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Why the United States should follow Canada’s immigration system

By Katie Leskowitz

This election centered around questions of immigration reform. Both Republicans and Democrats agreed that reform was needed in the US, but the question of how to do this has been debated many times. The answer: Canada. Canada could be the key country that we need to model the US system after. 

According to the 2011 NHS, 20.6% of people in Canada’s population is foreign-born. Compared to the United States, where in 2010 only 12.9% of population is foreign-born, Canada is doing a superior job of welcoming immigrants to their country. 

So why has Canada become the destination for immigration?

It’s focus on multiculturalism. 

According to Vox, in 1982 the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, an anti-discrimination law that enshrined multiculturalism as an essentially constitutional value. These spurred programs like those in Ottawa that funds communities and individuals to run citizenship and language classes for new immigrants. 

Canada has further promoted pluralistic values to its youngest citizens and a welcoming mentality to immigrants. One estimate says that public schools received more than $1 billion a year to pay for teaching aids and videos with pro-immigrant messages. 

Canada was also revolutionary in their treatment of Syrian refugees. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed Syrian refugees as they entered Canada. “This is a wonderful night where we get to show not just a planeload of new Canadians what Canada is all about, but we get to show the world how to open our hearts and welcome people who are fleeing extraordinarily difficult straits,” Trudeau told government employees in Toronto. 

Source: Mark Blinch, Reuters.

While there have still been critics calling for restrictions and a ban on Syrian refugees, there has been a public movement to accept these refugees.

According to the Government of Canada, since November 13, 2016, Canada has welcomed 34,696 Syrian refugees. However, according to PEW research, as of October 5, 2016, the U.S. has only accepted 12,587 Syrian refugees.

Unlike Canada, the U.S. has had a very prominent opposition of allowing refugees to immigrate. Last year, CNN reported that 31 states opposed letting Syrian refugees into their states. According to the Washington Times, the federal appeals court ruled that were guilty of illegal discrimination, stoping the ban of Syrian refugees. A main figure in this movement, is future Vice President Mike Pence. Pence may have significant influence on the Trump administration’s immigration policy, but rather than banning Syrian refugees, he should look toward Canada’s policy. 

Canada’s immigration policy has many financial benefits. According to the Globe and Mail, without the flow of immigration, Canada’s 20-44 year old population would be declining, which would have detrimental effects as this group is most of the labor force. Canada’s immigration system also adds skilled workers as, according to the OECD, more than 50 percent of Canadian immigrants are highly educated. 

There have been many ideas about how to fix America’s immigration system, and Canada provides the direction that the U.S. should pursue. Canada shows that there is a model that values diversity, and provides many economic incentives. Hopefully the U.S. takes some advice from our neighbors up north.

Canada is pretty cool, eh?

What’s the difference between refugee, asylee, migrant, legal immigrant and illegal immigrant?

By Katie Leskowitz

The first step in immigration reform, is to first learn the system. Education is key to immigration reform, and you’ve gotta talk the talk before you can walk the walk. So what is the difference?

CNN describes a refugee is someone, usually outside of the U.S., who was forced to flee his or her country, by reasons of war or persecution and is recognized for needing international protection. Refugee status is not easy to obtain because they must prove they will be injured if they returned to their country because of race, nationality, or political opinion.

A New York Times article defined asylee is a person in the U.S. or port of entry who is unable or unwilling to return to his or her country of national and seeks protection from the U.S. The U.S. then must consider their claim and not return them immediately to the country they have fled. A refugee can apply for asylum, but it is a process that takes years.

A migrant is general term describing a person moving from one area to another, usually for economic reasons. Immigrant is a subcategory of the term migrant.

An immigrant is anyone who resettles to another country, and could be for reasons of poverty, seeking better opportunities, etc. 

Under the umbrella of the term immigrant is legal and illegal immigrant. 

The IRS defines a legal immigrant as a person granted the right to reside and to work in the U.S. A legal immigrant can also be known as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR), and are issued a green card, which allows them to reside permanently and work without restrictions. There are also legal aliens who hold immigrant visas, who immigrate based on employment, who are allowed temporary work and residency status, but can apply for a green card. 

Figure 1 gives perspective on how many US immigrants are admitted via these methods. 

Figure 1:

Source: Dara Lind, Vox

The Federation for American Immigration Reform describes an illegal immigrant as a foreigner either entered a country illegally (e.g. without inspection or proper documents) or who has violated the terms of legal admission to the country (e.g. by overstaying the duration of a tourist or student visa). An illegal immigrant can be deported if apprehended. 

Figure 2 shows a rise in illegal immigration in the U.S., which further proves the need for greater understanding and immigration reform. 

Figure 2:

Source: Joe Posner, Vox. 

So why is this important? 

Because the more we understand these terms, the better we can understand those that have been given these statuses and can strive to improve the system. It is also important to understand these terms, so they cannot be misused by politicians for political gain. Many Americans view migrant as a negative term, even though it is synonymous with the term immigrant. Likewise, as the video below shows, undocumented worker has a more positive meaning than illegal immigrant. It is important to understand these differences so we do not make generalizations based on false predispositions.