinces or 3 Territories should nominate you and say they would like to have you move to their province as an immigrant, based on your education and/or work experience. This will give you 600 points on your PR profile and you’re sure to get through. However, it takes about 12 months (depending on the province) to get a Provincial Nomination, and you’ll be obliged to stay in that province for a few years, or your PR renewal application or citizenship application can get denied. Exceptions can be made for people who can prove that they tried hard to get a job in that province but were not able to.
• Are you a medical doctor, a pharmacist, or a lawyer? You’ll have to meet certain qualification criteria before you become eligible to practice in your field in Canada (depending on the province). Find out what courses or exams you will be required to study, and how long it will take to do so. For some specialized medical doctors, this could take close to a decade.

Canada is one of the easiest countries to immigrate to if you’re young, fluent in French/English, have a degree, and at least 1 year of work experience. The right time to immigrate is now.

What was the worst thing that had happened whilst traveling?

I’ve had my share of creepy strangers staring at me like any other girl in the world but this took it a notch further. Disclaimer- This may turn out to be a long read but stick with me!

The incident dates a couple of months back when I was travelling to my hometown Indore from Pune. As it was an impromptu plan, the flight tickets were extremely high priced and I don’t really prefer train journey on this route as it is too time consuming, I was traveling by bus.

I was no stranger to bus journeys nor was this the first time I was traveling alone. Buses are multiaxled AC sleeper ones so the journey is quite comfortable.

I usually opt for the single lower birth as it provides comfort as well as privacy. This is what the interior of the bus looks like.

The journey time ranges between 12–14 hours and is night travel so you can just sleep it out.

During that fateful journey, I happened to be traveling on a weekday so there was comparitively low rush. The double berth opposite me was occupied by a single man who kept on speaking loudly on his mobile with what I am assuming was his girlfriend. I had my curtains drawn and was watching the movie they had put on but the sound of it was unable to drown out his voice. He was so loud! I tried my best to ignore which was a difficult task given that he was seated right opposite to me.

Anyway, the movie was boring and I was starting to feel drowsy almost an hour into the journey when I got startled feeling something moving near my leg.

My first thought was that it might be a rat but that was a product of the sleepy brain. Common sense took over and I got up to see what was there. Turns out it was the man’s leg poking through my curtain.

Mind you he had to put his legs from his seat, across the narrow corridor in the bus in order to reach my seat.

I pulled back the curtain, interrupted him in his tirade on the phone and politely yet firmly said, “excuse me, can you take your legs away from my seat”

This was the first time I actually even looked at his face and he was a man around 29–30 years of age.

He appeared shocked at his own actions , as if he hadn’t realised where his legs were, withdrew and apologised to me.

He went back to his phone and I drew the curtains back thinking that the ordeal is over. To my horror some 10 minutes later, the incident repeats again.

This time I went on the defensive. I pulled my legs to the other side to avoid contact. Even though it got a little cramped ( I am 5’9” tall). I thought he will eventually just move away and gave him the benefit of doubt.

I could not help being creeped out though and felt that my personal space was violated. Things took a turn for the worse when I felt that his leg moved upwards and touched my knees this time.

Alarmed, I again asked him to withdraw. This time in an angrier tone.

Again he apologised and took his legs away.

15 mins later the bus took a pit stop and maybe by this time I was feeling paranoid, I hurried outside, wedged myself between two aunties who were getting down as well and hoping he would not follow.

I was talking on the phone simultaneously at the same time just to be on the safe side.

When I boarded the bus again, the conductor came to count the people in their seats to ensure that nobody had been left behind.

He asked the man to go back to his seat as the passengers of this seat would be boarding from Shirdi.

I heaved a sigh of relief thinking the ordeal to be over but I was mistaken.

His original seat was the berth above mine.

My mind already was on a high alert mode and panic kept the sleep at bay.

My fears were not unfounded. Half an hour into the journey I saw his hand dangling down to my seat. I asked him to take it away. He complied. 5 minutes later, history repeated itself yet again. Furious, I repeated my words but they fell on deaf ears. He was acting to be asleep.

I pulled the curtains close together so that there was no gap from which his hand could enter, I could feel his fumbling fingers, straining, putting pressure on the curtain, trying to pry a way in.

By this time, I had started panicking a little. Almost all the passengers in the bus were asleep and thousand thoughts were running on my mind.

I took out my phone camera, made a recording of his hand, the quality was pathetic in the dim light!

I yanked the curtains in an attempt to shake his hand off but he continued to fumble for a way inside the curtain, in an attempt to find the partition between the two curtains (not made easy because I had twisted them and was holding them tightly in my hands.)

Something in my brain just snapped. I was frustrated and just had enough.

I got up and marched into the driver’s cabin. Asked the conductor who was a kind man in his fifties to come and help after having explained the entire situation to him.

He duly accompanied me back to my seat, woke up the man in the seat above who was acting to be asleep and gave him a good verbal thrashing! He even threatened to deboard him in the middle of nowhere if he repeats his actions.

I could not contain my anger and shouted at him for his actions. Turns out he was drunk as well.

The commotion in the meanwhile had woken up passengers in the nearby seats who rallied to my support and asked me to wake them up if I felt the need!

Satisfied and somewhat relieved I went to sleep after warily watching the curtains for almost an hour.

The next morning while I was deboarding at my stop, on seeing me getting up, he hastily drew his own curtains in shame. The satisfaction it gave me is something I cannot describe in words!

These incidents are a common occurrence for girls all over but it made me realise, never be afraid to speak out. The world would always try and make you a victim, it is your choice to submit to atrocities or fight back!

I am also thankful to the staff who were so cooperative.

The words of the conductor to me were, “Aap log bharosa karke humare saath travel karte ho. Aapki safety toh humari responsibility hai madam”

“You trust us when you choose to travel with us, your safety is our responsibility madam”

The world is a better place because of people like him.

I was smiling like an idiot when I got off the bus.

Edit: I have seen popular answers on quora with thousands of views and hundreds of upvoters, and hoped one day I would be able to achieve that. Wish fulfilled! I don’t even consider the best answer I’ve written till date but I guess the quora algorithm works in mysterious ways that I’m yet to fathom.

Published this yesterday night and when I woke up today, it already has 15k answer views! Thanks to everyone who has commented and upvoted! The words in the comments were very encouraging and some even gave novel suggestions in such situations! Thankful to all except this one guy, who asked me to get marrried if I wanted to avoid such situations in future! I was flabbergasted at his solution and then he goes on and comments this:

Seriously? Get a life!

Edit 2: To the people who “smell” Zaira Wasim here, I think there’s something wrong with your olfactory receptors. Do visit an ENT. Pointing out major differences. She didn’t lodge a complaint with the airline staff. When asked if something was wrong, she clearly said no. She did not seek help at the time of the incident and then created a hue and cry over instagram. I neither comdemn nor condone her actions. I wasn’t there and I am not the right person to judge but I hope you can make out the differences in both the situations.

I don’t generalise men. For every pervert, there are hundreds of good guys out there. Generalising everyone based on selective incidences is wrong and the same applies to women. I don’t deny the fake dowry and harassment cases that are occurring. But for every fake case, there are a hundred genuine ones as well. So stop this generalisation!

Peace!

What documents should I submit after receiving the ITA for Canada Express Entry Success?

Now a new option would have opened in your profile. After you fill out these details and reach the next step, there will be separate sections to submit all your documents, so you will not miss out any part. Following is the link which details out all the documents required:

Applications received on or after January 1, 2015, for permanent residence programs subject to the Express Entry completeness check

In the section where you upload the documents, there would be an additional section of Letter of Explanation (LOE). If any section(s) require explanation, then write it in a single letter and submit it there.

Some points to note while submitting documents:

1. For a single section, eg: Proof of funds, you have to submit a single file only, size of which should not exceed 5 MB.
2. In educational documents section, please do not forget to add IELTS certificate and degree evaluation certificate. Though it is not called out in their details, but it is required. I have seen applicants getting request to submit it later.
3. For the police clearance certificate, attach certificates of all the countries you have lived in for more than 6 months. Each PCC should cover your entire stay in that country. A lot of applications are being rejected straight away nowadays, as people miss PCC for a single state or for a little time duration.
4. LOE is an important section. Please use it judiciously and explain yourself fully.
5. Answer all the statuary questions and other details truthfully or risk bring blacklisted. Do not leave out any detail.

Regarding payment, 550 CAD are required upfront. Additional 490 CAD have option to be paid along with 550 CAD or can be paid later. But would advise to pay whole amount of 1040 CAD during summiting your application, otherwise it will waste time later on when they get back to you for the pending amount.

Regarding GCMS notes, they are only to check progress on your application. Ask for them later on if you do not see any movement in your application for more than 3 months. Please note that you do not get email when your background check, etc starts. So you would have to login to your application regularly to check for updates. If you have a relative or friend who is permanent resident or citizen in Canada, they can get it on behalf of you and would cost just 5 CAD. 

My experience of immigrating to Canada

Well I am from India and I came to Canada in 2015.

My spouse and I initially wanted to live in Vancouver, but after reading about the high cost of living and even higher competition with regards to jobs, we chickened out and decided to land in Toronto.

How was the initial experience you ask?

Well right from landing at the Pearson airport to getting a taxi and settling in our hotel room, we felt right at home. Searching for rental units, applying for jobs, learning to use the transit systems and breathing in clean air took up most of our time over the next few weeks. With each loonie that we spent, we were loosing 50 times the value in Indian currency. It demanded utmost mental strength not to think much of that. :)

At that point of time, both of us had more than six years of work experience and were in highly skilled professions. Our resumes received fair amount of responses. However, the moment the prospective employers realized that we have “zero Canadian experience”, they just vanished into thin air.

Finally after three months, both of us got relevant job offers and haven’t looked back ever since.

What we learnt from this experience?

The Canadian economy is not as shining as it is perceived from the outside. Unless you are highly skilled, it is going to be a “not-so-easy” journey.

What we hope you learn from our experience?

• Be prepared for the worst.
• Save as much as you can before moving to Canada.
• Add new skill sets.
• Learn French (many jobs need bilingual candidates).
• Consider entrepreneurship (in the long run). It is definitely not a cakewalk, but do not limit yourself to the odds of finding a relevant job.

Treat the time before you get a job as a well deserved vacation. Try to spend it wisely with family and friends. Do not get frustrated. Use it to learn and acclimatize yourself to your new “home”. :)

Attend all the food festivals around the city, see all the good places, visit Niagara Falls, live the life that you immigrated for.

What is the most interesting question you have been asked at immigration counters at airports?

Flying into Vancouver, BC (from Juneau, AK via Seattle) once I somehow got flagged for a full interrogation which meant I got to spend two hours with a very young agent who asked me every question he could think of.  He seemed very skeptical that anyone would go to Vancouver for legitimate tourism, which is bizarre since Vancouver attracts tourists from all over the world.

After establishing my full work and travel history he grills me on why I was going to Vancouver when there were so much closer American cities I could go to like LA and Chicago.  I had to explain to him that Juneau was actually much closer to Vancouver than any of those places.  Again a bit weird for him not to know, since hundreds of thousands of people fly into Vancouver every year to catch cruises to Alaska.

Finally he thinks he's caught me in a lie when he asks me when the last time I had been to South America was.  I told him I had never been to South America.  His eyes light up because he clearly thinks he's got me busted (for travelling to South America, I guess).  He pulls a 10 pataca note out of my wallet left there from a recent trip to Macau- how do I explain that?  

That's from Macau.  

But you said you'd never been to South America?  

I haven't, Macau is in China.

But what about the Spanish writing?

Actually that's Portugese.  Macau is a former Portugese colony and still officially bilingual.  (Also, the Portugese writing is less prominent than the Chinese writing, and the bill shows obviously Chinese architecture- even if you didn't know where Macau was South America was a bad guess.)

Um, I have to go talk to my supervisor?  (Or more likely to Google Macau.)  When he got back he had about 15 minutes of questions, but his heart clearly wasn't in it and he eventually let me in.  

Luckily Vancouver is actually a very nice place and I had a great weekend, even if two hours of it we're spent in the immigration interogation hall.

Which is the best country to settle in, Canada or Australia?

Both are absolutely great countries to migrate to, so it's really a matter of opinion . However, I will try to give you a side by side comparison on different points and let you can decide on your own.

1. Weather

This is one BIG factor which usually sways people in favour of one country over the other. Canada has really harsh winters and heaps of snow throughout most of time, making it quite depressing. You may need to take daily dose of vitamin D as sunlight is rare. Australia has tropical weather most of the time, depending on location. It's quite sunny, warm and pleasant throughout the year. Though summer can be quite harsh and UV radiation is a pain. If you don't take proper precaution, chances are high for you to get skin cancer.

2. Cost of living

Canada hands down win on this front. It is quite cheap to rent or own a house in Canada. In Australia however, house prices are soaring high and almost out of reach of common man. Apart from housing as well, Australia is highly expensive compared to Canada in terms of household items. For example, 1 pair of Levis jeans will cost you around 100$ in Australia whereas same thing will cost you around 60$ in Canada.

3. Employment Opportunities

Australia has high number of jobs compared to Canada, however getting job as a migrant can be quite a task. Australian recruiters prefer local candidates over migrants, plus you have to be in Australia to be considered for a job opportunity and it can really test your patience. Canada on the other hand, though having less jobs, can be fairly smooth if you land their with job offer in hand.

4. Public Safety

Both countries are quite safe, though Canada wins by small margin due to more racial tolerance and open culture. Canadians are in general more open and friendly than Australians, especially if you know French language.

5. Economy

Canada's economy is heavily dependent on the US and it can be problematic in case US economy hits low such as during 2008 financial crisis. Australian economy is more dependent on Asian countries, more specifically China. So, it is stayed afloat during 2008 financial crisis, though any blow to China will be felt hard in Australia.

6. Outdoor Life

Though Canada has number of beautiful places to visit, weather makes it less desirable to do so. Australia, however, is a place for lot of outdoor living. There are plenty of beaches, wildlife and places to go. If you are a outdoor person, Australia is definitely the place to be.

What are the major cultural differences between Canadians and Americans?

As someone born in the U.S. but having lived in Canada and been a citizen more than half my life here are things I noticed when I moved here:

• I could not figure out what to do with the milk in the bags.  I didn't know there was a special container and a little tool to slice the plastic.  I kept looking for the Gallon Milk Jugs.  Fact is ....the milk keeps longer and you can even freeze it in those bags --- imagine that.
• When you went to people's houses - people took their shoes off at the door and walked around in their sock feet. I remember a party wearing a cocktail dress walking around in slippers ---- and everyone was.  I now find if I go to the states I forget and do that and my relatives think it is my southern heritage coming through versus Canadian of not wearing shoes:-)   It is because there is a lot more snow here and tracking in wet slushy boots can be a mess on carpets or any floor....and it seems to carry over until the rest of the year.  Keeps your floors in good shape.
• Though some people say "eh" and "oot and aboot"   that tends to be in smaller towns or certain parts of the country.  
• Most Americans think there is a Canadian accent and the fact is just like the U.S. ....you can go 100 km and you can get another one.  People in Newfoundland, Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta all sound very different. But if you go to a small town outside the major city in any province - you will hear differences as well.
• There are two official languages in Canada - French and English.
• I find culturally there are some things that are the same and some that are different and that very much differs by area.  People in Toronto are much like those in NY or any big city.  People in Vancouver I find very much like people in California and those in Alberta - find have similarities to those in south and specifically Texas.
• I find Canadians to be more socially conscious and the government has better programs to support its citizens.
• We have a health care system and our citizens will not go bankrupt after a couple day visit to a hospital.
• Our financial / banking system is one of the strongest in the world.  When the U.S. was in trouble - Canada was in good shape.  
• In Canada - we do not bear arms.  Our crime rate is nill compared to the U.S. There were 76  murders and this is in a large metropolitan multi-cultural city in 2011 - Toronto GTA - population 5M.
• I have found Canadians are more accepting of people's differences - no matter what that is - nationality, race , religion, or sexual orientation .
• Canadians can travel and vacation in Cuba without any government restriction. 
• Travelling on a Canadian passport abroad comes with less hassles as Canadians are well liked abroad.  I noticed a real difference.
• Canada has  provinces and territories - not states.  
• Canadians know more about the U.S. than Americans know about Canada.
• Our government in Canada is a parliamentary system.  There is a Prime Minister of Canada not President.  We have 3 main parties. (PC, Liberal and NDP).  We have Premier of Provinces not Governors.
• Our Universities and Colleges are reasonably priced and almost any Canadian who has the grades can attend.  The average price of one year in a 4 year University including room/board is around 15K and there are good government programs for school loans.  There are some that cost a bit more and some less as there are some institutions focused on particular areas such as Engineering, Business, The Arts....etc.
• Maternity Leave is a Year in Canada
• When people get laid off  in Canada- severance packages are significantly greater than their American counterparts.
• Canada is to hockey as the U.S. is to football.

Are you a racist if you dislike illegal immigration and want to send them back?

Had some yard work done that required cutting concrete. My gardener gave me a quote of $150 to do the job. I accepted his bid as fair and equitable and we agreed on last Sunday for him to do the work.

He arrived promptly 8:30 Sunday morning and began cutting our concrete patio. He used a small electric saw with a 4” blade, which I thought odd, since the last guy I'd seen cut concrete had a major power saw that had to be held with both hands and came with a water supply to keep the blade cool.

Gardener struggled to cut a mere 20” of concrete for over 5 hours. He left once, to buy new blades for his little saw. He did not take a lunch break. In fact, he took no breaks at all.

Ninty-four degrees at mid-day when I brought him some ice water. Sweat dripped down his face and cut brown lines in the concrete chalk covering his skin. He gave me a crooked-tooth grin of thanks, took a long drink then wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “Caliente!” (Hot!)

I nodded agreement and pointed to his little saw. Pequeño (Small), I said, closing the gap between thumb and forefinger. Why so small? Harder to cut the concrete. I spoke in English, as my Spanish sucks, but he got it.

He laughed. You're right. Yes! Si! Demasiado pequeño (too small). Herramienta incorrecta (wrong tool). He picked up his tiny cutter. Muy caro! Expensive! $100 for herramienta. $35 for blades. Ay, yi yi!

I'm paying him $150 for the job. He'd just spent over that buying equipment to do the work. I was mind boggled. I assumed he had all he needed to do the job when he gave me his bid. He went back to work and I went inside and got the receipt from the equipment rental place I'd visited the previous week. Only $24.99 to rent a jigsaw for 24 hours! At the time I rented the jigsaw, I inquired about renting a concrete cutter. $59.00 for 24 hours. Why hadn't my gardener just rented the right equipment? He could have got the job done in half an hour and actually made money.

I took the receipt outside and showed it him. Do you know of this place? Just down the road?

He took the receipt and studied the logo at the top of the paper. His expression brightened. Si! Yes! Alquiler de equipos Rentals. Rents. Yes?

Yes! Concrete saw is $59.00 bucks for the day. Taken you 30 minutes to do the job. Why didn't you rent a saw? Using hand signals and body gestures I somehow communicated.

Ah. No. No rent. Can't. No license. No seguro (insurance). Not legal here.

Four years running our gardener's been coming and he is the best gardener I've ever had. More than a gardener, he fixes our watering system, landscapes, trims trees, sets fences. He comes every Tuesday around 9:00am, rain or shine, and is on time, every time. He always smiles and waves when we cross paths. He is a stellar model of a dedicated hard worker for our children, and the community at large.

Yet, he can not get a Green Card.

His company won't sponsor him. He has no legal relatives here. He is not a refugee. Even if he could get one, the process of applying and then waiting for the Card takes years. My gardener needs, and in fact, has work now. He can't wait years to get U.S. approval to work for a living.

Why doesn't he leave his job for Americans and just go back to Mexico?

I had three other bids on the concrete work I needed. A neighborhood contractor quoted me $1,600 to do the job. A mason didn't want the job because it was 20 miles from his location and not worth the trip. A local handyman quoted $800, but couldn't start the job for over two months, and required half upfront to hold my time slot. All were licensed, bonded, U.S. citizens.

Until our conversation last Sunday, I had no idea my gardener was here illegally, and driving without a license. The man is probably in his early 30s. He'll die young from hard labor, lack of medical care, working with poor or improper equipment, like breathing toxic concrete dust without a mask, carcinogenic construction materials, garden poisons. If he is graced with children, and I hope he is, and will pass on his excellent work ethic to them, he still will not be granted U.S. citizenship, and is at risk of deportation. Like many illegals lately, he could end up having to take his American children back to live in the Mexico he left for a 'better life.'

Sunday alone, our gardener put over $150 into the U.S. economy, counting just his little saw and multiple blades. He will buy his food here, pay for his housing here, his utilities, his fuel costs. He lives here, and contributes to our economy with every dollar he spends. He probably pays taxes, as do many illegals working for large corporations. My gardener is an employee of a huge gardening and landscaping company.

Next time you bite into that peach, remember it only costs 39 cents because illegals planting and picking the fruit are cheap labor. (Your iPhone5 is made in China for the same reason, yet Apple is rewarded with tax breaks instead of being kicked out of the country.) Billions in tax dollars and consumer spending in the U.S. by illegals annually, yet they get none of the protections of our citizens. No medicare. No social security or unemployment benefits. No welfare or government handouts. Illegals are invisible here.

I am privileged by birthright for the lifestyle we live, and can provide for our kids. I haven't a clue, and never want one, how it feels to be so far from home, without 'inalienable rights.' But I know one thing for sure—our gardener deserves the 'better life' he sought when moving here, the one [ostensibly] available to most citizens who work hard to prosper.