My son is permanent resident. He is denied employment in the Aerospace Industry. He must be a citizen.?

Question

After 9/11 my son was determined to be in the aviation industry. He is now a senior at Embry-Riddle. The Air Force and all companies involved in aerospace is denying him employment because he is not a citizen, only a permanent resident. He is Catholic and comes from the Caribbean. Run a security check for him. I spent my life savings putting him through university and now this. I wrote to the Air Force recruiting engineers now and the reply is that they have stopped recruiting permanent residents. Please stop treating everyone as if they are terrorists. Born and bred US citizens in the most sensitive positions have turned out to be turncoats. Why treat our children as if they are guilty before they are even given a chance. I would like to speak to someone in power who has made such an unwise decision.

Upset Mom.

Answer 1

it is heart rending when political decisins affect a family like this but you are out of luck. bad timing. do not waste your life on sorrow and discord over something that canot be changed.
tell your son to find employment in the other less sensitive fields and get some good experience and pay while using his knowledege in a less security sensitive area. I am sure that most commercial airlines would be happy to have him.
Eventually, especially now that there is a change of regime in USA, the policies will soften and new opportunities will arise in his preferred areas. Par of being a good citizen is to accept the governments decrees without complaint and do what is best for the security of America. he can also start the process of becoming a citizen instead of just a perm resident. IF he does not want to do this for loyalty reason, then perhaps he should consider flying for another country, perhaps the one he is from.
life is full of surprises, maybe this is a better fate for him.
many youngsters graduate from college with a special dgree only to find the markey t has shifted demand and they must take interim employment in related field or perhaps be unemployed. you son has been acquiring a useful skill in big demand and should have no problems getting a good career. what more can a mother ask for? nobody is guaranteed their perfect choice without any obstacles to surmount. The US government will not change its policies for you or anyone it seems so forget about it for now and wait. They do not even care about the citizens, mush less the perm residents. Bide your time and use it well.

Do not wear yourself out or make your son bitter by swimming upstream against the tide. swim horizontal to the shore until the tide changes. he is young and will adapt. the policy may chnage before he graduates. who knows?

Answer 2

You can be denied employment based on citizenship status only if being a citizen is a legitimate job requirement. If your job will require you to obtain a security clearance then you can be denied employment on the basis of your immigration status since only citizens can obtain these. Also lots of federal government jobs (like the FBI etc) require citizenship. Same with many state jobs (like law enforcement). Citizenship is also required to be an officer in the military (though permanent residents can server in non commissioned roles).

Answer 3

No person who is not a US Citizen can get a security clearance - period. One of the requirements for a security clearance is that you must have sole and undivided allegiance to the United States - something which is impossible if you are a citizen of another country.

Nobody is regarding your son as a 'terrorist.' This is just an example of how strict the rules are about people qualifying for access to our military secrets.

Answer 4

I don't think this is peculiar to the USA. I was told all countries require you to be a citizen if you want to join the military, I'm not sure whether they will accept dual citizenship or not.
As some of the others have suggested, why don't you get an American Citizenship, there could even be advantages in it when you want to travel around the world. You have PR, so it should be very easy.

Answer 5

America don't you just love it! Having been a military recruiter your son most likely would have had a hard time getting in the military in the first place..Slots for his career area are limited in all branches and because he was a foreign national he would have had a problem getting a security clearance that would have permitted him to work on/in sensitive areas of the military since the military is not restrictive of job assignments..one needs to be qualified for all job assignments in his specialty..Thus the problem has occured..In the many years as a recruiter and it was many (18) I encountered this problem allot when the potential candidate had relative in foreign lands..The military"s position is that one could be coerced into betraying secrets to protect family members i,e blood is thicker than water..if you understand what I mean..Perhaps your son should look for employment in the aviation manufacturing/building industry or teaching profession..The military is not his only alternative..besides the pay is better outside the military..God Bless the USA and Good Luck to you..

Answer 6

You are right, it isn't fair. Not all non-citizens are terrorists, in fact a majority of them are great people who are loyal to the United States in every way. Why not beat the government at their own game? Call the INS and find out when the next citizenship test is. Then when he passes it and is a full fledged citizen the Air Force should be able to stop him from enlisting.

Good Luck to you and your son.

Answer 7

I sympathize entirely. They've really gone insane after 9/11 about this. I'm willing to bet that your son would require a security clearance and they're nearly impossible to get if you're not a US citizen. The military revokes them routinely for people with non-American spouses.."evil, threatening, America hating places" like Canada, the U.K., Germany..It's pretty pathetic after a while. Unfortunately, there's not a lot you can do about. I offer you nothing but the deepest level of sympathy and shared disgust.

Answer 8

Nobody said your son was a terrorist. Those are your words. Its a matter of national security and they don't hire people that fit his profile. If he is that qualified, then he will find a great job doing something else than working for the US air force.

Answer 9

That's just the rules. Maybe he can try in a different country?

Answer 10

Why does he not just apply for citizenship?