Immigration - a scant view from the other side of the fence

Being a "rich Western European" - as Franziska is kindly used to remind me any time I show little surprise for some local cultural peculiarity - I'm used to think to immigration in a one way only.

To me - oddly proud member of the above mentioned category -, immigrants are poor indigent or needy people somehow entering Europe or USA to find a job or reach some relative.

In rich Western European's mind immigration is a smooth, neat process involving some lazy immigration office employees and a line of visa-endowed poor people waiting to file their requests.

The nerd or youngest will dare picture poor people sitting in front of a pc monitor in an internet point waiting for the right moment to send all documents via immigration office web portal, but this is already the farthest point our imagination is able to reach. Let's say that it comes very close to science-fiction...