"Not too difficult". Hah. http://immigrationroad.com/green-card/immigration-flowchart-...

The shortest route is 10 years.

It's not true. I got an employment-based green card a little over a year after I set foot in the country.

What is true is that the system is rigged against Indians and Chinese. If you are Indian and don't have a PhD, then yes, you may have to wait 10 years, probably longer in fact. Unlike the hardships of illegal immigrants, this hardly ever gets any attention though.

I'm an American who has contacts with a group of people who are illegal aliens. We have been trying to go the correct route for years. Trust me when I say it is a clusterfuck of epic proportions.

The entire reason we have a problem is because there isn't a good way to "do things legally".

I had to wait over 8 years to get my citizenship and wade through tons of bureaucracy and paperwork. In my experience it was anything but easy. It took a letter to the governor of my state, asking for help so that I can vote for him; to get things moving. Suddenly everything magically fell into place within two weeks of writing that letter.

It's probably only 'easy' for Canadians.

In all seriousness, though, would you recommend anyone else do that after being able to prove you've "done your time" in the system?

Recommend writing a letter to your governor or local politician? Yes.

Dismantle the bureaucracy that makes immigration so difficult? Yes. I believe in free markets.