Germany and Switzerland aren't France. AFAIK, France is one of the most welcoming countries for foreigners in Europe. There may be tensions with Muslims now, but otherwise a huge proportion of famous French people are of foreign origin. I listed a few
here. There are especially lots of French people of Italian, Spanish, Polish, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Armenian descent. The French government has passed a series of laws that makes it illegal to make statistics based on ethnicity or religion to prevent discrimination. That is in the spirit of the values of
égalité and
fraternité of the French Revolution, but also because the French are so ethnically mixed themselves (Gascons, Bretons, Alsatians, Provençals, etc.).
Yeah, their slogan, Liberté, égalité, fraternité is the reason why France attracted so many immigrants. For example, Korean I mentioned in my other post. It is because of this reason most of their immigrants are people who have not got enough money to go to The States or Australia to study. If you can get in French university, you need a minimum of B2 Standard, you only pay like 400 euros per year just like local students.
Having said that, it is not true for the Korean I spoke about. This is because she studied in private Universities in Paris. Those were very expensive and the cost of living in Paris was expensive and still is!
In Australia if you are an international student For example, if you are enrolled in a Bachelor of Commerce and taking the equivalent of 48 credit points each year (1 EFTSL) then you will pay $38,500 Aud for the first year (2017), and this fee is likely to increase each year.
For Australians and Kiwis and Australian PR holders tuition fees will be subsidised by the Australian Government. You will pay the remainder – called a 'student contribution amount' and set by the University for your particular study.
Germany and Japan were two countries that were so preoccupied with racial purity and superiority that it eventually led to WWII. Japan remains to this day a country where it is very difficult to emigrate, especially if one isn't East Asian. Foreigners make up only 1.5% of the Japanese population, and 95% of them are East Asians or 2nd/3rd generation Japanese from South America. Westerners, South Asians, Middle Easterners and Africans only represent 0.1% of the population. Although Japan like to describe itself as a hospitable country for tourists, Westerners who live in Japan are frequently harassed by the police for no reason. I should know, it happened to me. I was asked for my ID card and bicycle registration 4 times in a single month at one point, and I was clearly only targeted because I didn't look East Asian. The police only asked me, the only gaijin around, in the crowded streets of Tokyo.
Nobody ever asked to see my ID card, but they were obsessed with my origins. They like to make assumptions based on ignorance, and a lot of generalising.
I would then make fun of them in French. Then they would apologised.
With that in mind, I don't think even Muslims can complain about their treatment in Germany, a country that was more intolerant of foreigners than Japan until 1945. Germany has made tremendous progress toward integrating foreigners. They even changed the nationality law from jus sanguinis to jus soli, mostly to give the right to second and third generation Turkish immigrants to claim German citizenship. In a culture that has long defined itself by its ancestry, that's quite a big step. In contrast, Japanese people have changed very little in their conception of who should be recognised as Japanese since 1945. Most still consider that Japanese born abroad aren't real Japanese, even if they were born of two Japanese parents and are fluent in Japanese.
Chinese do that too.
Now, there is something I notice about the Indians. They love to say something we are ALL Asians. It is like they are trying to say we are the same or something. I personally don’t think Chinese are the same as Indians. They practice child marriages, we don’t. They have caste system, we don’t. They eat with their hands, we eat with our chopsticks, we got slanted eyes, they have round big eyes and the list goes on...
This is especially ridiculous when they are talking to somebody like me who rarely hang around with Asians, with the exception of a few friends and my family. Moreover, the place I work I am the only Asian. I had to fit in, so if they want to talk to me, they don’t need to pull that stunt. I can work with all people Asian or not.
I remember my high school Japanese teacher's comment on the Indians, “I went to London once” she said in Japanese, then, she had that look on her face, “a LOT of Indians.” She said in Japanese.
Speaking of Indians, I went to Japan once with my ex- boyfriend (French). He has a problem with the Indians. He thinks they are disgusting. So, every time we saw one, he had to publicly humiliate them. I had to tell him to stop. It was just not what an educated person would do in public. Luckily, nobody understood what he said. I was so embarrassed. The irony of this is that, he actually got a Master 2 degree.
The British colonization on the Indian people must have made them this way. It is like the Filipinos, if you were white you go there, they would think you are Americanos.
Having said that, there were two Indians I met in my bank in Australia that gave me the best impressions. They were well-mannered, neat and tidy.
As for Switzerland, it has been one of the most secluded countries in European history, one where other countries have traditionally been kept at arm's length and seen with suspicion. Even today a majority of Swiss are wary of entering the European Union, despite being surrounded by it. Swiss nationality laws are some of the strictest in the world. It's not surprising that attitude to outsiders is less relaxed than in the US or France.
In France, you need to be married to a French man after 5 years to be eligible to apply for French citizen. You need to pass several French tests. There will be interviews at the prefecture. You need to be involved in the French community, like get a job for example to be considered as you have successfully integrated into the French community.
In Switzerland it is 10 years I think. I am not sure about the tests.