If you’re planning to bring family members from your home country to the U.S. to join you, it’s only natural to have some concerns about how well they’ll adjust and assimilate. It’s not unusual for those who have left the country where they were born and raised, and possibly have lived some of their adult lives, to not quite feel like the U.S. (or wherever they have moved) is “home.”
How much a person grows to feel like they “belong” in the country to which they’ve immigrated depends on many factors. Some involve the circumstances they left their homeland. If they left because conditions were dangerous or destitute and they wanted a better life, they may have different feeling than someone who moved enthusiastically to be closer to family or because they had a professional opportunity they couldn’t pass up.
What factors play a role?
Because there is so much more global travel and relocation than there once was, researchers have found that people are less likely to associate “home” with any specific location. One study found that almost as many people identified “home” as where they currently live as the place they were born and raised.
Other factors include:
- Age: Older people more often consider “home” where most of their memories are.
- Gender: Men are more likely to associate it with where they have status, while women are more likely to consider it the place where they have an emotional attachment.
- Assimilation: Those from countries and cultures that allow them to easily assimilate to their new one (including economic assimilation) are more likely to feel at home more quickly and easily in their new country.
Of course, things like language, education and a person’s general personality can all affect whether they feel at home in any particular location as well.
Ultimately, if you have questions or concerns about how to help loved ones relocate to the U.S. successfully, seeking legal guidance can help the process go more smoothly for them and for you as well.
