Canada's immigration laws: benefits and drawbacks

CANADA'S IMMIGRATION LAWS

Canada tighten immigration laws expel illegal aliens Prepare subtopics listing pro-con arguments motion. To, research chosen topic extensively. References provided statistics, studies, moral arguments made side.

Canada to tighten immigration laws and expel illegal aliens

Immigration refers to the act or process of moving from one country into another. There are many reasons why one may decide to move into a given country which may include to pursue education, employment, marriage or even to take refuge. Immigration laws refer to a nation's government policies that offer ground to control the phenomenon to the said country. These policies vary from one country to another providing the legal status of the people. Canada is a geographically large nation with a relatively small population. The country is also very attractive and full of many opportunities to be explored in all aspects from social, cultural and economic. For this reason, thousands of people from around the globe become permanent or temporary citizens or residents of the country. The idea of immigration has therefore traditionally been viewed as a key player in the county's economic and population growth. With time however, immigration strategies and priorities have transformed significantly from the initial open boarder approach to a policy that could be regarded as explicitly discriminatory that is focused on economic gain Knowles, 2007.

Careful analysis of the transformed immigration policies provides an opportunity to deduce the pros and cons of the same. This discussion provides a short history of the immigration policies in Canada, following given ethical theories that support the laws.

Discussion

The idea behind the immigration laws of Canada is that despite the nation being geographical big, developed and prosperous, not everyone can move or visit the country. Canada is referred to as the immigration capital of the world because of the huge number of immigrants it receives every year. It is statistically proven that of all applicants who want to immigrate to Canada, 85% are successful and become a citizen of Canada. The idea of immigration is good because of the increase in population; on the other hand it poses a threat to the natives who are increasingly becoming the minority groups. It is important for the government to realize that in as much as they would advocate for more immigrants for economic reasons, the needs of the natives do not have to be compromised Cornelius, 2004.

The Canadian government is therefore on the forefront inventing strategies to improve the selection and processing of immigrants who want to move to the country. Anybody intending to move to Canada needs to be aware of different facts about the place so as to be prepared to adapt and enjoy life in the country. It is with no doubt that despite the different pros and cons of immigrants in the country, there will be those who will enjoy life there and those that will not.

To begin with, Canada experiences extremely harsh weather conditions with temperatures rising to about 30 0C during winter and reducing to -40 0C in winter. This makes the winter period very boring and goes on for about six months. Engagement in outdoor activities will not be possible and the surrounding is not pleasant, rather than a white landscape that may be depressing. The provinces of Canada differ on aspects of socio-cultural and economic opportunities and therefore one should identify where he or she wishes to reside. From the identified part of residence can one slowly adopt to other parts of the country. At the same time, one keeps in mind the vast distances in the country between one place and another hence save enough money, relatives or friends that will help one move around. One also needs to know if his/her educational qualifications are accepted because educational systems vary around the world. This is because immigrant with degrees from United States, Canada and other globally recognized universities are able to land big and good jobs in the country. Finally, since one is moving to a new place, the body has to adjust itself to the type of lifestyle in Canada. This implies the presence of varied health complications; therefore one requires select health plans that cover health costs. Immigrants who have relatives living in Canada may become less anxious and will note really take note of the mentioned factors. On the other hand, for the first timers in the country will experience confusion freight and tension but become accustomed after some time and enjoy the amazing experience.

The benefits of immigrating into Canada is that despite whatever job an individual lands, one has the advantage of earning a living. As a resident of Canada, one is able to enjoy the extremely high- tech resources that are available as a result of the nation's technological development Mooney, 2012.

During the summer and spring, the scenery becomes beautiful and bright suitable for picnics and photo shoots. Immigrants also have the opportunity to explore the high quality education system through further education on what they already have. It also a fact that other than a half of the immigrants in Canada settling in southern Ontario, the rest proceed to reside in urban centers such as Vancouver and Montreal. This poses a risk of overpopulation in the urban centers causing strain on available resources. Another factor is that not all immigrants will get a form of employment resulting to negative options that pose threats to the society Canadian Criminal Justice Association. & Canadian Association for the Prevention of Crime, 1978.

Socially, the offspring's of immigrant usually stand a better chance in opportunity exploitation compared to the natives of Canada.

The Canadian immigration laws were transformed by the conservatives through a budget implementation bill in early 2008, and were considered a confidence motion. This led to the bill being passed as a law by the liberals in the same year. The immigration bill could also be termed as an omnibus bill because of its nature in trying to satisfy different aspects of the matter in one package. The conservatives believed the transformation of the laws was meant to tackle the existing problem then head on, but the critics made it clear that this action was to create more challenges for the country. A lot of controversy followed the prime ministers decision to transform the immigration laws this discussion being non-partial, examines both the pros and cons of the same in order for those opposing or proposing the motion to have a fact supporting ones opinion.

Cons of the Canadian immigration laws

It is evident that the recent bill generally makes Canadian laws less fair, less generous and less tolerant. Firstly, it concentrates a huge amount unilateral power in the hands of the existing minister of citizenship and immigration in that he or she would be able to fast forward the processing of immigration candidates application if it meant the improvement of given sectors of the economy. This aspect becomes a major disadvantage as it becomes unfair to the immigrants and the Canada itself hence the issue of a confidence measure and becoming a part of the budget. It is evident that the immigration officers, process applications by prioritizing the fore hand forms without any consideration of getting the right people for the available jobs. The transformed law of immigration did not involve the citizen of Canada and is therefore viewed as a malicious move by the government to exercise a hidden agenda in the same. The fact that the law was passed through a back door rather than through an independent legislation makes Canadian politicians looks suspicious. The conservatives claim that the backlog of immigrant's s cleared then there would be more cash flow in the country hence boosting the economy. The law is bound to receive criticism making it a challenge to implement. Another aspect of the cons of the immigration law is that if liberals, that is the government in power supports it, the citizen good will on them is going to be lost as they will be viewed as complicit. To an extreme extent, the whole idea of tension behind liberals and conservatives will influence the globe's perspective of Canada with the notion that democracy does not prevail. The statisticians in Canada determined that when more immigrants are allowed in skilled personnel, then the labor supply is boosted by 10% implying that wages have to be divided and this means a fall across the provinces.

From the immigrant's perspective, the law becomes inconsiderate because it strips them of their humanity. This is because the government takes the opportunity to scrutinize the kind of people it needs following educational or background information so they can add economic value to the country. This means that immigrants are viewed as strictly economic units that could be discarded when the services they rendered are no longer required. To the extreme side, this problem is bound to affect the long-term performance of the Canadian economy. If changes are not made immediately, the backlog of people is bound to double to a huge number in the next five years. The government has created the notion that it is clearing the backlog of immigrants by prioritization of the skilled people but in reality, more immigrants would like to reside in Canada for purposes other than economic ones. The Canadian immigrant laws also discriminate on the immigrants because they suffer about 29% earning disadvantage compared to the original residents of the country. The laws state that this condition can be reversed should the immigrant complete their first five years of residing in Canada by getting a three percent increase in their earnings Meyer, 2004.

The other disadvantage of the immigration laws in Canada is that in as much as they allow for the purpose of providing labor, the available jobs on offer are way below the qualifications of the immigrants. This is because the natives are given a priority in the job market followed by the immigrants who will be given the other remaining jobs available. If this unutilized expertise was exploited, then the country could be gaining around five million more in the economy.

Conclusion

The government of Canada is continuously making efforts to enhance the selection of immigrants into the country. The recent changes in the immigration laws were meant to enhance economic growth for the country but critics view it as a challenge to certain aspects of humanity. The implementation of the law is clearly faced with challenges concerned with both the pros and cons of the same. With time the changes prove to be successful for the nation, will the world know if Canada has made a mark or made the wrong turn on the aspect of immigration. It is important to capture aspects of multiculturalism because of the large number of immigrants in the country. One way or another, the different culture will intertwine and the country should be ready to face the resulting consequences of whether its citizens will accept one another as they are or adapt to other cultures or a resultant culture that is different all together Avramov & Cliquet, 2005.

An immigrant should be aware that despite there no being direct discrimination from the original citizens, at the back of the minds they will forever view you as an outsider despite the number of years one resides in country.