Nepaali - Very interesting perspectives there. Allow me to use that as a segue to sound off on a couple of issues that come to mind on the larger questions surrounding immigration that have been raised in the article and on this thread. (1) Immigration control: You could argue that phrase is a bit an oxymoron. Migration has existed as long as humans have and will continue to do so till they live on the planet. Aren't we biologically/genetically driven to move around - for food for example? When food needs have been met, then by extension, don't we seek to move around for a better lifestyle etc? What was that in BIO class about why do animals locomote? :P (2) Immigration barriers: Back when we came out of Africa, if that is indeed where we came out of, our ancestors faced barriers too. Wild animals, disease, weather, oceans etc. The barriers have changed today to walls, border "control", immigration check posts, passports, visas etc. All of which, in the end, seems to be more about regulating, rather than stopping immigration. Just like those ancient barriers did not stop humans from moving all across the planet, modern ones may not be able to hold people back forever too. (3) Impact on "original" societies: I am prolly gonna be hated for saying this, but having already pissed off half the people on the site, there is only so much more despising that come come my way I figure so here it is : tough luck! If your grandfather moved from Jumla to Surket, and your father from Surkhet to Kathmandu, you moving from Kathmandu to California is simply part of the same trend. The barriers are different, but it all pretty much for similar goals namely that of bettering your future and the future of your children. Now it's another story if your grandfather did not move from Jumla (or Solu or Humla or Rolpa or any place else - no offense to Jumlesis :). But there is still time left to go to Nepalgunj or Kathmandu or India or America or wherever you can provide best for your families if you cant do well enough in your hometown. You can't expect population centers of yesteryears to thrive under inhospitable circumstances in the present. I know that might sound insensitive to some but I think it speaks to a reality prevalent in Nepal and many parts of the world. (4) No goating, no migration: That said, emigration, cannot be looked at in a vacuum. And it certainly isn't a panacea for all that ails us. Just like we cant "goat" our way out of poverty, migrating our way out of poverty may also not work for everyone. Migration is inevitable and if there are enough opportunities within Nepal, internal migration, might ebb the flow of migrants out of the country or even attract people into the country. In the absence of that, we are likely to see people continue to move out because in their minds, the net benefits of leaving are worth the cost that comes with it (financial, monetary, emotional, social, familial etc) (5) Personal impact on immigrants: Again, feel free to despise me for being so cold hearted, but it's not like everything would have been hunky dory had they stayed back in their villages. There was a reason for moving out after all. They could equally have been miserable living back in the village taking loans from the landlord, toiling the fields, using the yield to repay loans. Sure many immigrants face humiliation and trauma in other countries, but quite a few of them face it at home as well. For example, all those kids who come from villages in Nepal to study in Kathmandu, but end up working as domestic servants etc. Or that fellow in the village who joined the Army to become a soldier ends up washing dishes in a general's house as an orderly. So it is only valid, genuine and humane to express concerns about the psychological plight of migrants, but I am left to wonder whether such people, that had not migrated, would have had another set of problems where they were. It only human to stress and get worried and have problems. It would just be that the host society or concerned others would prolly be feeling less guilty about it because they would not be our problems or problems related to us. Net net, it is not for me to judge whether immigration is good or bad. I'll leave that to the experts although I have an opinion on it. The key thing is immigration is here to stay, people are bound to move more freely in the future, and there is little one can do other than embrace it and stay on top of it and use it to the benefits of all. Just my thoughts. Expressed in the spirit of openness and healthy discussion. :)