Immigration policy refers to a government’s legal policy to manage immigration, which may encourage, limit, or prevent it. Most nations favor desirable immigrants and limit access to others. Wealth and job offers are factors for entry, and some nations exclude minorities or hostile groups. Family reunification programs have caused controversy, and both Europe and the US have experienced problems with immigration.
The term immigration policy refers to a legal policy implemented by a government entity, usually a sovereign nation, to manage immigration. Such policies may seek to encourage, limit or prevent immigration. Most nations employ policies that favor some desirable types of immigrants while seeking to limit access to other types. Many nations offer special immigration programs to allow for family reunification, although these programs have caused controversy, particularly in Europe.
The history of the United States helpfully illustrates all the major varieties of immigration policies. Throughout much of the early history of the United States, immigration was largely unregulated, in part because there was a high demand for labor. During the second half of the 19th century, immigration proceeded rapidly and resulted in a nativist backlash, which led to the passage of laws to restrict immigration from areas whose people were considered less desirable, especially Asia and Europe southern. From this point forward, the United States and most European nations adopted immigration policies designed to selectively allow immigration.
Wealth is a key factor in determining a potential immigrant’s opportunity. Most nations offer a fast track to citizenship for prospective immigrants who can demonstrate that they will bring with them a substantial level of personal wealth and intend to use that wealth to invest in the country they seek to enter. Developed nations typically also try to ensure that immigrants can support themselves, by requiring proof of significant personal wealth or a verifiable job offer within the destination country.
Nations generally regulate immigration policy in order to exclude those whose values or attributes are seen as undesirable. Members of national or religious minorities have often been excluded, with some nations, such as Japan, using immigration policy to exclude the vast majority of potential immigrants. Other nations, such as the United States, use immigration policy in an effort to exclude members of perceived hostile groups, as part of a counterterrorism strategy.
Many countries, including the United States and most European nations, give preferential treatment to people whose family members already have citizenship rights. This policy is primarily designed to allow for nuclear family reunification. Critics have charged that such programs have been misused, particularly in Europe, by immigrants who enter into marriages specifically for the purpose of obtaining citizenship, an action prohibited in most countries.
Both Europe and the United States have experienced problems arising from immigration policy. European nations have had difficulty assimilating immigrant populations, and these populations often form impoverished subclasses, leading to resentment from both natives and other immigrants. The United States has long struggled with the issue of illegal immigration, which supplies large segments of the workforce, but which is deeply controversial.
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