Similarities and Differences in Immigration Policies in Canada and South Africa - Case Study Example

Immigration policy and its impact on economy and employment of its workforce in South Africa and Canada Introduction People have been moving to different jurisdictions, for various reasons, for ages. That process is immigration and has continued in to the modern times. However, things are done differently in these present times. There are laws and policies that regulate how people move into the various jurisdictions. Immigration usually has impacts on the economies of the various countries and the people in that particular country, and it is therefore important to regulate movement. The various immigration policies differ from country to country. There are similarities and disparities in the immigration policies in developed countries like Canada and under-developed or developing countries like South Africa. The similarities and differences in immigration policies in Canada and South Africa have an impact on the number of people that immigrate, with potential effects on the labor workforce in these countries influencing economy differently. Immigration Immigration is simply relocating to another country for different reasons. Some immigrate to look for jobs, political freedom, studying, marrying and for business. Immigration is different from country to country. While some countries may be good for political asylum, they may not be the best for business or studying. As such, people have to choose the country they will immigrate to very carefully depending on their future objectives and goals. However, there are exceptions, where a country is suitable for all the possible reasons for immigration. Developed countries have almost everything in order including democracy, education system, better wages and business opportunities. Any person can move into such a country and meet his objectives. Developed country is defined as a country with high level industrialization, high income, and high life expectancy rate, democratically mature, good education systems and with well defined political systems and low corruption rates. Such countries have high literacy levels and high employment rates as well. On the other hand, developing countries are those that are on the path of becoming industrialized, democratically mature. The income, life expectancy, education systems and political systems are improving but are yet to get to the required levels. Most developing countries are working hard to ensure they become developed. Immigration policy is one of the many things such countries are using to improve the various systems. Developed countries also depend on the immigration policies for different things (The World Bank 1). Similarities and differences in immigration policies in Canada and South Africa Workforce South Africa and Canada are constantly in need of people to work in the various sectors of the economy. The reasons behind this are different for the two countries. In South Africa, laborers required are usually non-skilled and semi-skilled. The demand for these workers is attributed to by the many mining industries within the country. Skills do not need to be high unless the person will have to be employed as a manager or director of the big firms. In fact, people looking for un-skilled and semi-skilled jobs are not well educated in most cases. However, this does not meet that well educated people with high level of skills cannot be accommodated. The South Africa Department of Home Affairs categorically states that the country can accommodate people with exceptional skills and qualifications. There are no specifications on the Language an immigrant has to be proficient in to move and live in South Africa (Segatti 19). On the other hand, Canada focuses mainly on highly educated and highly skilled persons. The department of immigration categorically states that potential immigrants to Canada have to be well learned. They must have at least one year experience in their field. Canadian government regulates the qualifications to be used at any given time (Reitz 409). For example, if there is high demand for professionals in the agricultural industry, preference will be in that particular field. All others are put on hold until it is confirmed that there is need for professionals in that sector. The Canadian Immigration policy has been amended several times. The recent amendment requires all immigrants to be proficient and fluent in the two national languages; English and French. Immigrant workers are settled in relatively smaller towns to spread the benefits of immigration all over Canada according to the current administration (Fuchs 27). Family Reunification This is one of the immigration policy clauses Canada and South Africa have a lot of similarity. Like all other countries in the world, these two countries believe that family reunification should be done without any problems or issues. The South African immigration policy states that family reunification can be provided for immigrants whose spouses are working in South Africa. They have to provide proof that they are married in that regards. Immigration can also be provided to those with verifiable blood connection a permanent and lawful South African citizen. This can also be provided for immigrants with family members in South Africa with temporary residence permit. In the case of Canada, the same principles apply. Family reunification immigration can be done for potential immigrants with spouses working in Canada or are permanent residents of the country. It is a requirement for the couple to provide proof that they have been having relationship if they are not married. Proof can be anything including photos and videos that are at least six months old to show that the two have been together for at least six months. Canadian authorities appreciate the fact that same sex partners are likely not be married before moving to Canada for possible restrictions and stigma in their countries of origin. Canadian immigration policy provides residence to such couples as long as they can proof they have been having a relationship (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 1). Family reunification in under Canada’s immigration policy has been faced with some issues in the recent past. It emerged that some were faking documents showing that they were in a relationship yet they were not. Once the second party enters Canada, they disappear to other locations within the country. This has made the government t review the immigration policy once more. It has been made very stringent to get hold of those faking documents to get to the country. South Africa on the other hand has not had such issues and if there were any, they have not been reported. Direct Residence Canada and South Africa provide direct residency to some people. People who have successfully secured employment in Canada or South Africa may be given permanent or temporary residency depending on the nature of the employment they have gotten in these countries. Immigrants in this category have to prove they have employed through a letter of confirmation or contract. Immigration officials may contact the employers to confirm that indeed that person has been contracted for employment. Investors and entrepreneurs looking to invest in these countries are also given priority in residency permits (South Africa Department of Home Affairs, 3). The two countries may also offer residency to refugees and political asylum seekers. Refugees have to provide a form identification to confirm the country they come from. There are countries that are considered high risk and individuals from those countries are given direct residency. Political asylum seekers on the other hand have to prove their lives are in danger in the countries of origin. The immigration department may verify these details before issuing residency. Impact on the workforce and economy Immigration to South Africa and Canada may have an impact on the economy. On the pus side, immigration increases capital utilization and income of the economy generally improving the Gross Domestic Product. At the same time, it contributes in the supply of labor which is critical for the productivity of the various industries and sectors of the economy. Employers are allowed to take advantage of the immigrants to pay relatively lower wages compared to the national average. The current Canadian administration for example encouraged the employers to pay immigrants up to 15% lower compared to the local Canadian population (Keung 13). Some experts believe there is cost advantage of immigration in any given country. They argue that having immigrants saves the costs that would have been used for training the locals thereby having more savings. The savings can be channeled into the different sectors of the economy providing advantages to the locals (Mabiala 11). Employment of the locals may be possible in the event that a well established businessman moves into a country and established a business or industry (Friedberg and Hunt 27). Immigration may also have negative impacts on the work force and economy. Most immigrants are from low to medium income countries. As such, they are willing to accept lower wages. Employers prefer them because they save more and also increase their profitability. This may make the locals unemployed which may negatively affect their daily lives. Research indicates that unemployment rates in most countries are high in regions where there are high immigrant populations (Friedberg and Hunt 39). There is also the issue or illegal immigrants in South Africa, Canada and other countries. Illegal immigrants successfully evade the long arm of immigration, get into the country illegally and integrate into the normal society, only that they do not have any documentation. Illegal immigrants usually stretch the society as they are not accounted for in the resources provided by the government. At the same time, they are willing to work anywhere and for whatever wage as long as they are making some money. The locals may end up suffering as a result. Conclusion Immigration is certainly an issue of concern in Canada and South Africa. The two countries are in two levels of development and have a number of similarities and differences in the immigration policy. Regulation of the number of people getting into these countries is important. There are various conditions that have to be met in these countries to be allowed to be permanent or temporary residents. There are positive and negative impacts of the new entrants on the workforce and the economy. The government of these two countries should focus on addressing the negative impacts of immigration while maximizing on the positive ones to take full advantage of immigration. Works Cited Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Determine your eligibility – Citizenship. 2013. Web. 21 November 2013. Fuchs, Elvira. Immigration Policy in Canada. Munich: GRIN Verlag, 2011. Print. Friedberg, Rachael and Hunt, Jennifer. The Impact of Immigrants on host country wages, employment and growth. Journal of economic perspective, 9.2 (1995): 23-44. Print. Keung, Nicholas. Canada Immigration: How a decade of policy change has transformed the immigration landscape. 13 February 2013. Web. 21 November 2013. Mabiala, Stephane-Jacques. Unemployment and immigration in South Africa. Consultancy Africa Intelligence. 16 May 2013. Web. 21 November 2013. Reitz, Jeffrey. Tapping Immigrants' Skills: New Directions for Canadian Immigration Policy in the Knowledge Economy. Law and business review. 1.1(2005): 11.Print. Segatti, Aurelia. Contemporary Migration to South Africa: A Regional Development Issue. Washington, D.C: World Bank Publications, 2011. Print. South Africa Department of Home Affairs. Permanent Residency (Immigration). 2013. Web. 21 November 2013. The World Bank. How we classify countries. World Bank. 2013. 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