Emigration and immigration issues worry retiring seniors

Lake Takepo and Mt Cook in New Zealand

Many people worry about immigration amnesty because of the burden that already exists on Americans with rising health care costs, Medicare and Social Security.  This is often cited by politicians  like Phil Gingrey, Republican in the United States Congress from the State of Georgia, as a reason not to be too quick to offer a permanent home to people who came to the United States through other than legal channels.  But it isn't just immigration that worries retiring seniors.  It's also whether or not emigrating to another country is possible and whether it is even a good idea.

While prejudice lies at the foundation of some of the resistance toward immigration amnesty, these financial concerns are often cited by conservatives and liberals alike.  How to balance benefits and provide an alternative to citizenship remains one of the concerns in developing a way to become a citizen in the United States.

While U.S. citizens struggle with the issue of illegal immigrants and ways to deal with the problem, other nations have dealt with it by restrictive laws that prohibit many people, including Americans, from immigration to their countries.  There are very few countries that welcome retirees, or even people over 55 years of age.  New Zealand is one of those countries that opens the door to its immediate neighbors, and some of those from its ancestral European members; however, it is virtually impossible for anyone to enter New Zealand legally and own property who is over age 55 and doesn't have a skill the country deems especially desirable.

South America has often been cited as a haven for retired people.  Yet in many of the countries that used to draw senior citizens to their shores, offering lower cost of living, medical benefits and other desirable elements, the doors in some respect have been at least partially locked against folks who might present a drain on a country's social welfare programs.  And the cost of living is no longer as inexpensive in relationship to the United States, as evidenced by Costa Rica.  Most people, it is said, reconsider their move to Costa Rica and return; so those who do want to move there are counseled to do due diligence.

The options for American retirees are most commonly within the United States, even as seniors express concern that immigration amnesty may present pressures on benefits already being cited as too expensive with growing costs a time when the nation continues to struggle with its long-range financial future with an aging population