Immigration

Migration

• immigration — the movement of people into one country from another for settlement

  • can be involuntary (in cases of political disaster)

  • many categories (economic, political, etc).

  • ??% of migrants move from a developing to a developed country (i.e., from Philippines to the US)

• emigration — the movement of people out of one country to settle in another

• 4 models of migration:

  • classic model — the country encourages immigration and promises citizenship to newcomers (restrictions and quotas apply)

    • ex: Canada, US, and Australia

  • colonial model — a country grants preference to immigrants from former colonies

    • ex: England, France

  • guest workers model — immigrants are admitted temporarily, but they do not receive citizenship rights, even after long periods of settlement

    • ex: Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany

    • jus sanuinis (e.g. Germany) vs jus soli (e.g. France)

  • illegal model — immigrants who enter a country either secretly or under a nonimmigration pretense often live illegally, outside the realm of official society

• push & pull factors

  • push factors: drive migration

  • pull factors: attract migration

• macro & micro-level processes

  • macro-level: political, environmental, and economic factors of migration

  • micro-level: networks and cultures of migration

• global migration: tendencies that will characterize migration patterns

  • acceleration

  • diversification

  • globalization

  • feminization

• remittances — financial or in-kind transfers made by migrants directly to families or communities in their countries of origin

  • usually a major part of a household’s income, making a big difference in the family’s quality of life

Models of Ethnic Integration

• assimilation — the acceptance of a minority group by a majority population, in which the new group takes on the values and norms of the dominant culture

  • “cultural suicide”

• melting pot — the idea that ethnic differences can be combined to create new patterns of behavior drawing on diverse cultural sources

• pluralism — a newer model for ethnic relations in which all ethnic groups in the new country retain their independent and separate identities yet share equally in the rights and powers of citizenship

• multiculturalism — a condition in which ethnic groups exist separately and share equally in economic and political life; a recent outgrowth of pluralism

History of Immigration in USA

• distinct periods in US history of immigration:

  • colonial period

  • open door period (post-1850s)

  • the immigration reform (1965-1996)

    • 1965: Immigration and Nationality Act is passed; takes racism out of the immigration policy

  • post 9/11 period (from 2001)

  • modern day; Trump immigration laws, etc.

• immigrant visa categories:

  • immediate relative and family sponsored

  • employer-sponsored

  • diversity

  • refugees and asylees

  • other

• non-immigrant visa categories:

  • F1 students

  • temporary workers

  • other