Is anyone out there is a permanent resident in a country?

Question

Can anyone tell me what do the permanent residents in your country eligible for? eg. government subsidised rental housing, medical, education, unemployed benefits, etc. And do they have the same privilege as the citizens? I would love to hear from people in any country about this topic.

Answer 1

In the US, permanent residents no longer have the same rights as citizens since the 1996 changes to the Immigration act and the welfare reform act.

Residents in the US always had to pay the same taxes as citizens, but no longer qualify for federal benefits, such as SSI, Medicaid, Food Stamps etc.
They cannot vote, but they can give money to political candidates (small wonder).
They cannot serve on a jury.
Residents also cannot hold public sector jobs, esp. not if those jobs involve political functions.
Residents cannot work for the state either. You must be a citizen.
The rights that have been taken by way of state level benefits vary by state. The conservative states like Colorado and Alabama made the most radical anti-resident rulings. Some other states that collect full taxes changed the rules to phase out benefits or added restrictions.

I see a lot of ignorance amongst American citizens who do not fully appreciate that the legal immigrants support their system more than they themselves do. Frustrating sometimes.

Answer 2

All I can tell you is that permanent residents have the same rights/ piveleges as the citizens. Except that they can't vote and that they can apply for some kind of federal/government jobs for security reasons.