I had the same experience in the EU (Austria). After 8 years I was happy to leave and finally be able to stop worrying about visa issues.
It really does seem like immigration police's work is to make sure as few people as possible immigrate.
It really does seem like immigration police's work is to make sure as few people as possible immigrate.
That exactly sums it up. Fortunately we had options, for many people in the same process that is not the case.