how is the twin cities environment for middle aged immigrant couples? (Minneapolis: hotel, house)

[drary89]

i know this couple 50 and 60 years old who are from middle east and just got their immigration and wanna move to the US, but they can't decide where to go.i guess they can't speak english very well. do you think they can do ok in twin cities? find some thing to do and earn enough to pay for themselves and live peacefully? will people be nice and helpful to them?

[uptown_urbanist]

There are a lot of services and programs to help immigrants who don't speak English; the level of services in their native language will depend on specific language. There's not a large Arabic speaking population, though, so if that's their primary language then they might run into some problems. It still might be the right location, depending on what they're looking for, but there are probably other places in the country that would offer more language options. I know several people who have moved to the United States from various Middle Eastern countries and who have been happy living here, but they also spoke English before the move. (although actually, if their language is Arabic, they might be able to turn that into a real asset; there's an increasing demand for Arabic language instructors and teachers here, so they might be able to find work doing that, at least initially, or in addition to whatever other jobs they do. If nothing else it would be a nice way to meet people.)

[Camden Northsider]

There are an increasing number of Iraqi refugees coming to MN this and last year, so there is beginning to become more of an Arabic-speaking community here (not that there weren't already a number of middle-eastern folks living here, there are a number of businesses and restaurants in Minneapolis that are owned by middle easterners- one of the best examples would be Holy Land). Furthermore, there are a number of Somalis in Minneapolis that also speak Arabic- this could be helpful to your friends if they do take advantage of the aforementioned services that Uptown Urbanist referenced, as there are a lot of Somali persons working in the helping professions that might be able to communicate with them in Arabic. Working as interpretors or language instructors themselves would be out of the question if they do not have good English.

Do you know if your friends will be coming on an immigrant visa, e.g. diversity lottery visa (DV) or other, or is there any chance they are coming as refugees? There are a lot of services available to help refugee persons that come to MN, and, although there are still some, there are quite a lot less services available for persons that come via immigrant visas. However, they could still benefit from employment services geared towards low-income residents, etc.- if they do come here, I would highly recommend that they move to the city of Minneapolis proper (w/in city limits) to ensure that they could potentially be eligible for some of the employment/training services that are available for city residents.

Minnesota (and especially the core cities) are a very welcoming and accepting place. There are a number of newcomers living in both cities (and a number of surrounding suburbs) at varying levels of English, and it may (or may not) be helpful for them to know that there is a significant Muslim population here with the large concentration of Somalis in MN (also, of note, MN elected the first Muslim to serve in the US House of Reps- Keith Ellison). There is a good Adult Basic Education/ English as a Second Language infrastructure here where they could immediately get enrolled in English language instruction through the public school system. Getting a job will be another story- it's not easy for anyone right now, and it's of course quite a bit harder if you don't speak English (even hotel housekeeping positions have tightened up a lot on English language/experience requirements!)- if there is someone here in the area that could help support them until they are able to find employment and get on their feet a little, that would be helpful for them as, unless they are coming as refugees, it is unlikely that they would qualify for many (if any) public benefits.

Good luck-

[drary89]

they are coming as immigrants,and they don't speak arabic,they are persian and speak farsi. they are not muslim ,they are zoroastrians. they do speak some english but understanding others speaking could be a challenge for them. the lady has a brother who has been living here for about 30 years,and he can support them for a while.but they prefer to be independent and get some job so that they can live on their own budget.how do you think locals would treat them? will they be accepted by the community and treated with respect?

[Civic]

Dearborn, Michigan area has one of the highest concentration of Middle Easterns in the States.

[theprincefan]

Minnesotans seem pretty respectful on the surface but, I've found, lots of communities here don't really want a lot of non English speaking "foreigners" here. I'm white, educated, and speak English, but I'm a renter, so I'm even experiencing the "COLD SHOULDER" from homeowners here.

I think that they should talk to the brother about what particular community would be best for them. He would know more about it. I'm sure there are little pockets in Minneapolis that would be nice. The weather is pretty insanely cold though! I'm not so sure they'll be happy with that. Why not somewhere warmer like Arizona, Florida, Colorado or Texas? I'd say California, but it costs too much.

edited to say forget Arizona because I forgot they don't want immigrants there. Sad world