Immigrationsimple:Immigrant \nImmigration is the movement of human population, other than temporary movements such as those of casual visitors or travelers, across national borders. Immigration means "in-migration" into a country, and is the reverse of emigration, or "out-migration." The long term and/or permanent movement of human population in general, whether into, out of, or within countries (or before the existence of recognised countries) is regarded as migration. Throughout the world immigration is a controversial issue. All developed nations put restrictions on how many people can immigrate to them. These are usually justified on economic grounds with worries that many poor workers would lower wages and the nation's standard of living. Sometimes the reason for limiting immigration is cultural. This is felt most strongly in homogenous old world nations where citizenship was long tied to a person having deep historical roots in the country. Western European nations, Japan, and other countries have long been deeply concerned about their national culture being subsumed. This concern can be especially high when the immigrants are of differing race or religion than the majority. Immigration into European countries has a long tradition, though until recently the levels were relatively modest. Recent increases in immigration have led to the development of political parties in Europe which are almost solely concerned with limiting immigration. Immigration has become an increasingly controversial topic among environmental activists in recent years, especially within the Sierra Club in the United States. Some environmentalists concerned with overpopulation favor limiting immigration as a means of isolating human population growth, while others argue that overpopulation and environmental degredation are global problems that should be addressed by other methods. Only five countries in the world still actively encourage large numbers of immigrants: The United States, Israel, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. These nations still have some limits with regard to the numbers allowed to immigrate, but in these countries, population growth is almost entirely due to the relatively large level of immigration. Many other countries permit immigration in particular circumstances, e.g., to fill jobs where a skill is not available locally, for wealthy investors or business leaders, in cases of marriage, multiple citizenship or asylum, or under multilateral agreements such as within the European Union or between New Zealand and Australia. Much immigration occurs for economic reasons. Wage rates vary greatly between different countries and individuals of third world countries in particular can have far higher standards of living in developed countries than in their homes. The economic pressure to migrate can be so high that when legal means are restricted illegal immigration can become an important industry. Other common reasons for immigration include flight from persecution and the desire to join close friends and family members. Some libertarian economists on the extreme right believe that a free global labor market with no restrictions on immigration would, in the long run, boost global prosperity. Likewise, there are anarchists on the extreme left, who believe national borders are not legitimate to begin with. Practically everybody else, no matter where they fall on the political spectrum, agrees that some limits on immigration are necessary. The disagreement is over the numbers. Many believe that the current levels of immigration allowed into the United States, Australia, and other countries are too high, and that unrestricted immigration can serve to depress wages and circumvent unionization, and contribute to unsustainable levels of population growth. See also:
|
||||
"Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called 'Ego'." - Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) |
