JenBKR, that is exactly the response I was expecting. It's the same I feel when I see phrases like "if they would do it properly". I am sure people don't even know what they are talking about.

Do people really think that you can go to e.g. US Embassy in Moldova and say - I want to be an American citizen? Yes, a lot of Moldovans did get the settlement visa, but most of them were married to American citizens, just like Sparks - that is not immigration - that is a settlement visa for a wife (husband) that can give you the right to apply for citizenship after a few years. But, then again, if your marriage fails you're expected to go back to your country.

People can't go to the US embassy and say "I want to move to the US and live there, and become a citizen because life is better there". But people still want a better life for themselves and for their children and they find ways to get there, maybe with a legal visitor visa, overstaying, maybe crossing the border illegally. The problem exists and it will exist and if you toughen the rules, it just doesn't help cutting down illegal immigration - it will only help the facilitators - prices for their services will go up and the illegal immigrants will just suffer more humiliations when trying to cross the border. Believe me. I come from a country where 1/4 of the country is working abroad illegally. We have huge problems with people trafficking and even organ selling.

My point here is that by shouting loud "I could do it, why can't others do it like me?" it's impossible to solve this problem. The solution isn't simple, it's just as complicated as the problem.

To be understood correctly, I do not say that illegal immigration is good. I never did in this thread. I did say I don't think it is a crime, because by our legislation crime is something related to homicide, we have another word for minor deliquencies. It is illegal. What I tried to say was that people like to point fingers without even trying to understand the situation.

Let's do the following - check the website of the International Organisation for Migration (or any other organisation that deals with migration, BBC website might have some links to some websites) and see for yourselves how sophisticated is this problem and what solutions have been found for illegal immigration in different parts of the world. See the horror people go through to get to a better place and then tell me again "it's a free ride".

BTW, I don't think there is a better place than my country. I'd never leave my country if it was just for a better quality life.