Bloomberg Businessweek Europe - November 04, 2019

9

Bloomberg Businessweek � Governance November 4, 2019

Governments the world over are grappling with how to make

immigration work for their economies without fanning polit-

ical flames. Nativism helped crystallize support for Brexit in

the U.K. and almost cost German Chancellor Angela Merkel

a fourth term. President Trump says the U.S. immigration

system is “broken”—and while some of his opponents may

grudgingly agree with that, there is little common ground on

how to repair it.

For inspiration on possible fixes, Americans might look

north to Canada, which uses a points-based system to screen

economic migrants—a group that makes up almost 60% of its

immigrants. The method, which factors in criteria such as edu-

cation and work experience, is a reason only 27% of Canadians

regard immigrants as a burden on their country—the lowest

percentage among the 18  nations surveyed in a Pew Research

Center poll released in March.

That pro-immigration consensus is absent in Japan, where

migrants make up less than 2% of the population. There, the

government is treading cautiously as it rolls out a five-year res-

idency permit designed to alleviate critical shortages of work-

ers in several industries. By comparison, Latin America’s policy

response to the Venezuelan exodus has been hasty and impro-

vised and threatens to give rise to an underclass of undocu-

mented workers. The stories that follow detail how Canada,

Japan, and Colombia are dealing with immigration and include

interviews with recent arrivals. �Michelle Jamrisko

*NORTHERN AMERICA INCLUDES BERMUDA, CANADA, GREENLAND, SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON, AND THE U.S.;

SOURCE: UNITED NATIONS POPULATION DIVISION

From

To

Sub-Saharan Africa Asia Oceania U.S. FranceGermanyItalyRussiaUkraineIranJordanKuwaitLebanonOmanSaudi ArabiaU.A.E.Ivory CoastHong KongIndiaKazakhstanMalaysiaPakistanSingaporeThailandTurkeyAustralia

Asia

Oceania

Dominican

Rep.

El Salvador

Mexico

Puerto

Rico

Poland

Romania

Russia

U.K.

UkraineAlgeria

Palestinian

ter.Syria

Burkina

Faso

AfghanistanBangladesh

ChinaIndia

Indonesia

KazakhstanSouth

Korea

MalaysiaMyanmarPakistan

Philippines

Turkey

Uzbekistan

Vietnam

Cuba

Pathways of more than 1 million people, as of 2017

9

Bloomberg Businessweek � Governance November 4, 2019

Governmentstheworldoveraregrapplingwithhowtomake

immigrationworkfortheireconomieswithoutfanningpolit-

icalflames.NativismhelpedcrystallizesupportforBrexitin

theU.K.andalmostcostGermanChancellorAngelaMerkel

a fourthterm.PresidentTrumpsaystheU.S.immigration

systemis “broken”—andwhilesomeofhisopponentsmay

grudginglyagreewiththat,thereis littlecommongroundon

howtorepairit.

Forinspirationonpossiblefixes,Americansmightlook

northtoCanada,whichusesa points-basedsystemtoscreen

economicmigrants—agroupthatmakesupalmost60%ofits

immigrants.Themethod,whichfactorsincriteriasuchasedu-

cationandworkexperience,is a reasononly27%ofCanadians

regardimmigrantsasa burdenontheircountry—thelowest

percentageamongthe 18 nationssurveyed in a Pew Research

Center poll released in March.

That pro-immigration consensus is absent in Japan, where

migrants make up less than 2% of the population. There, the

government is treading cautiously as it rolls out a five-year res-

idency permit designed to alleviate critical shortages of work-

ers in several industries. By comparison, Latin America’s policy

response to the Venezuelan exodus has been hasty and impro-

vised and threatens to give rise to an underclass of undocu-

mented workers. The stories that follow detail how Canada,

Japan, and Colombia are dealing with immigration and include

interviews with recent arrivals. �Michelle Jamrisko

*NORTHERN AMERICA INCLUDES BERMUDA, CANADA, GREENLAND, SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON, AND THE U.S.;

SOURCE: UNITED NATIONS POPULATION DIVISION

From

To

Sub-Saharan Africa Asia Oceania U.S. FranceGermanyItalyRussiaUkraineIranJordanKuwaitLebanonOmanSaudi ArabiaU.A.E.Ivory CoastHong KongIndiaKazakhstanMalaysiaPakistanSingaporeThailandTurkeyAustralia

Asia

Oceania

Dominican

Rep.

El

Salvador

Mexico

Puerto

Rico

Poland

Romania

Russia

U.K.

UkraineAlgeria

Palestinian

ter.

Syria

Burkina

Faso

AfghanistanBangladesh

ChinaIndia

Indonesia

KazakhstanSouth

Korea

MalaysiaMyanmarPakistan

Philippines

Turkey

Uzbekistan

Vietnam

Cuba

Pathways of more than 1 million people, as of 2017