&gt;&gt; And criminal background checks are useless if you haven&#x27;t been in the country very long; how are they going to check your background in Pakistan?<p>Recent immigrants have been through the US boarder enforcement regime. It isn&#x27;t perfect, but it is something more than the average american goes through.  So it is incorrect to say that being a recent immigrant renders any background check pointless.<p>Remember that is the US with the reputation for difficulties re background checks.  Getting a definitive answer as to someone&#x27;s convictions in 50+ different jurisdictions that make up the US is far more complicated than from a unified justice system as found in Pakistan, Canada or India.  And given some of the gibberish I&#x27;ve seen from US agents, their english is far more comprehensible.