Why we did this.
Recent US immigration policies and rhetoric have made immigrants feel unwelcome and even threatened. Since many Wise employees and customers are immigrants, this hits close to home.
We partnered with Pollfish to survey 5,000 people to see in detail how their experience of living in this country has changed in the past year. We want to put a spotlight on immigrant communities and remind people that everyone has the right to feel at home in America.
Are we great again yet?
Surprisingly, over the past year, people born in the US felt more negatively about their life in the US than immigrants (45% to 34%). Twenty-seven percent of US-born felt less safe, while only 16% of immigrants felt less safe.
Interestingly, the longer an immigrant has lived in the US, the more likely they are to have felt worse off in 2017. Perhaps people felt better about the US compared to their home country, but worse about the US compared to what it used to be like.
Are you judged for the sound of your voice?
Forty-six percent of immigrants feel frustrated, judged, or uncomfortable when they speak English in public, and half of them cite their accent as the reason. Thirty percent feel afraid, judged, or uncomfortable when they speak their native language in public.
The immigrant tax.
It's tough enough to manage your money in one country. It’s even tougher when you need to do it in multiple countries. Sixty-eight percent of immigrants send money to their country of origin. Two-thirds do it to support family, and one-fourth send money to their savings account, hoping to eventually move back home. Only 37% of immigrants picture themselves living in the US in five years.
Taxes on remittances, like the one proposed to fund a Mexico-US border wall, would take even more hard-earned money away from these people. Oklahoma already taxes its residents for sending money internationally and several states are looking to implement similar laws next year.
