Why didn't the author become a U.S. citizen? Because immigrants can't just "become US citizens" just like that, like early western European immigrants did in t

Why didn't the author become a U.S. citizen? Because immigrants can't just "become US citizens" just like that, like early western European immigrants did in the past: for many people it is just plain impossible, and in any case it often takes way, way longer than the 7 years the author has been in the country. For instance: for most people under a H1B visa right now (like, presumably, the author), the process to obtain a green card alone might take anywhere from 4 to 12(!) years, depending on circumstances and nationality [2]; if approved at all [3]. Then they need to wait 5 more years to merely apply for citizenship, which is another whole process that itself might take up to a year. That's a 10 years best case scenario, and doing everything exactly right. [1] http://www.immihelp.com/greencard/employmentbasedimmigration/ http://www.immihelp.com/greencard/employmentbasedimmigration... [2] http://www.immihelp.com/visa-bulletin/july-2014.html http://www.immihelp.com/visa-bulletin/july-2014.html [3] In most cases, the process requires the company to prove that the person does a job "no qualified US workers are available or willing to do" by presenting "proof of advertising for the specific position, skill requirements for a particular job, verification of the prevailing wage for a position and the employer's ability to pay". In other cases, it suffices to prove the person is of "exceptional ability", or has an "advanced degree" (masters, PhD or "equivalent" job experience) that is required for their particular job --but the requirements and scrutiny are so onerous that many applicants with higher degrees prefer to go through the former regardless. See [1] and despair.