Cause and Effects of Immigration to Canada - Research Paper Example

? Cause and Effects of Immigration to Canada Cause and Effects of Immigration to Canada Introduction Canada is traditionally acountry that has always embraced immigrants and this number has grown gradually over the decades. In reality, the large number of immigrants in the Canadian society has been enhanced by the point system and this appears to have worked relatively well. Canada has embraced immigration unlike countries like Australia, France, and Germany which reluctantly passed polies to become “immigration countries.” The country’s migration procedures have been relatively positive while mass immigration is considerable acceptable within the society. The Canadian immigration policy therefore, has distinctive models that include mass settlement with skill-based admission, multiculturalism, and standards that encourage integration. The cornerstone of Canadian immigration policy is that immigrants present an opportunity to build the economy, through collaborative, and skilled based tactics (Reitz, 2012, p. 523). Causes The main cause of immigration to Canada is related to a lenient immigration policy founded on a point based system. The point system allows skilled workers to be selected to join the developed Canadian economy and contribute positively to its enhancement. This system of migration allows hundreds of people from across the globe to settle in Canada. Currently, the Canadian immigration policy gives room for 250,000 immigrants to enter the country very year. This has encouraged people from various locations and especially from Southeast Asian to enter Canada in search of better jobs and living standards. The policy ensures that the government has back-up and support systems that offer assistance to new settlers though understanding of the culture and guidance on ways to achieve economic success in the country. It is evident that the immigration requirements are lenient compared to other countries like Britain and this allows many people to qualify. Even with the recession that hit the world, Canada did not bring down the immigration quota as other countries did to minimize the inflow of settlers (Reitz, 2012). The other reason for the immigration to Canada is because it supports multiculturalism and integration of settlers into the social sphere. The concept of multiculturalism was introduced in the country in 1970s with an aim of enabling newcomers to settle into the society by offering tools like language training, equality enhancement, citizenship, and also human rights support. There have been efforts by the Canadian government to support the settlers’ skills through acceptance or recognition of foreign qualifications in various levels. The issue of multiculturalism does not only involve recognition of minority groups but also encourages cultural relativism while accepting mainstream concepts. In the past, the mainstream values were disregarded in the policy in support of cultural relativism but this has slowly been alienated to ensure that immigrants also value the views of other cultures. However, in Canada multiculturalism is a strategy that allows immigrants to integrate efficiently with others as opposed to isolation (Day, 2000). It is also evidence that Canada believes that through immigration they are focusing on human capital to develop the economy. This is because the policy of immigration has the objective of acquiring strong, fluent and highly skilled people in a bid to enhance human capital within the labor force. The country has generated standards in immigration procedures that attract skilled workforce with required educational achievements and skills in the job sector. The whole idea is that Canada believes that immigrants are a resource to meet labor shortfalls and at the same time stimulate economic growth. Canadians have the view that immigrants extensively contribute new ideas, creative designs, and foster international awareness to connect with the global economy. This view is appreciated all over the country including Alberta province where the oil industry had huge demand for all types of workers in the era of economic boom and even Atlantic part of Canada which had few jobs but settlers were sought as a means of generating employment. It is clear that immigration in Canada is received openly as a method of capitalizing on human capital through the highly skilled qualifications they bring. They are also seen as a cornerstone of economic development especially in times when labor shortfalls are experienced within the economy (Reitz, 2007). The Canadian provinces in collaboration with the federal government have unique and independent ways of motivating immigrants into the country. In this way, some of these factors are lenient and supportive of settlers in the country like in Quebec with the collaboration of the federal government allows its own selection of immigrants. It is evidence that with the concept of migration being integrated in local authorities, there is more transparency and favorable conditions for settlers to easily access the country. The Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) play a great role in creating guidelines for immigrants as a way of enhancing economic growth within the provinces. There are many immigrants that have been accepted in Canada under the PNP programs recorded at 15% of the total number in various provinces. The major provinces to include this program include Quebec, and Manitoba to enhance development at provincial levels. The Canadian provinces also contribute in settlement programs with the cost divided among the provincial and federal government but major services are addressed locally. In this way, immigrants have been able to settle in provinces that were not attractive or accessible in the past (Wagner, Head & Ries, 2002). Effects There are both positive and negative effects that have been brought by immigration within the Canadian society. The Canada immigration policy has contributed positively to the society because of the skill-selective technique it employs. This is because immigrants are selected according to their expertise and academic qualifications and this means they have higher chances of finding employment and therefore, would not stress out the economy. In this way, there is efficient economic integration while the immigrants share their new ideas and concepts to enhance the economic development. It is evidence that skilled settlers have greater benefits for the host country than unskilled ones who put on strain as they strive in low paying jobs. This scenario therefore, means that the Canadian citizens do not have to suffer when immigrants come in but rather share with them in developing the economy (Reitz, 2007). The mass immigration to Canada has also created problems and especially reduced employment opportunities for many immigrants. It is evident that even with skill-selection immigration procedures there are huge numbers of unemployed immigrants within the economy. In reality, one of the main reasons could be the mass influx of people within a short time that settle in Canada. It is also clear that the skill-selected immigrants have families who join them to be united after a successful citizenship and this contributes to another person that may be unemployed in the equation. There is evidence that there are less labor opportunities in Canada and the new entrants are therefore, faced with unemployment. In reality, the job market is concentrated while the continuous influx of people into the country causes more strain in finding a job opportunity (Reitz, 2012). In addition, it has been indicated that regardless of the concept of multiculturalism the issue of racism and discrimination is still prevalent in Canada. This is especially so in areas of employment, housing and even in policing which decrease the level of productiveness in the society. There are major cases of racism and discrimination directed towards the African and Asian Canadian groups and this is where many immigrants are emerging from in the globe. These minorities are believed to have the lowest family or individual incomes and in this way, the level of poverty in these communities is large. This has resulted in criminal activities among these groups as they result in other ways of finding financial gain. The black community in Toronto is especially marred with gang violence and criminal activities which shows that multiculturalism has not been successful. The multiculturalism concept has therefore, not been able to eliminate discrimination and racism effects that result from isolation and disregard (Reitz, 2012). Conclusion Canada is a country that records high immigration quotas every year more than most developed countries. The main reason for this immigration level is the Canadian policy that promotes the point system. The points system encourages skill-selection of immigrants into the country and it is believed that these settlers would enhance economic growth. Multiculturalism also has encouraged immigration in Canada as people are attracted in a society where cultural relativism is promoted and isolation is barred. Today, Canadian provinces also contribute in selecting and settling immigrants locally and this has made the process more lenient for applicants. The major effects of the high migration are economic development as foreign ideas are integrated with local concepts to enhance growth. However, there have been problems of mass immigration in Canada including lower employment opportunities and increased racisms as well as discrimination. References Day, R. J. (2000). Multiculturalism and the history of Canadian diversity. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press. Reitz, J. G. (2012). The distinctiveness of Canadian immigration experience. Patterns of Prejudice, 46(5), 518-538. Reitz, J. G. (2007). Immigrant employment success in Canada, Part I: Individual and contextual causes. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 8(1), 11-36. Wagner, D., Head, K., & Ries, J. (2002). Immigration and the Trade of Provinces. Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 49(5), 507-525. Read More