"Canadian immigration officials said the number of U.S. citizens visiting their website went up six-fold the day after the U.S. election....
'When we looked at the first day after the election ... our website hit a new high, almost double the previous record high,' said Immigration ministry spokeswoman Maria Iadinardi."
Unhappy Democrats Must Wait to Get Into Canada
"'It's one thing to say "I'm leaving for Canada" and quite another to actually find a job here and wonder about where you're going to live and where the children are going to go to school,' said one official."
"Now that George W. Bush has been officially elected, single, sexy, American liberals – already a threatened species – will be desperate to escape.
These lonely, afraid (did we mention really hot?) progressives will need a safe haven.
You can help. Open your heart, and your home. Marry an American. Legions of Canadians have already pledged to sacrifice their singlehood to save our southern neighbours from four more years of cowboy conservatism."
"As the main arbiters of where, when, and how people may cross borders, individual countries still hold many of the keys to the immigration and integration trajectories of increasingly diverse flows of migrants. This growing list of profiles catalogues and contextualizes the migration experiences of many countries around the world.
Click on the profiles below to access brief overviews of vital data, policies, history, and political debates. Continue to visit this page as more country summaries, for both sending and receiving countries, are added."
New Zealand: The Politicization of Immigration
"Immigration has been a significant driver of population change in New Zealand since the mid-19th century, and in the early years of the 21st century net migration gains (the balance of arrivals over departures) are at the highest levels ever recorded. At the time of the Census of Population and Dwellings in March 2001, just under 20 percent of New Zealand's residents recorded a birthplace overseas. This is one of the highest proportions of overseas born in the population of any country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) – behind Australia's 24 percent but ahead of Canada's 17 percent and the United States' 10 percent."
Australia's Continuing Transformation
"Australia now faces competing economic, political, and cultural forces. Some groups, notably businesspeople, academia, and the hospitality sector, wish to facilitate easy access for temporary movements of tourists, students, and skilled workers, and to attract skilled immigrants. Other sectors raise concerns about cultural identity, sustainable development and, increasingly, security in the post-September 11 world. In this atmosphere, forming consensus around immigration issues will be a challenge for Australia's policy makers in the years to come."
Canada: Policy Legacies, New Directions, and Future Challenges
"In 2000, 58 percent of admissions were in the Independent or Economic Class, 27 percent were in the Family Reunification Class, 13 percent were Refugee Class and 2 percent were 'Other' (cases determined on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, live-in caregivers or provincial/territorial nominees).
The new 2001 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act largely maintains these categories, although there is a shift away from an occupation-based model for determining admissibility among Independent applicants to one that emphasizes education, language, and the flexibility and transferability of skill sets."
Spain: Forging an Immigration Policy
"Spain's development into a country of immigration was part of a larger regional phenomenon. In the late 1980s, in the midst of economic crisis and the accompanying high unemployment, Mediterranean countries of Europe such as Spain, Portugal, and Italy, hitherto 'way stations' or 'waiting rooms' became receiving countries. This change was brought about by several factors, including the end of guest worker programs, the closing of the borders of traditional receiving countries, such as Germany, Switzerland, and France, the political evolution from authoritarian regimes, their proximity to the sending countries in the Maghreb, and the intense historical and economic bonds between both shores of the Mediterranean. Other contributing factors include the poor performance of the labor markets in the sending countries, the extent of the underground economy in the European countries (that relied on illegal immigration), and the admission of Portugal, Spain, and Greece into the European Community in the course of the 1980s made them 'gateway' countries as well as frontline states on Europe's southernmost border."
Botswana's Changing Migration Patterns
"Since gaining its independence from Britain in 1996, Botswana has rapidly evolved from an impoverished migrant sending country to a migrant receiving country that has attracted skilled professionals from across the continent, brought home many of its own expatriate nationals, and become a destination for refugees and asylum seekers from the Southern African region in particular."
Tonga: Migration and the Homeland
"The Kingdom of Tonga, an archipelago of islands in the South Pacific, is the last surviving Polynesian kingdom. Although a British protectorate for 70 years, Tonga managed to survive the ravages of the colonial world with much of its heritage and authority intact, including indigenous chiefly leadership, Tongan-only land ownership, and a robust subsistence farming and fishing economic sector. An independent nation and member of the British Commonwealth since 1970, Tonga is a constitutional monarchy under the leadership of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, the fourth modern monarch in a hereditary chiefly line....
The results of three decades of migration were apparent in the last Tongan census. Of Tonga's population of 97,784, almost seven of 10 Tongans now reside on the main island of Tongatapu, and practically one-quarter of the entire population lives in the capital, Nuku'alofa. Outer island areas are depopulating rapidly, leading to new government policies aimed at stemming the tide of internal population movement. Although recent population estimates suggest that migration overseas may be slowing, today half of the estimated 216,000 Tongans in the world are abroad, and almost every household has a relative resident in another country."
Citizenship and Immigration
Canada
(department of Canadian government)
"The length of time it takes to process your application can be different in each mission or Visa Office. Visit the mission web site (if available) where you submitted your application for more information on how long it might take to process your application."
Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants
"Created in fall of 2003, the Society is responsible for regulating the activities of immigration consultants who are members and who provide immigration advice for a fee.
The Society grants memberships to only those individuals who have demonstrated their knowledge and ability to advise, consult and represent people who wish to seek Canadian immigration, have passed the Society's Knowledge and Ethics Test and have demonstrated their good character."
Translation & Communication
Service Canada Inc.
Canadian Immigration Specialists
"Immigration FAQ ...
You should know that you don't have to hire a professional – neither a legal firm or a consulting company as T&CS Canada. Reasons why people do hire us are various: lack of time, desire to have everything prepared on a professional level and be sure that the application will not be returned or refused because of a technicality, etc. Another advantage of having a Canadian representative is that he/she will be able to obtain information about your case if it takes unreasonably long or if you encounter an unfair treatment. The fact that you hire somebody to prepare your application will not guarantee faster processing or preferential treatment at the processing level."
New Zealand Immigration Service
"NZIS has appointed three Marketing Directors in North America to help people explore their permanent residency visa options. Our Marketing Directors can also assist prospective migrants in finding information about living and working in New Zealand.
Please note that our Marketing Directors cannot answer questions about specific applications or the interpretation of NZIS policy. For this information, please contact one of our Visa Officers at the New Zealand Embassy or New Zealand Consulate General in Los Angeles."
New Zealand Immigration Consultants
"Under the residence points system emphasis is placed on a job offer, which is worth extra points. Clearly, those applicants with a job offer have a significant advantage over those applying without one. Trying to find a job from 12,000 miles away is no easy task. Where do you begin? The answer is ... you don't have to – we can do it for you."
International Migration in New Zealand: Context, Components and Policy Issues
"This paper reviews the context and components of, and the policy issues surrounding, international migration to and from New Zealand. It first outlines the country's distinctive migration and settlement history before discussing the close interconnection between immigration and late twentieth century Maori concern to, under the Treaty of Waitangi, resuscitate indigenous culture and reclaim control over various natural resources. New Zealand's trans-Tasman connection is then examined, followed by its respectively longstanding and more recent links to the island nations of the Pacific and (Chinese goldminers apart) Asia. The paper concludes with an assessment of the likely course of international migration into the twenty-first century."
New Zealand's Immigration Regulations at a Glance
Australian Immigration Consultants
"Moving to another country is usually a daunting prospect. The first question to ask is whether you can obtain a visa that will allow you to live and work in Australia. And that is when you realise that you might need some help. With over 100 visa categories it can be a challenge determining a strategy that will allow you to migrate in a timeframe that suits your plans."
Immigration Issues in Australia
"Four main immigration issues in Australia at the beginning of the new millennium can be identified. First, increased net migration from New Zealand is a new and important trend, and New Zealand has overtaken the United Kingdom as the largest contributor of immigrants to Australia. Second, Australia, as part of the global market for skilled migrants, is placing increased emphasis on skilled migration. Third, there has been a shift to temporary entry arrangements for business, refugee and family migration that, together with the increase in temporary arrivals such as students and working holiday makers, has resulted in temporary migration becoming as important as permanent migration. Finally, there has also been a significant rise in illegal immigration. The policy context and implications of these trends are discussed."
Australian Immigration Regulations at a Glance
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