POL101Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: H-1B Visa, Economic Migrant, Illegal Entry
Immigration: movement from one country to another for at least one year
Currently there are 200 million immigrants worldwide, or 3% of the global population
Distinguish the settler countries of Canada, the U.S., and Australia from the
postwar, 'accidental,' European countries of immigration
▪
In Canada / U.S. / Australia, migrants originally came not merely to improve their
personal lot, but to transplant a culture, a cluster of institutions, and legislative
practices from the UK (settler vs. immigrant)
▪
U.S. : basic pattern was Britain, German, Irish/Italian, then Eastern Europe
In Canada / UK, empire gave Britons an edge into the post-1945 period
Rapid immigration in the 19th century from Europe
□
Closing of the doors, above all to non-white and non-north European
immigration from the post-World War 1 period to the 1960s
□
Opening of immigration to Africa, Central/Latin America, South and East Asia,
and a demographic transformation of these countries through that migration.
□
Basically followed same trajectory
▪
Irony of the U.S. : extremely hard to migrate there
□
No equivalent of the Canadian points system for those who wish to apply to
migrate
□
Instead, one of the most common patterns is to move to use, legally or
illegally, and through employer sponsorship or legalization secure a Green
Card
□
With the Green Card in hand, you begin sponsoring your family members
□
Result : core of the world's greatest integration regime is not labour, but
family migrants - 500k per year
□
Economic migrants : need to secure one of several visas (an investor visa if
you invest $500k, an H1B visa for high-skilled workers) and then after 6
years, get your employer to sponsor you for permanent residency
□
Or you need to enter the U.S. as a student, find a job, and then secure
sponsorship (2.5 years approx.)
□
Most permanent immigration thus involves "adjusting your status"
□
"temporary" migration and illegal migration : another peg of U.S. migration,
the latter was running at 1 million per year during the 2000s' boom
□
Some 11 million in the U.S.
Were there to stay and had to be legalized and
◊
Legalization was a reward for criminality and would only encourage
more illegal entries
◊
Divisive debate throughout the 2000s between those arguing that
Challenged in courts --> SC ruled against Obama
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Government continued to issue residents permits
◊
Trump promised to end this
◊
Obama : used an executive order to legalize 5 million
Undocumented migrants
□
Formal immigration policy is negatively selective (because it is based on
family immigration), but the US economy pulls in large numbers of skilled
workers, and US universities are the first choice of ambitious immigrants
globally
□
700k in total : 40% studying engineering / science and 20% studying business
□
The U.S.
▪
Paradigmatic cases of societies based on "wanted" and managed migration
□
Since the introduction of the points system (first by Canada, then Australia) in
the late 1960s, the immigration system targets skills --> rewards education,
language, and work experience
□
Has worked with two different models
□
Canada / Australia
▪
Voluntary : skilled and low-skilled labourers, highly educated service sector workers,
and family member
○
In itself, this number tells us nothing, as we have to break the category down
March 20, 2017
12:00 PM
LECTURES Page 75
Document Summary
Immigration: movement from one country to another for at least one year. Currently there are 200 million immigrants worldwide, or 3% of the global population. In itself, this number tells us nothing, as we have to break the category down. Voluntary : skilled and low-skilled labourers, highly educated service sector workers, and family member. Distinguish the settler countries of canada, the u. s. , and australia from the postwar, "accidental," european countries of immigration. In canada / u. s. / australia, migrants originally came not merely to improve their personal lot, but to transplant a culture, a cluster of institutions, and legislative practices from the uk (settler vs. immigrant) Rapid immigration in the 19th century from europe. U. s. : basic pattern was britain, german, irish/italian, then eastern europe. In canada / uk, empire gave britons an edge into the post-1945 period. Closing of the doors, above all to non-white and non-north european immigration from the post-world war 1 period to the 1960s.