Expatriates and Migrant Workers (February 27th lesson)

1. What did I learn?

Immigration is such a process that is very remarked in the globalizad world. This process has begun from the slave´s history. Nowadays the concept of immigration has changed a bit , since it got wider, now there is not just immigration of underqualified people, also professionals go to other countries. Why? Because of many reasons: For example, in order to find a better life quality, or to find out a better job (when the person is qualified), or for security, if the person or family has been treathed. So, it is possible to clasify the immigration in: Labour immigrants, professional immigrants, entreprenurial immigants and refugees ans ayslees.

The expectatives of those immigrants are greater: economic opportunities or achievement.

At the same time, immigation implies several aspects such as: the emotional and cultural bonds; adaptation is required here, no matters the country the person immigrates, always there will be elements to face with. The contradictory impacts, which can be due to the lack of contact with the local, the environment, the culture and the society.

On the other hand, there are the four stages of immigration:

1. Temporary labour migration, which is mostly done bystudents or young people.

2.Prolonged stay: When the opportunities seem to get better so at this point there are reasons to stay in.

3. Long term settlement: the family here is involved, and factor such an adecuate house, and salary play an important role. People can consider the option to go back to the origin country.

4. Permanent settlement: A life by own or with the family has been built and there are few options to settle again to the origin country. This takes a long time and is more stable.

In additon, there are the long term effects of immigration: People can develop an openess to settlement in any country. diverse is important but not as an obstacle to settlement. On the contrary, denial of settlement, produces a rejection of cultural diversity.

Something that i found out pretty interesting was the Canadian Case about immigration. Due to the aging and population decline, Canada always seem to be such an attractive destination for the qualified and well trained workers, and more if those workers belong to societies where exists imbalances in the demographic distributions, so they look for a better realocation in their specialized fields. That is why Canada has been reducing the requirements for getting a canadian visa.

2. Question: Which can be the immigration effects in the growth of the receiver country?

3. Answer: "The immigration effects in the economic situation of the receiver country became a debate topic in the industrialized countries, especially in Europe, where is extensively accepted the idea that the arrival of immigrants is going to produce a deterioration of the employment perspectives of the local workers. Moreover, this situation is being object of extensive controversy, coming up positions from the extreme xenofobia, that supports the expulsion of the immigrants (as in Austria, Belgium or France), the limitations in the immigrants entrances, when the unemployment in the country, is high. Those that think that the arrival of immigrants cannot have effects or that, even,can be beneficial, since they take not well qualified jobs which are not demanded by the local workers , they are in a clear minority."1

SOURCE: *1. González, Alberto Alonso. Villaamil Cabezudo, Virginia. Efectos de la inmigración. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales.

Verbeeten, David. 2007. The Past and Future of Immigration to Canada. Springer Science and Business Media B.V.

Maria Alejandra González´s presentation.