Every country regulates immigration in its own imperfect way. Some countries have populations that are 80 percent foreign-born but don't allow residents to permanently stay . Other countries put up huge barriers to citizenship except for people whose parents were born there. In the United States, the Senate has really struggled to pass an immigration reform bill. But the debate has put nearly every category of immigration on the table, from smaller programs such as ,Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Temporary Protected Status and the Diversity Immigrant Visa to the big problems of the immigration system like work-related and family-based migration.“In many ways the U.S. immigration system is a relic of the past,” said Justin Gest, a professor at George Mason University who studies comparative immigration policy, referring to how the public opinion has changed since 1965, when the family-based system was established. “It is far more generous than I think the spirit of the United States is today.”
In 2011, Canada and Australia relied heavily on immigrants who were accepted based on rate of employment, many were also allowed to stay permanently. Both countries used a merit-based point system to determine who qualified, assigning a number of points to criteria such as education, language skills and employment history.
On the contrary, Europe has a different approach. Most immigrants in Europe have been other Europeans. The European Union allows people to relocate between countries with a level of freedom that is totally different than elsewhere in the world, greatly widening employment opportunities. In a system like that, Americans looking for work would be able to expand their searches into Canada and Mexico, but they would also compete against Canadian and Mexican candidates for jobs in the United States.
Could the United States change their policies ? The answer is yes, but it will be a lengthy process. We must observe other countries, and learn the strengths and weaknesses of their migration systems. Storming the Wall really made me think why do we keep this flawed system of immigration? Why not try something else?
Great questions! The section of Storming the Wall we read mainly focuses on impacts on Americans, but the immigrant policy is woven into that.
ReplyDeleteOur blogs cover similar topics! I agree that we need a new immigration system. The current one only seems to cause trauma and violence!
ReplyDeleteThe 80 percent foreign born bit was very interesting. I didn't know about that at all. I think a merit based system like Canada would be good, but, like it's stated in your blog, a change of policy would take a lengthy period of time. Especially because of the opposition topics like this face on either side of the argument.
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