Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: How Can I leave Syria now and get asylum in Europe (Germany)

news.ycombinator.com

201–210 of 228 posts

Re: Ask HN: How Can I leave Syria now and get asylum in Europe (Germany)

#201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

in that case, doesn't a genuine customer at least deserve an explanation ? especially that the account was verified and active for weeks, with a valid credit card and all supporting documents (passport etc ..) I got rejected many times from paypal, 2co, rackspace etc .. but they used to explain the reasons like "we can't deal with syrian citizens" or "you are from a sanctioned country" etc .. maybe I shouldn't call i…

It's less risky to not to provide an explanation than provide the one that will blow up in your face in court.

Yes indeed ! that's exactly what I think it is.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I leave Syria now and get asylum in Europe (Germany)

#202
post #183
post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- software development is an in-demand job ("Mangelberuf") - €39,192/year [...] is above the standard salary that you'd find for development positions at Berlin startups Are you sure about that? Somehow these two statement don't sound like they can go together, I think. Wouldn't that be a ridiculously low salary for a European capital, even for startups?

Salaries are pretty low compared to the US. 50-75k euros for developers is pretty common (even in Scandinavia). On the other hand living costs in berlin are much lower compared to other cities in europe (even compared to other cities in germany). However, I cannot confirm the minimum wages required by a job under blue card. AFAIR, the blue card covers a broad spectrum of jobs and the wage listed above probably take d…

Are these numbers before, or after taxes?

Re: Ask HN: How Can I leave Syria now and get asylum in Europe (Germany)

#203
post #185
post #110

There's a lot of bad information here on Berlin. For context, I'm a non-EU software developer that lives in Berlin and now has permanent residence, as is my girlfriend. Germany is actually one of the easiest countries to get an immigrant work visa for. I would recommend skipping seeking asylum. There's a large enough job market in Berlin for developers that the work visa route will almost certainly be the fastest and…

I'm guessing that you (like me) come from one of exactly 7 countries whose citizens have the privilege of being able to apply for a work visa from within Germany while here on a tourist visa (or, more commonly, a visa-waiver). I can assure you that Syria is most definitely not on that list, and that almost everyone in the world is actually required to obtain a work visa in their home country .

I am. My girlfriend is not. We both got our visas in Germany. (Her case, however, was slightly different than the norm since she went from an academic work visa for post-docs, to a Blue Card, to permanent residence.)

A Syrian would certainly need a visa to enter Germany in general. I believe that you're incorrect as to whether or not, given a valid visa to enter the country, a Syrian citizen would be able to apply for a further visa from within the country.

For reference, this is the actual law that I was referring to which provides for highly qualified foreigners to get a visa to look for work in Germany for six months:

http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/aufenthg_2004/__18c.html

I believe the only point in question is if a Syrian would be able to apply for that from within Germany with a valid visitors' visa, or if they'd need to apply for that from outside of Germany.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I leave Syria now and get asylum in Europe (Germany)

#204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This "dishonest nonsense" has been proven in studies and it vibrates with my own experience in companies where behind the curtains this stuff is rationalized a lot. Sarrazin didn't "raise important issues". He made superficially rational arguments which have in many cases been disproven completely. However these rationalisations were then echoed by racist beliefs buried in society and the discussion became one of rac…

no. 'disqualifies you from job interviews' only applies in very few cases. obviously there will be some discrimination overall, but it's not a serious reason to avoid Germany. I think the persistent poor performance of certain large immigrant groups certainly is an important issue. It is also true that part of this underperformance may have a genetic cause.

Only a very few cases? Oh really? If you think that you live in a pipe dream. I am not sure if Germany has been studied specifically, but other European countries have, and the USA. Minorities with ethnic sounding names in a white majority face discrimination and challenges.

http://m.nber.org//digest/sep03/w9873.html

"It indicates that a white name yields as many more callbacks as an additional eight years of experience. Race, the authors add, also affects the reward to having a better resume. Whites with higher quality resumes received 30 percent more callbacks than whites with lower quality resumes. But the positive impact of a better resume for those with Africa-American names was much smaller."

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/11/2...

"Adida found that in at least two sectors, a Muslim candidate is around 2.5 times less likely to get a job interview than a Christian one, with all else being equal. These results were backed up by a large survey, which showed that among second-generation Senegalese immigrants, Muslim households earn far less than Christian equivalents."

http://writers.unconsciousbias.org/2009/09/best-man-for-the-...

"They found that resumes with Arab/Muslim names were 10% less likely to be called in for an interview and that IAT scores indicating bias against Arabs directly correlated with the likelihood of a callback.

Rooth then followed up with many of the employers who had unwittingly taken part in the first half of the study. The employers filled out three different explicit measures of bias against Arabs and Muslims and then took an IAT that paired Swedish and Arab names with work- associated words such as “lazy”, “slow”, “efficient” and “hard-working”.  Not surprisingly, “the IAT scores of the 193 recruiters participating in this study show that a very clear majority associate words signaling negative productivity… with belonging to the Arab/Muslim minority”."

Re: Ask HN: How Can I leave Syria now and get asylum in Europe (Germany)

#205
post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say the biggest problem is the treatment of foreign workers. Maybe foreign workers from "the west" get good treatment, but the ones bussed in from Asia, for example, aren't treated so well.

I agree, that's one good example of social inequality. though, to be fair, I think the rulers are trying to improve the laws and the culture, for a third-world country UAE can never be compared to any of its neighbours where women can't even drive.

> I think the rulers are trying to improve the laws and the culture

How? As I understand it the actual UAE citizens are getting 'fat' off of the oil money, so all of the menial labour work goes to poor foreigners that are bussed in from SE Asia. It's going to be difficult to change a culture of people that are used to poor Asians doing all of the 'crap jobs' for them while they just bask in money (so to speak).

Re: Ask HN: How Can I leave Syria now and get asylum in Europe (Germany)

#206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This "dishonest nonsense" has been proven in studies and it vibrates with my own experience in companies where behind the curtains this stuff is rationalized a lot. Sarrazin didn't "raise important issues". He made superficially rational arguments which have in many cases been disproven completely. However these rationalisations were then echoed by racist beliefs buried in society and the discussion became one of rac…

no. 'disqualifies you from job interviews' only applies in very few cases. obviously there will be some discrimination overall, but it's not a serious reason to avoid Germany. I think the persistent poor performance of certain large immigrant groups certainly is an important issue. It is also true that part of this underperformance may have a genetic cause.

> no. 'disqualifies you from job interviews' only applies in very few cases. obviously there will be some discrimination overall, but it's not a serious reason to avoid Germany.

Unless you are Arab/Muslim, you are very embedded into the Arab/Muslim community/culture, or you are well-versed in the stats on the subject, it really seems like you're speaking from a place of ignorance.

> It is also true that part of this underperformance may have a genetic cause.

It's highly unlikely that such a general descriptor as "job performance" across all industries would have anything to do with genetic factors. The fact that you even bother to mention it makes me think that you're putting more stock in the idea than it is worth.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I leave Syria now and get asylum in Europe (Germany)

#207

Becoming a refugee is a bad idea. Get a schengen visa, go to a country like Latvia, show them your references, bank statement with decent documented income, open a company (costs 1000-2000 EUR), and get a residence visa. Takes a few months but you can live most of that time on a 90/180 schengen visa, maybe leaving out 1 or max 2 months which you can spend at home or in a non-schengen European country like Cyprus, whi…

Caveat: i have no first-hand experience of getting a residence visa in Germany. It might turn out simpler than i fear, with other posters hinting that. I did that in Cyprus and Czech Republic though.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I leave Syria now and get asylum in Europe (Germany)

#208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This "dishonest nonsense" has been proven in studies and it vibrates with my own experience in companies where behind the curtains this stuff is rationalized a lot. Sarrazin didn't "raise important issues". He made superficially rational arguments which have in many cases been disproven completely. However these rationalisations were then echoed by racist beliefs buried in society and the discussion became one of rac…

no. 'disqualifies you from job interviews' only applies in very few cases. obviously there will be some discrimination overall, but it's not a serious reason to avoid Germany. I think the persistent poor performance of certain large immigrant groups certainly is an important issue. It is also true that part of this underperformance may have a genetic cause.

One of the study proving my "dishonest nonsense" is explained here: http://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/2010-02/studie-bewerber-ausl...

If you say a "part of this underperformance has a genetic cause" that can't be falsified. How could it?

But: Can you show that genetics has a practical relevance in HR and social policy decisions? Can it have any? Should it have any?

We can see and show factors of discrimination that are definitely not genetic and definitely not a general genetic disadvantage between Germans and other "races" (I shudder at these words...), and that makes it really hard to believe we shouldn't try and ameliorate those because "Hey, it's all genetics anyway!"

So far no one has been able to show me any practical consequence from the theoretical allegations of intellectual performance being genetic.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I leave Syria now and get asylum in Europe (Germany)

#209
post #87
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He should know that better than us, we are further away from the war. Possibly even going to Iraq first would be an option. However, now I am reminded that Syria has banned all males 18-42 from leaving the country. So, it isnt easy, you basically have to escape through smuggle-lines/unguarded border. EDIT: If I may speculate, the safest option would be to get to the coast and take a ship to anywhere that isnt Syria.…

Couldn't you dress yourself as a highly religious woman (using a burka)? You wear an attire covering your entire body, right? Not sure what rights religious people enjoy, but maybe you could pass as a woman.

Someone would stop you somewhere and ask WTF are you woman doing without your man, wait a minute, are you really a woman? Bang. Better be safe than sorry.

Also I dont believe it is very common with burkas in Syria.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I leave Syria now and get asylum in Europe (Germany)

#210
post #184
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, the weather and the cold people are basically the only downside. That and having Carl Bildt in any position of government.

What's wrong with Carl Bildt?

Gazprom, Sudan oil interests, Bilderberg group member and generally being a jerk.
Post reply on HN