Is the American Dream Over? What to Expect from the U.S.

Does the dream still exist, or are you just another $17,000 contract?

Open Instagram and within five minutes you will find someone living “the American dream.” A house with a lawn, a car in the garage, kids in a bilingual school, backyard barbecues on Sundays. The narrative is seductive. And it is precisely because it is seductive that it deserves to be questioned.

Because behind every well-edited post lies a reality that rarely appears in the stories: the monthly budget that never balances, the job that never came, the isolation nobody expected, and the regret that nobody dares to publish.

This article is not against immigration. It is against immigrating uninformed.

What the American economy actually says

The United States remains the world’s largest economy. That is a fact. But the size of an economy does not automatically translate into quality of life for everyone, especially for those arriving from abroad.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the official unemployment rate may appear low, but it hides important nuances:

• Underemployment – the U-6 metric, which includes involuntary part-time workers and discouraged workers, tends to be significantly higher than the official rate (U-3). Many qualified immigrants end up in positions below their level of training.
• Wages stagnant in real terms – adjusted for inflation, wages in median sectors have not kept pace with the rising cost of living, particularly in housing and healthcare.
• Regional cost of living – cities with the greatest job opportunities (New York, San Francisco, Boston, Miami) are also the most expensive. A salary that looks attractive on paper may barely cover rent and health insurance.

The Department of Labor regularly publishes the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which projects growth and decline across occupations. Not every profession is in demand in the U.S., and qualifications obtained abroad are not always recognized or valued in the same way.

Employability after 35: what nobody tells you

Most content about immigration to the U.S. is created by and for people in the 25-to-34 age range. But a significant share of those who immigrate are over 35, have families, established careers in their home country, and specific expectations.

For this profile, the reality is different:

• Professional restart – international degrees often require credential evaluation. Certain professions (medicine, law, engineering) require state licensing that can take years and cost thousands of dollars.
• Veiled age discrimination – although illegal under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the preference for younger professionals is a market reality, especially in sectors such as technology.
• No professional network – networking is essential in the American job market. Arriving at 40 without a local professional network means competing at a significant disadvantage.
• International experience undervalued – years of experience in another country can be treated as irrelevant by employers who do not recognize the context.

Data from the Migration Policy Institute indicate that immigrants with advanced degrees frequently face a period of underemployment in their first years, even when they have full work authorization.

Cultural and family adjustment: what the stories do not show

Immigration is not a change of address. It is a change of entire social context. And adjustment comes with costs that appear in no consulting budget:

• Social isolation – the community you had in your home country does not automatically replicate itself in the U.S. Building deep relationships takes years, not months.
• Impact on children – children adapt linguistically faster, but face cultural identity challenges that manifest over time. Teenagers in transition can experience significant academic and emotional setbacks.
• Marital relationship under pressure – when one partner finds work and the other cannot enter the job market, the imbalance creates tension. When both are starting over from scratch, the financial pressure doubles.
• Homesickness as a chronic factor – distance from parents, siblings, childhood friends. Missing family events. Not being present when someone needs you. This emotional cost is underestimated by those planning to immigrate and ignored by those selling immigration.

As for the reception by Americans: it varies dramatically by region, social class, and political context. The idea that “the U.S. is a nation of immigrants and everyone is welcome” is a historical oversimplification. In practice, anti-immigration sentiment exists, is documented in Pew Research Center surveys, and affects the daily lives of those who live there.

The role of influencers in selling the dream

There is a well-oiled machine connecting content creators to immigration firms. It works simply:

• The influencer produces content that romanticizes life in the U.S.
• The content generates an audience of people interested in immigrating.
• The audience is directed, via links, partnerships, or mentions, to consulting or law firms.
• The influencer receives a referral commission or is paid for sponsored content.

There is no requirement to disclose this commercial relationship transparently on many platforms. The follower watches the content believing it is a genuine opinion, when in reality it is advertising for an immigration service.

This model creates a cycle where the incentive is always positive: speak well of the U.S., simplify the process, minimize difficulties, and never, never say “perhaps this path is not for you.”

A firm that charges between $10,000 and $25,000 per case has a direct financial interest in having as many people as possible want to immigrate. And the influencer who earns per referral has the same interest. Objectivity disappears when profit depends on optimism.

The data that should be on the table before any decision

Before investing in an immigration process, consider checking:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov) – research the actual demand for your profession in the U.S., average salaries by state, and growth projections.
• USCIS Processing Times – check the actual processing time for the visa category you are considering. Not the time the consultant promises, the time the government reports.
• Department of State Visa Bulletin – if your process involves a priority queue (EB-2, EB-3), check when your priority date will become current. It could be years.
• Numbeo or Bureau of Economic Analysis – compare the actual cost of living in the cities you are considering: rent, healthcare, education, transportation.
• Credential Evaluation Services – check whether your qualifications will be recognized in the U.S. and what will be required to practice your profession.

Immigrating may be the best decision of your life. Or not.

That sentence may seem obvious. But in the current information ecosystem around immigration, where everything is presented as an opportunity and nothing as a risk, it needs to be said often.

There are people who immigrate and build extraordinary lives in the U.S. There are people who immigrate and deeply regret it. The difference between the two groups is rarely luck, it is information, planning, and expectations aligned with reality.

Those selling you the American dream have a financial interest in your decision. Those showing you the data do not. Decide based on the data.

Dream or nightmare? What to expect from the U.S. depends less on the country and more on how much you know about it before you arrive.

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

Leading journalism and editorial content at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps make immigration topics clear, trustworthy, and easy to understand. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.