Immigration

Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. An immigrant is someone who intends to reside permanently, and not a casual visitor or traveler. 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.

Differing perspectives on immigration

Some free-market libertarians believe that a free global labor market with no restrictions on immigration would, in the long run, boost global prosperity. Likewise, there are anarchists who believe national borders are not legitimate to begin with. Major corporate interests have been among the strongest advocates of liberalization of immigration laws since movement of personnel is essential to creation of true multi-national corporations. Among those on the opposite side of the issue are nationalists who propose militarizing borders, protectionists who prefer closed labor markets or who see liberal immigration practices as a form of corporate welfare where corporate interests use inexpensive or free immigration rights to compensate employees rather than corporate resources, and xenophobes who fear the presence of foreigners, though these views are not shared by all or even most immigration reductionists.

Related Topics:
Libertarian - Free global labor market - Anarchists - Corporate - Nationalists - Protectionists - Corporate welfare - Xenophobe - Immigration reduction

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In practice, no civilized nation operates without immigration controls. Some nations, such as Japan, allow for little or no immigration. In countries that do allow immigration there is disagreement over the numbers, policies, and implementation. Those who support more restricted immigration believe that the current levels of immigration serve to depress wages and circumvent unionization, and contribute to unsustainable levels of population growth. Others disagree, believing that overly restrictive immigration policies and practices would not address the economic demand for work emanating from wealthier countries, would not harm the safety or cohesiveness of the country, and would endanger the lives of legimate refugees.

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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.

Related Topics:
Sierra Club - Environmentalist - Overpopulation

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